Menu: the week ahead...

Saturdays are generally the day that we sit down and figure out what we want to eat for the week. I make a list, add some essentials and we head to the store. Today was a little different cause we were down one kid. Yesterday we ran into Corey's dad in the parking lot of Walmart and he "needed" to take Joe with him. So Corey and I got to have a little Libby all to ourselves, SO much fun to spoil her a bit without Joe. So instead of a family trip out, we made it a girls date and let daddy stay home and drum.

So what's on the menu this week?

The NEW

• Tempeh and Green Bean Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce: I got a subscription to Cooking Light a couple years ago, and I *try* to make a recipe from it at least a couple times a month. Lately, it has been a HUGE resource for the vegetarian recipes that we are incorporating into our diet. I'm planning on serving this with chow mein noodles.
  
  

As an aside: If, like me, you don't know what tempeh is, here is a little blurb.

• Chicken Barley Chili: I bought the barley a while back to make veggie burgers; another of our goals is to use the food we buy (and not be wasteful), so I wanted to find a use for the barley. Luckily, the back of the box is usually a pretty good place to start.

The FAMILIAR

• Grilled Steak with mashed cauli and asparagus: It is that time of year again--grilling season. I am so excited to let Corey take over the main course--kabobs, pizzas, hot dogs, hamburgers, and STEAK. I love a good steak. I lighten up the traditional potato side dish by doing half cauliflower and half potato. I have done all cauliflower, but the consistency is a little off, and I prefer the half-n-half version.
• Lentil Sloppy Joes: Again, bought the lentils during out veggie-experiment, and we need to use them. This was a favorite for the whole family, so why not do it again. If you forgot the recipe, you can find it here.

The UNKNOWN

• There are always a couple nights of the week that we let be an X-factor. One is usually leftovers. The other is a fun and creative night. That is where our Made-Up Marinara came from. Last night was homemade grilled stuffed burritos (filled with ground turkey, refried beans, mexi rice, cheese, and sour cream) topped with salsa verde. YUM!

Other things that I will be making/eating this week...

• Granola: I am a big fan of Alton Brown, and I love his granola recipe. I usually sub honey in for maple syrup, but other than that it is DELIC!
• Nut Thins: I have known of these for a while, but just started buying them for myself recently. They are crunchy and simply spiced. This week they are on sale at Kroger so I grabbed the Pecan and Smokehouse varieties.
• Larabars: my mom has a SAMS club problem. i.e. she buys things in bulk and then cannot eat it all. So this week I am sampling a variety of these healthy granola bars.

I'll keep ya'll posted on what's good and what's bad :)