Thursday, July 15, 2010

Menu planning and summertime = crazy busy!

Whoa!  Where did the past 4 weeks go?  I had to put blogging on the back burner for the past few weeks.  We are staying very very busy, which is a good thing because the photo business is growing rapidly and we are having FUN!  Let's see.....we have worked tons on our farm, have celebrated lots of birthdays, I have been volunteering at the Tualatin Farmer's Market, a destination wedding shoot and fun vacation for my husband, took my son to see Broadway's Lion King, went to stay on the Metolius River with my family, berry picking, working tons for our day jobs and photography business, and trying to squeeze in some quiet family time.  It has been a blast!

During these busy weeks we have still been able to maintain a weekly menu, which I believe has saved us many times.  There has been a few times where our meals were changed at the last minute but being flexible is the only way to stay sane!  It has been fun finding and making recipes that have incorporated all the fresh food we have gotten from our garden and farmer's markets.  I love this time of year!  Teaching my son all about how to grow food and eat fresh, local food has been so fun and rewarding.  As a reminder...most of our food that we eat weekly is either organic, local, sustainable, or grown by us! 

Here is our menu for this week:

MONDAY-  BBQ Talipia, Corn on the Cob, and garden salad

TUESDAY-  Whole wheat spaghetti with homemade tomato and veggie sauce (My husband's night to cook, as I work late)

WEDNESDAY-  Vegetable and Tofu Stir fry with brown rice (My husband's night to cook, as I work late)

THURSDAY-   Hummus Veggie Wraps and fruit salad (Quick dinner right before a photo shoot)

FRIDAY-  BBQ fiesta- Salmon Burgers, Grilled Vegetables, Guacamole-Deviled Eggs, Caprese Salad (I add balsamic vinegar to the salad). 

SATURDAY-  Summer Vegetable Crepes (Wedding Shoot this evening...This will be prepared ahead of time)

SUNDAY-  Seared Citrus Glazed Salmon Over Wilted Spinach

Extra items I am cooking & baking this week:
Strawberry Jam (We went berry picking this week and going to make a huge batch of jam)
Raspberry Limeade (For our BBQ on Friday)
Soft Pretzel Bites (My husband LOVES these and I make them so he can take them to work). 

For more menu planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organized Junkie.

Happy Cooking & Eating,
Alyson

"Food, medicine, beauty, and love. When we talk about them in English, they seem so different from each other. But looking at them from another perspective, they are not so different. Good food is a part of good health. Good health leads to good looks. Love surrounds it all. When we feed or heal, we share love. When we love and are loved, we are beautiful."   -Alma Snell