Week 27 - Quick and Easy Summer Eats!

Printable Version of Meal Plan and Grocery List

We were at the cottage on the weekend and Monday was a holiday so no groceries until Tuesday this week.  On the drive back I jotted down some ideas to get us through until I could get to the grocery store and since I was shopping mid-week it turned into a small order.  I took the opportunity to refresh a few of our staples.

Recipe Quick Links

Tex Mex Rice Cakes, Weelicious
Southwestern Beans on Toast, Chatelaine
Tex-Mex Salad, Chatelaine
Raspberry Vinaigrette, What's that Smell?
One Pot Pasta, Marin Mama Cooks

Week in Review

Tuesday

Lunch - Tex Mex Rice Quinoa Cakes. I was limited by what we had on hand so I made up the Weelicious Rice Cakes using Quinoa instead of rice.  Not bad.  These "cakes" are becoming a go-to lunch.  The recipe is easily modifiable to suit your mood and/or what you have on hand.

Supper - Southwestern Beans on Toast with Tex Mex Salad.  This was a really quick week night meal that I enjoyed A LOT!  I didn't follow the recipe exactly - I just heated the beans in a frying pan with a little oil and the spices.  They were a tad on the dry side so I think next time I'll boil them as suggested.  But I actually just ended up mixing them in with the salad (which was totally yum!) and then had the cheese bread on the side.  Marin is not a big bread eater but ended up eating her cheesy bread first and noted how much she loved it.  Kid thumbs up!

Southwestern Beans on Toast with Tex Mex Salad

Wednesday

Lunch - Beet, Chickpea and Feta Salad.  I meant to make the salad that I'm linking here but I forgot to "Pin" it so when I went to get lunches ready I couldn't find it.  So I actually made a slightly different version which I also forgot to "Pin" and now I can't find that one!  GAH!  Anyhoo... the beet, chickpea and feta combo made for a tasty salad and there's lot of recipes out there with slightly different dressings so take a look and pick one that speaks to you or uses ingredients you have on hand.  I used canned beets and chickpeas making this a really easy meal to put together on a hot summer night!

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Supper - Deli Chicken and Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette.  Deli chicken makes for a super easy supper.  You can make your own in the slow-cooker or pick one up at the grocery store.  I do love the slow-cooker version but sometimes you just can't beat convenience!  The salad was spinach, fruit (blueberries and peaches) and walnuts with a homemade raspberry vinaigrette.  I'm really loving making my own dips and dressings... most of them take little effort but taste so much better than bottled.  And they're typically healthier too.  Plus from an economical point of view most of the dips/dressings I've been making use common ingredients and I no longer have a fridge full of expired bottles that have barely been touched.    Tastier, healthier, cheaper... Win, win, win!  Don't know why it took me so long to make this transition.

Thursday

Lunch - Pesto Chicken Pita Pizza.  I left this on the menu but we actually had enough leftover chickpea salad that I just chopped up the rest of the chicken to have on the side.

Supper - One Pot Pasta.  I first noticed this on Marin Mama's Cooks blog and have seen it around Pinterest a lot too.  I was intrigued and had to try it.  The verdict... pretty darn good!  It couldn't be any easier to make yet I felt like I was eating at an Italian restaurant.  Do make sure you read through Jackie's post though because I think I would have been concerned about the extra water and likely would have overcooked it had I not been properly warned.  We had it with cheesy garlic bread (slice of French bread spread with butter, a sprinkle of garlic powder, shredded mozza and broiled until the cheese bubbles and bread browns on the edges).  The only downside was that it was a really warm night and we ate it warm so weren't exactly beating the heat with this one.  So although I'd highly recommend trying it and it is a perfect no-fuss summer meal, save it for a night that's not too hot or let it cool... I nibbled Marin's leftovers and found it even more flavorful when it was cooled down.  Also a note about making this for kids... Marin liked it but I went easy on the red pepper flakes.  I'd say either go easy on them or add them at the end after you've scooped out the kids servings.

One Pot Pasta

Friday

Lunch - Date Lunch!  It was so nice out Dave and I decided to save the leftovers for the weekend so we could meet up on patio.  Lobster Poutine at Cut Grill... yum!!!  And for the record I didn't have Poutine last friday after all so I'm not actually OD'ing the stuff.

Supper - Cheese Platter. I left this night open when I planned the week so that we could do whatever pleased us.  That's how I like to roll in the summer.  I'm planning to pop back into the grocery store for some Brie and we're going to clean up on some of the odds and ends and have a no-cook supper of cheese, fruit, nuts and bread.  I think I'll make us some fancy drinks too and have an al fresco night!  I love summer!!


That wraps up week 27... can't believe I'm past the half way mark of my 52 week goal!  Thanks for following and welcome to all the new followers over the past few weeks!

Sandra