Summertime is crazy – all the more reason for the famly meal – however it happens….

Wowza, this has been a rough “meal planning & cooking” time. I have muddled through, and have succeeded in cooking for them, but haven’t done the best job in planning – therefore , a bit more scramble and a tad more waste – but sill the family meal remained intact for the most part.

Here’s a recap of meals from the past 2 weeks (those I can remember!).

Grilled chicken breasts with green beans & corn on the cob. (This meal was created at 6:45pm, on my way home from practice, not the ideal, but we were sitting to dinner at 7:30 – so it worked)

Grilled Salmon with a brown rice & salad. The brown rice I added black beans, the left over corn on the cob (which I cut off), scallions, cilantro & cumin.

We repeated my son’s chicken bruschetta – yum.

Last night’s meal was grilled chicken breasts, salad & spanish rice (near east brand)

Pizza – homemade with mushrooms, black olives & green peppers. (Baby Lauren gobbled it all up!!)

Breakfast for dinner night – scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast and fresh fruit.

Lots of leftovers, 2 nights eating out and 1 end of season barbeque.

As you can see, the above dinners are not super complex or exceptionally creative & unique, but they came together easily with the staples I had on hand. Summer is about that. Just trying to make it happen. Planning when it makes sense, and always trying to come together for a family meal to talk about all the fun being had.

Let your kids cook – you will be pleasantly surprised!!

So, last night was my best dinner-making experience to date! It exemplified everything I’ve been trying to teach my family & others about role modeling, improved family time, life lessons, etc. My son, who is 7 and my “fussy” one (although I am not a fan of that “f” word), decided that he will be cooking dinner for the family 1 night a week and last night was his first time.

Earlier in the week, he perused cookbooks looking for just the dinner idea. He came up with chicken brushetta from a school fundraising cookbook. (Who would have thought??) It was breaded chicken breasts that were baked with parmesan and butter on top. At the end of cooking, each chicken breast was topped with homemade brushetta. We served it over pasta and it was delicious!! He and I had so much fun in the kitchen. He was totally open to suggestions about techniques and spice adjustments. He made the brushetta totally by himself with my sharp Wustoff knives (under my close supervision). He chopped all the tomatoes & basil (we took a moment to savor how fantastic it smelled.) He touched the raw chicken and dipped it into the egg & flour. He put it in the hot oven and then he decided when it was browned enough for the brushetta topping. My kids have always helped in the kitchen, but this was the first time one of them took the lead. It was so fun and such a learning experience for him. When we sat down to dinner, he asked if tonight he could be the one to say the family prayer (he usually opts out of leading this). He picked the dinner music for the night (Eldar piano). We lingered over dinner and had such an enjoyable night. The recipe itself was delicious, but the overall experience —-divine!!

He’s already talking about next weeks dinner. (Grandma & Grandpa will be here; so, he’s excited to show his new skills)

Dinner was as green as a fruit loop

So, I was making a pasta primavera/mac&cheese hybrid for dinner last night. I had spinach, broccoli & peas in the house. I’ll preface this by saying it ended up a huge hit with everyone, but here’s how I worked through the child psychology part of it.

I sauteed a thinly sliced onion in olive oil and then added 2 cloves of garlic. When those were cooked, I added a bag of baby spinach, which I had finely chopped. Well, the spinach turned a bright green (sure to be a little concerning for one of my children….) I added a tablespoon of flour and cooked that a bit and then added about a cup of chicken broth and 2 cups of milk. At this point, the sauce is quite brite (green!). I called my guy over and said “come check this out, dinner is going to freak you out tonight, the veggies are so green.” so he came over and said “yuck, eewwh, is that spinach? I am not eating dinner tonight.” and he walked away. Well, I finished the dish, adding 2 cups of shredded cheese and 1 lb of cooked pasta. I baked it at 350 with some parmessean sprinkled on top. It’s looking and tasting rather delicious at this point (at least to me ). He came to the table, knowing what was awaiting him and I had him try 1 small bite. I told him it was a compromise dish – too many vegetables and too much cheese. The cheese part got his attention. He tried it, loved it and had seconds. Everyone in the family was a huge fan. Sometimes, you just have to work through perceived problems. It doesn’t always work, but when it does — hooray!!

Friday—–pizza

Every friday it’s pizza night. Tonight I’m going to make it – I should be home by 3 and will make up the dough. There’s baseball practice right at dinner time, so when they get home, they will be HUNGRY. I will have the pizza ready to eat. Keeping the toppings simple tonight – one pizza with cheese/pepperoni, the other with fresh basil & tomatoes. 1st official day of summer break!!!

Salmon – cheaper than pizza

Chicken sautee was a hit – we call it a grand slam in our house when everyone loves a dish. Last night even the baby and a guest went in for seconds. Super easy and highly recommended!

Today was the last day of school and we have a pool party all afternoon. I will grill asparagus and salmon when I return and serve it with potatoes of some sort (perhaps roasted). Salmon (or pink fish) is a family favorite as well. We eat 3 pounds of salmon – which will run around $30, but with the asparagus & potatoes, I’m still less than $40. That’s still definitely less costly and more healthy that pizza order out for a family of 6.

Happy Summer!!

chicken saute – 20 minutes from start to table

My fridge is so empty because of my fried rice & barley leftover dish last night. It was a huge hit!! Just went to the grocery store and tonight I’m going to make a chicken saute. We have been eating so many asian & mexican influenced dishes that tonight I’m going italian.

Here’ the approach. Should take about 20 minutes. Start boiling water for pasta when beginning dinner. I’m going to serve this with a salad, which I will make earlier in the day.

Heat some olive oil in pan, add diced onions & minced garlic with chicken breasts (which are seasoned w/s&p). Brown chicken on each side (leave them alone for 3 minutes on each side to get the browned effect) Add 1/2 cup of wine (pour a little extra for yourself ) and 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz), drained along with some fresh basil & oregano (or dried). Cook until sauce thickens & chicken is cooked through. Serve over pasta with fresh parm. Yum!

Here we go….

Ok, it’s June 1st! A fresh start! I’m embracing summer with 4 kids and am going to get better at this blogging thing. Tonight’s dinner will be a clean out the fridge -
I have barley, brown rice, green beans, bbq chicken & pork chops leftover in the fridge.

I’m going to make a fried rice & barley and see how that goes. I will add some scrambled eggs to it (the kids love the egg part!). I have frozen corn, broccoli and peas which will work nicely and I’ll shred in some carrots. The meat I will dice up into tiny pieces. I will season the dish with soy sauce, garlic & green onions. My fridge will then be pretty empty and I will plan out the rest of the week.

The kids are officially home for the summer in 3 days. No quick stops to the grocery store are in my future!!