When I first wrote this post, I was lamenting about how exhausted I am, how this pregnancy is leaving me with no motivation, how I barely feel like cooking most nights, yadda, yadda, yadda. The more I thought about it, though, I realized that many of us probably don't feel like cooking much these days. For starters, it's hot. School is just around the corner. We're trying to fit in as much end of summer fun as we possibly can. Who wants to come home after a day at the pool (or the zoo, or the park, or work) and spend a bunch of time preparing a meal? And I'm sure I'm not alone when I say the last thing I feel like doing after dinner is cleaning a big mess. With this in mind, I'm going to do my best in the next few weeks to create simple meal plans that take advantage of all the fresh produce summer has to offer. One pot meals. Meals that require little to no cooking. Meals I can prep ahead of time and then just throw into the oven. Meals I can toss into the slow cooker first thing in the morning so dinner is essentially ready when I drag the kids home from the pool. Meals that can be completely cooked on the grill so there are NO pots and pans to clean. The meals may not be fancy, but they can still taste delicious. Who's coming with me?
Small bag contents:
-1
bunch carrots
-1
dozen eggs
-1
piece gouda cheese
-3 hot hungarian peppers
-2 green peppers
-1
head cabbage
-1.5 lbs heirloom tomatoes
-1
lb green filet beans
-2
ct cucumbers
-1
pint blackberries
Large bag additions:
-1.5
lbs spelt berries
-1
bunch beets
-1
lb chorizo
-1
head broccoli
-2
ct patty pan squash
-6
ears sweet corn
My tentative meal plan:
Thursday: Out
Friday:
Tomato & Feta Sandwiches (Bon Appetit); Green Beans
Saturday: Grilled Chorizo Quesadillas; Grilled Mexican-Style Corn
Sunday:
Summer Vegetable Stir-Fry (Bon Appetit); Sub in your spelt berries for the grain
Monday: Baked
Beet Risotto (Martha Stewart); I will be modifying this so I can bake it.
Tuesday:
Slow-Cooker Beef with Broccoli & Bell Peppers (Chef in Training)
Wednesday: Slow-Cooker Cabbage Roll Soup
I am absolutely loving fresh peaches this summer. I eat them as snacks, slice them up and throw them into my cereal or oatmeal, and serve them over ice cream for dessert. Over the weekend I was craving peach pie, but didn't really want to go through the hassle of making pie crust. I also needed a healthier treat as I've been indulging a little too often lately. I decided on individual peach crumbles that required fewer ingredients and less sugar than the usual recipes, and they are made completely with whole grains. This is an easy recipe to assemble before dinner, then just throw it the oven while you're eating. To make it a little more indulgent, we served it with fresh whipped cream.
Individual Peach Crumbles
Serves 4
-3 medium peaches, sliced
-1 to 2 Tablespoons of sugar
-4 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
-1/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
-1/2 cup rolled oats
-1/3 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
-pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Toss peaches with sugar. Blend together remaining ingredients (If your butter is at room temperature, you should be able to do this by hand). Divide peaches among four 4-oz ramekins. Top each ramekin with butter mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Let cool 15-20 minutes. Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.
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