Menu Plan Monday – September 24, 2012

My menu plan is now sponsored by the great people over at Better Batter Flour.  Stop by and say “Hi!” and check out all the fun.    For more menu planning inspiration at Better Batter Flour, check out the gluten free vegetarian menu from Cindy of  Vegetarian Mamma, the weekly menu from Kristi of Mommy Hates Cooking, and the informative gluten free articles from Gigi of Gluten Free Gigi.  Thank you Better Batter Flour!

Brrrrr…  Who switched the weather to fall?  This week we have been frantically digging in the mitten bucket and pulling out the fall fleece coats for the chilly wait for the school bus.  We just got our very first night where I thought it might get a bit frosty, but fortunately the garden was unscathed.  Whew!  More tomatoes for me!  I do love this time of year, though.  The crisp air, the sky that is so blue against the changing colors of the trees, the crunch of leaves underfoot…   What is your favorite part of fall?

I went to a class on winterizing your chicken coop.  We talked about things to think about when you have chickens in Minnesota…  in January…  Yeah, it can get quite cold then and I don’t want to have to treat chicken frostbite.  Ick.  I think we are all set, but I guess we will see how things go as they go.  The big rule of thumb I am going to follow?  If it is an indoor recess day for my kids because of low temps and/or wind chill, it will be an indoor recess day for the chickens.  Because even though I might be a crazy girl at times, I am not knitting tiny chicken hats!  Though Camilla would look dashing in a little beret, I’m just saying…  😉

This week Heather of Celiac Family is hosting the Gluten Free Menu Swap.  She picked sweet potatoes as the theme.  Some yummy sweet potato things I like are Sweet Potato Chicken Casserole (more of a stew you bake), Salmon Sweet Potato Cakes (we LOVE these!), Sweet Potato Chili, Squash & Kale Pizza (using sweet potatoes instead of squash), Savory Buckwheat Crepes with Roasted Sweet Potato, Mushroom and Kale Filling,  Slow Cooker Scalloped Sweet Potatoes, Twice Baked Spinach Mushroom Garlic Stuffed Potatoes, or simply baked or roasted (I like rosemary on mine).  Yum!  I plan on making some sweet potato waffles for the freezer this week (using my pumpkin waffle recipe, but replacing the pumpkin with mashed roasted sweet potatoes) for the kids’ breakfasts.  It’s nice to have waffles on hand to toast on busy school mornings.  Sweet potatoes are also something my big kids like to find in their lunch topped with taco filling or curry, and they make an amazing pie.  I use sweet potatoes a lot in curries, in yeasted gluten free bread, and in muffins.   How do you fix sweet potatoes?

Freezer cooking plan for the week:  I will be serving two meals this week that I will double, saving the second meal for another day.  Woo-hoo!  Love that freezer stocking!  I’ll also be using a couple of things in my freezer to make a meal on a night I could use the short cut.

The week’s breakfast options:  Sweet Potato and Pecan Quick Bread(YUM!), hard boiled or scrambled eggs (I like a bit of sautéed kale and garlic in mine), and various fruits.

The week’s lunch options:  Turkey, nut or seed butter sandwiches (in gf Pocket Pitas or gf Parkerhouse Rolls), pork fried rice, eggsadillas, hummus, various fruit, and veggie sticks.

For the freezer:  Make a double batch of Sweet Potato Chili for another day.  Right before serving dinner, set aside the amount you will freeze to chill in the refrigerator.  After dinner, package the cooled chili into a gallon sized freezer bag or freezer safe containers, seal, label and freeze.  I’ll be freezing the extra in lunch sized portions.  Hot lunch for the fall and winter to pop in a thermos bowl!  Woo-hoo!

Wednesday:  high school orchestra/mommy works/CC practice/youth group

Squash & Kale Pizza (I am adding a purchased cooked gluten free turkey apple sausage before cooking) and a big salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Thursday:  Mommy works/CC practice/Girl Scout meeting

Black Bean Salsa Chicken and Yankee Style Creamed Corn Bread

For the freezer:  Make a double batch of Black Bean Salsa Chicken for another day.  While filling the slow cooker for dinner, I will also fill a gallon sized freezer bag with the same ingredients.  Remove as much air as possible, seal, label and freeze.  Now you have a meal that you just have to thaw and toss into a slow cooker  to make.  Can’t get easier than that!