Monday, August 17, 2009

Menu Plan Monday

This week it's going to be a bit difficult to "menu plan." Actually, I guess being by myself for 4 out of the 7 nights might make it easier and more flexible. Guess we'll see. Buppy's schedule got shifted around between last week and this week due to child care issues (swapping nights that we'd have the kids to accommodate their mother's schedule) so it's hard for me to keep track of what nights he'll be home, which nights the kids'll be around and which nights I'll be home alone. Couple his schedule changes with the fact that I have an appointment after work tonight and have no idea what time I'll be home, I have a dentist appointment tomorrow at 4:30pm and have no idea how long that'll take, I'm training for a new job on Wednesday at 5pm and I have no idea what my part-time job schedule looks like for Friday night, Saturday or Sunday. Argh, I feel so flustered! I'm making an attempt at a menu plan, I'm just not sure how it'll actually work out in the end. Here we go:

Monday: Smoked sausage ring (grilled), mashed potatoes and carrot coins with honey and butter (and perhaps a green salad too, but I'm not sure).

Tuesday: *free night* Tuna salad sandwich with a green salad on the side.

Wednesday: *free night* Pizza soup (previously made and in the freezer currently) with garlic toast.

Thursday: Easy Italian spiced pork, fried potatoes with onions and steamed broccoli.

Friday: Homemade pizza and green salads. (Not sure if I'll be at work but I'm sure Buppy and the kids will have this even if I'm not home.)

Saturday: *free night* I'm guessing I'll be working at either my new part-time job or the one I currently have so I'm not planning a meal.

Sunday: *free night* Breakfast for dinner (eggs, fried potatoes, bacon or sausage; maybe breakfast burritos).

There we have it. Lots of salads to go along with the meals since I found such great produce at the market on Sunday when I stopped.

The featured recipe for today? Let's go with the easy Italian spiced pork as it's new and I'm looking forward to trying it. I have a lot of casserole recipes I like to use and some new ones I want to try, but these pork chops can be grilled outside, and in this heat wave we've been having (93F today), I'm all about outdoor cooking! If you give this one a try, let me know how you liked it. I promise to do the same later on this week!

Easy Italian Spiced Pork

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
¼ c. balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. dried Italian seasoning
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 (4 oz.) boneless pork loin chips

Mix all but chops, then marinade chops for 15 min. in this mixture. Grill or broil until desired doneness.

*This, like many of my recipes, is one I've had for a long time and have no idea where it came from.

I'll be linking this week's menu to
I’m an Organizing Junkie. She always has a fabulous collection of menus, so if you need some help or ideas, stop on over and check 'em out!

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