Meal Plan 08/20/2018 - 08/24/2018

We just got back from a family holiday that included a lot of kids' meals and cheese and not a lot of vegetables. This week is all about easing back into some healthful habits. 

Monday: pulled pork served with mac and cheese and green salad. 

Tuesday: BATS Egg Benny (bacon, avocado, tomato, spinach) served with fresh fruit.

Wednesday: Tortilla Soup but instead of cooking the chicken in the soup, I'm going to do a big batch of shredded chicken in the Instant Pot and use half for the soup and half for Thursday's dinner. We'll have corn on the cob and grilled zucchini and peppers with the soup. 

Thursday: Cobb Salad with goat cheese instead of blue cheese because blue cheese is the actual worst. 

Friday: Leftovers? Takeout? Cheese plate? Friday feels like a million years away so I can't even venture a guess. 

And because we need a way to balance out all the salad, I've made Smitten Kitchen's Purple Plum Torte and a batch of my Chocolate Chip Cookies for snackies. 

What's on your meal plan this week?

Meal Plan 08/07/2018 - 08/10/2018

Today was a stat holiday which means I could have used this bonus Monday to meal plan and grocery shop and prep for the week ahead. Instead we took the kids to the pool and picked up burgers on the way home. We've got enough bits and pieces to pack the kids' lunches tomorrow, and I have enough milk for my morning coffee, but that's about it. I'll be hitting the grocery store on the way home from work tomorrow is what I'm saying.

Tuesday: chicken souvlaki skewers and tzatziki from the butcher, greek salad, pita bread. 

Wednesday: sous vide pork chops served with grilled apricots, green salad, and corn on the cob. 

Thursday: zucchini boats stuffed with turkey chili, topped with fresh guacamole and lime crema, and served with Mexican Street Corn Salad. 

Friday: leftovers! 

What's on your meal plan this week? 

Meal Plan 07/23/2018 - 07/27/2018

This week is supposed to be a hot one so I'm trying to stick to BBQ and Instant Pot meals. Grady has slowly started accepting more foods and I'm trying not to jinx it by making anything too adventurous for him. I'm kind of over this whole preparing multiple meals for multiple people every single day thing and would happily eat cereal with blueberries for dinner every night but that's not going to fly. I've got to get my head back in the game. I'm looking for tips, tricks, and recipes, please and thanks.

Monday: barbecued cheeseburgers served with garlicky green beans.

Tuesday: BLT sandwiches on sourdough toast.

Wednesday: We’re meeting friends for a picnic so I’m thinking chicken salad sandwiches and fresh fruit.  

Thursday: Grady's seventh birthday! I KNOW, RIGHT?! I don't know how that happened. He’s requested pepperoni pizza from his favourite pizza place and chocolate cake so pepperoni pizza and chocolate cake he shall have.

Friday: Pulled pork done in the Instant Pot served with mac & cheese. 

What's on your menu this week?

Blueberry Oat Crumble Bars

We're fortunate enough to live five minutes away from a blueberry farm. Our fridge is overflowing with blueberries. We've gone through twenty pounds of blueberries in the last two weeks. I'm not exaggerating. Poppy has had some truly horrific diapers.

These bars are rich and buttery but the blueberries add a fresh element so they're not too heavy. They're great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream, but they're also a lovely summer breakfast with a little yogurt and an iced coffee. These bars are versatile is what I'm saying.

Blueberry Oat Crumble Bars

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup cold butter
4 cups fresh blueberries
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease 9" x 13" pan.

In large mixing bowl, mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until mixture is uniformly crumbly. Reserve 1-1/2 cups mixture and press the remaining into the bottom of the prepared pan.

In another mixing bowl, gently stir together blueberries, lemon juice, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp salt. Pour blueberries over crust. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over top of the blueberry mixture.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes until blueberries are bubbly and top is lightly golden.