Meal Plan? What Meal Plan?

Monday April 28 References: MFC; Modern Family Cook Book, Meta Givens 5IG; Vegetarian 5 Minute Gourmet, Nava Atlas   The interesting challenge during grilling/barbeque season is to pay attention to the 5-Day Forecast before meal planning the week.  I’d starting looking at Monday with an eye towards an evening around the barbe, flipping quesadilla and grill marks on juicy pineapple slices.  Ooops, 5-Day is calling for thunderstorms THE REST OF THE WEEK.  Sigh.  Bring the party indoors.  I need a cast iron grill pan for Christmas. It goes without saying, as I’m sitting here on MONDAY night, haven’t finished the meal plan for the week.  New puppy training, who’s taking her out for the many times an evening pee break, who’s feeding her the cat food and giving her the nastiest case of classical gas ever?  Not terribly appetizing for menu planning.  But I carry on. Now it’s Wednesday, fergossakes!!  Moral of the story is: settle down and complete the menu plan on Saturday or I’ll be whining and complaining on Wednesday that I don’t know what to cook and I’ve not been to the grocery store or farmers market for the week and the weekend is coming up.  A BUSY weekend is coming up where I’m working catering with a friend all weekend. Monday is over, but the meal plan can start whenever you get it or around-to-it.  Now it’s Tuesday.  The dishes have FINALLY all been washed from Sunday activities and the puppy is settled in. So let’s begin with what’s for breakfast Monday morning.  SOME Monday morning.

 MONDAY

MEAL	REFERENCE	NEEDED
Breakfast – tomato juice		tomato juice
Poached egg in milk		egg, toast, milk, butter
Ezekiel toast		Ezekiel bread
Coffee
Luncheon – chili-cheese oven fries		potatoes, cheese sauce, left-over chili non carne
French Bowl Salad	MFC818	Romaine lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, celery, garlic, stale bread, green onions, radishes, French dressing (MFC841 0414)
Fresh pear halves		pear, lemon
Dinner –Sweet Potato Quesadillas	5IG pg 170	sweet potatoes, mild green chilies, Monterey jack cheese,
shredded cabbage and celery salad	MFC779	cabbage or coleslaw mix, celery, chili sauce, mayonnaise, lettuce
Pineapple muffins	MFC49	flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, pineapple
Note: Soak beans for tomorrow’s luncheon

Soul Chixn Skillet Pie and Biscuits

TUESDAY

MEAL	REFERENCE	NEEDED
Breakfast – tomato juice		canned tomato juice
prepared cereal with milk or non-dairy milk		prepared cereal, milk
cinnamon toast		Ezekiel bread
Coffee		coffee
Luncheon – Navy Bean Soup	MFC967	navy beans, onion, oil, soy sauce, milk
crackers		crackers
Fruit cup	MCF287	fresh and/or frozen grapes, melon, strawberry,
iced tea		tea
Dinner – Soul chik-n skillet pie and biscuits	MFC587 sub meatless tenders for veal	meatless tenders, carrots, onions, potatoes
buttered peas		peas, butter
Waldorf salad	MFC772	leftover from Saturday

 

WEDNESDAY

MEAL	REFERENCE	NEEDED
Breakfast – fresh orange juice		oranges
oatmeal with non-dairy milk and butter		oatmeal
toast with jam		bread jam
coffee		coffee
Luncheon – grilled cheese sandwiches		cheese, bread, butter
cream of tomato soup	MFC960	28 oz canned tomatoes, onion, white sauce (MFC919)
Grated carrot and raisin salad	MFC 743	carrots, lettuce, mayonnaise
Dinner – Spinach and Feta-Stuffed Potatoes	BB	baking potatoes, fresh spinach, milk, scallion, feta cheese
boiled potatoes		potatoes
spicy greens and tomatoes	BB	greens, garlic, red pepper, tomatoes
rhubarb shortcake	MFC 311	rhubarb, sugar, flour, shortening, milk

 

Meta uses MEAT SUNDRIES in many of her recipes and she’s devoted an entire chapter to it.  Here’s a little of what she writes about them:

“Liver, heart, kidneys, sweetbreads, tripe, brains, and tongue all fall into this group called MEAT SUNDRIES or SPECIALITES.  Some of them, especially liver, kidneys, and heart, are exceptional good sources of certain vitamins and minerals, and for this reason are valuable constituents of the diet. ”    

My father LOVED chicken gizzards.  He asked me to try one.  I did.  It didn’t appeal to me.  I know many people who do love organ meats, but not me.

Wednesday’s Dinner originally called for “Braised Stuffed Heart” with stuffed potatoes, buttered spinach, bread, and butter.  Looking out my window right now, I see our fresh, young spinach and a cow parade of grazing bovines.

I changed that main-dish menu item to Spinach and Feta-stuffed Potatoes, with tomato soup.

 

THURSDAY

MEAL	REFERENCE	NEEDED
Breakfast – sliced oranges		oranges
grits with butter and sugar		grits
5-minute eggs		eggs
coffee		coffee
Luncheon – Square-Meal biscuit sandwiches	MFC867	sweet-milk biscuits, ground beef or meatless crumbles, butter, flour, red peppers, onions, sharp cheese
grapefruit salad	MFC 753	grapefruit segments, lettuce, French dressing (MFC 841)
Tea		tea
Dinner – Barbecue soul chixn and onion stir-fry	BB	meatless tenders, onions, barbecue sauce, hot rice
steamed sugar snap peas		sugar snap peas
pickled beet salad	MFC775	roasted pickled beets, cucumber, sugar, dill
Note: Prepare for all-weekend away from home!  Have ready SOMETHING for the man at home to eat	Load up the freezer and fridge with grab-n-go meals for the man.  Don’t forget the cats and Dolly Barker, the new puppy	Tuna in oil, frozen fish, bread, tomatoes, salad stuff, bananas, milk, frozen pizza, Amy’s frozen entreés, eggs, soak beans

In spring we move away from the heavier, gooey grains of wheat and oats, and try to prepare foods from the lighter cereals; corn and quinoa.  Although quinoa (KEEN-wah) is a seed it’s prepared as a grain, like cous-cous.  I can use any rice or pasta salad recipe I want for the quinoa salad.  Friday, I’ll prepare a client favorite, Squash and Orzo Salad from Food Network Magazine 1,000 Easy Recipes, substituting quinoa for the orzo.

In other notes for the Friday meal plan; try to find organic zucchini.  Evidently most conventionally grown zucchini is genetically modified.  Odd, that.  I choose not to eat that way as much as I can. Working outside of the farm all weekend allows me to plan for very simple meals that the man can put together quickly with a minimum of fuss and bother for luncheon and dinner.  I’ll put a big bowl of burrito-ready pinto beans and corn in the fridge, ready for luncheon burritos, using the Nava Atlas recipe in The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet.  Fabulous.  I hope he leaves me some.  

FRIDAY

MEAL	REFERENCE	NEEDED
Breakfast – sliced bananas and apples		banana, apple
French omelette		eggs, milk, butter
squash and quinoa salad		organic zucchini, yellow squash, green onions, quinoa, parsley, dill, feta
Luncheon – pinto bean and corn burrito	5IG pg115	pinto beans, corn, stewed tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, cumin, wheat tortillas
corn chips		corn chips
cabbage and raisin slaw	MFC 740	cabbage coleslaw mix, raisins, mayonnaise
tea
Dinner – frozen pizza topped with Field Roast Italian sausage and onions		frozen pizza, Field Roast Italian sausage, onions
garden salad		lettuces, radish, cherry tomatoes, French dressing
Vanilla ice cream with peanut butter and chocolate syrup		vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, chocolate syrup
After catering Note:		soak lima beans for tomorrow’s luncheon

Field Roast is an analog meat product that we really, really like.  The Frankfurters are especially nice.  I find them at my local health food store in Abingdon, Whole Food Center, or in Johnson City, TN at Earth Fare.  When I find them I buy a lot. http://fieldroast.com/

Gimme Lean is another analog meat product made by Lightlife, we use quite a lot of .  The man always loves a good sausage biscuit.  The non-meat sausage can be dressed up however I like with extra heat and herb or left alone. It occurs to me “Gimme Lean” is maybe a scrunch-up of “Jimmy Dean”.  Oh.  http://www.lightlife.com/Vegan-Food-Vegetarian-Diet.html

SATURDAY

MEAL	REFERENCE	NEEDED
Breakfast – peaches		frozen peaches, thawed, sugar
prepared cereal with non-dairy or regular, whole moo milk		prepared cereal, milk
Gimme Lean sausage patties		Gimme Lean sausage
Note:  I’ll be out of the house from early afternoon to pretty late in the evening. Plan accordingly.		Make lima bean & carrot soup and pineapple-date salad, determine how much tea is left
Luncheon – Cream of lima bean and carrot soup	MFC952	soaked lima beans, carrot, onion, milk
tuna sandwich		tuna, celery, mayonnaise
pineapple date salad	MFC 766	dates, pineapple, mayonnaise
tea
Dinner – Amy’s frozen entreé		something tasty from Amy’s
Frank’s kale and tomatoes	BB	oil, garlic, onion, kale, hot peppers, 14 oz can of tomatoes
Waldorf salad	MFC772	apples, lemon juice, celery, walnuts, sour cream, parsley, sugar

I’m starting A Course in Miracles at the beginning of the textbook.  I’m starting it again. This is the PREFACE.  This is exciting.  I’ll not transcribe the entire Course, just a little of the PREFACE for my remembrance, and a personal not from time to time.

  “This Preface was written in 1977, in response to many requests for a brief introduction to A Course in Miracles.  The first two parts – How It Came; What It Is-Helen Schucman wrote herself; the final part – What It Says – was written by the process of inner dictation described in the Preface.”

How It Came

A Course in Miracles began with the sudden decision of two people to join in a common goal.  Their names were Helen Schucman and William Thetford, Professors of Medical Psychology at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City.  It does not matter who they were, except that the story shows that with God all things are possible.  They were anything but spiritual.  Their relationship with each other was difficult and often strained, and they were concerned with the personal and professional acceptance and status.    In general, they had considerable investment in the values of the world.  Their lives were hardly in accord with anything that the Course advocates.”   This story never ceases to amaze and astound me.

SUNDAY

MEAL	REFERENCE	NEEDED
Breakfast – grapefruit		grapefruit
Griddle cakes	MFC36	flour, eggs, baking powder, milk, sugar, salt
Brown sugar syrup	MFC924	brown sugar
coffee		coffee, milk
Note:  Still out of the house for the day		Prepare something for Dinner and maybe Supper.  Make devilled eggs MFC387)
Dinner – Burger steak and gravy	BB	meatless burger, flour, butter, vegetable bouillon
mashed potatoes	MFC1077	potatoes, milk, butter
green beans	BB	frozen green beans, onions
Cookies and ice cream		cookies, ice cream
tea		tea
Supper – egg salad sandwiches	BB	eggs, pickle, mustard, hot sauce, paprika, pepper, mayonnaise, celery, lettuce
fresh pineapple		pineapple
hot cocoa		cocoa, milk, sugar

It’s Wednesday evening.  I’ve been puppy training (chasing) all day.  Wrangling cats, man, and puppy, and  trying to keep everyone happy.  Of course, no one is really happy, we’re all just waiting for each of us to go to sleep.  The cats can’t WAIT until the puppy goes to kennel when they again have the run of the house.  The puppy can’t WAIT to be fed something again, or find another waste basket, or litter box (uggh).  The Man and I can’t WAIT ‘til everyone is in bed and we can have tall glasses of wine.   Tomorrow is another adventure.   Eat well.  B.