Menu Plan Monday – June 10, 2013

My menu plan is now sponsored by the great people over at Better Batter Flour.  The menus will also be published at Start Gluten Free, an online resource made to welcome people into the gluten free living community and help them not feel overwhelmed by new dietary restrictions.  I am thrilled to be a small part of this vibrant community!  Stop by and say “Hi!”

The kids have now started summer vacation.  Woo-hoo!  My youngest has VBS this week to start off vacation time, but for the most part we are going to relax a bit and get into the summer groove.  I feel like we have been running and running the past couple weeks, so it’s time to recharge.  We started summer off by having two birthdays, my husband’s and my own.  We made a tasty Chocolate Avocado Mouse I’ll be posting later this week for daddy, and the girls made chocolate donuts for me with heart sprinkles.  What sweeties!

To make the donuts, the girls used Better Batter Flour’s Chocolate Cake Mix.  After preparing the mix per the instructions, they filled the cavities of a donuts pan (I have one from Wilton) 2/3rds full.  Using a plastic bag with the corner snipped off made pipping the dough neater.  After baking at 350 degrees F for about 11 minutes, they cooled the donuts in the pan for 5 minutes before putting them on a cooling rack to cool completely.  My girls melted a bit of left over chocolate frosting they found in the fridge to glaze the cooled donuts, adding sprinkle to the glaze right away before it set.  The batter made about 2 dozen donuts.  Yummy!  Thank you, girls!  They showed quite a bit of ingenuity and teamwork.  Best birthday present ever (and donuts, too).

I am thrilled to be hosting the Gluten Free Menu Swap this week.  The theme is Food on the Fire.  Mmmm… I do like to grill, but camping recipes would also work for this theme!  Some of my favorite grilling recipes are also freezer recipes.  The reason?  In the summer I would rather play outside in my garden, or hang out with the kids.  If I do wander into the kitchen, I would rather be canning.  Being able to pull something out of the freezer, thaw it, then toss it on the grill is perfect for me.  As a lot of grilling meats are on sale in the summer which also helps my budget.  I buy them on sale, then package up in different flavor marinades.  The best part about grilling?  I can pass off the grill tending to others in my family while I pull together a salad.  Easy-peasy!  If you need some grill-time inspiration, I have a bunch of marinades for summer grilling you can freeze ahead of time whenever your favorite grilling items are on sale.  I like to mix up my marinades ahead of time, pop in the meat, then toss the whole thing in the freezer.  Or try grilling up some kabobs, such as Honey Chicken Kabobs.  I also like to freeze already seasoned hamburgers, such as Thai Chicken or Turkey Burgers, Spinach Burgers, or California Turkey Burgers.  From our veggie days, I still adore grilling portabella mushrooms and thick slices of olive oil brushed eggplant.  What do you like to grill?

Freezer cooking plan for the week:  Teriyaki Burgers and Pork and Apple Curry will be heading into my freezer this week.  Yum!

The week’s breakfast options:  Ham and “Cheese” Scones, scrambled eggs with wilted greens and garlic, and various fruits.

The week’s lunch options:  Peanut butter and Zucchini Bread sandwiches or Zucchini, Ham and Corn Muffins with hard boiled eggs, and various fruits and veggie sticks.

Printable grocery list for this week’s dinners.

Monday:  Teriyaki Burgers with Curried Vegetable Soup and GF Texas Roadhouse Rolls

For the freezer:   Make a double batch of  Teriyaki Burgers.  Serve one batch at dinner, allowing the second batch to freeze on parchment lined baking sheet while eating.  When burgers are solid, package in a freezer bag separated with wax paper, and remove as much air as possible.  Label and put into the freezer.

Tuesday:  Sausage and Peppers with big mixed green and garden veggie salad with Basic Vinaigrette Dressing and GF Popovers (made dairy free)

Wednesday:   Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Quiche with raspberries and steamed green beans

Thursday:  Pork and Apple Curry with Basic Brown Rice

For the freezer:   Make a double batch of  Pork and Apple Curry.  While eating dinner, allow the second batch to cool.  After cooling, package curry in a gallon sized freezer bag, removing as much air as possible, then label and freeze.