Menu Post

There is no excuse for my delayed menu post this week, but laziness.  We were out a bit late Friday night at the BBQ festival, so Saturday was spent lounging on the couch watching movies together.  I don't think we've done that since last winter.  It was actually nice.  Today, we finished running errands and now I'm baking cookies.  Not a bad weekend.

This week's menu is full of lazy recipes you can throw together in the slow cooker or in a casserole dish and call it good.  I'm starting the week off with a twist on traditional ham and beans by making some tweaks to my Black Bean, Kale, & Sweet Potato Soup I made waaay back in January.  Instead of soup, I will be serving the beans over rice.  Next on the list are some additions to my Baked Ziti.  I'm pumping up the veggies and adding a creamy topping to this little gem of a recipe.  Later in the week, I plan to utilize some of the left-over black beans and serve them over tostadas for a simple summer meal.  Finally, Justin's been itching to get the smoker out since we enjoyed about as much smoked meat as we could eat at the BBQ festival.  We plan to smoke a chunk of the mammoth sized tenderloin we got from my brother-in-law Todd.   Here is the rundown:

Sunday 6/24         Black Beans & Rice

Monday 6/25       Left-overs

Tuesday 6/26       Baked Ziti with Salad

Wednesday 6/27  Left-overs

Thursday 6/28      Black Bean Tostadas

Friday 6/29 or      Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Potato Salad & Broccoli Salad

Saturday 6/30

Groceries you will need:

1-2 pounds pork tenderloin

1 package center cut bacon

1 package country smoked ham or ham of your choice

1 bag pre-cut & cleaned Kale

1 bag salad

1 bunch green onions

1 bag carrots

1 bag celery

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

1 container mushrooms

1 green bell pepper

1 jalapeno pepper

1 bunch broccoli

1 red onion

1 white or yellow onion

1 head garlic

1 package corn tortillas or tostadas

4 cans black beans

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 box penne noodles

1 box frozen spinach

1 container fat-free sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 package 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1 package 2% shredded mozzarella cheese

1 package 2% shredded cheddar cheese

Pantry items you will need:

Bay leaves

Smoked paprika

Cumin

Chili powder

Garlic powder

Non-stick cooking spray

Red wine vinegar

Light Mayo

White sugar

Brown sugar

Raisins

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone and stay hydrated!  It's going to be a hot one this week!