Eating and cooking food seems like a struggle for me in the summer. (Well, maybe not eating, I love eating!) The hot weather is here, and I hesitate to turn the oven on and make it blasting hot in our house. It doesn't help that the sun beams through (even through our blind) in the kitchen in the heat of late afternoon and makes the kitchen toasty warm anyway! Turning on the oven is.... well, just not an option for me!
I am not adept at the barbecue, and even if I was, running outside to cook with a baby and toddler in the house is not practical to say the least. (Sometimes I will prepare other food to go with a barbecue and Tim will turn on the grill as soon as he gets home.) So, in order to have meals at a somewhat decent hour I have to come up with a plan... and get the creativity flowing!
Yesterday we had a pureed potato soup loaded with garlic, onions, celery and carrots. Soup is not a "cold" meal I do realize, but it doesn't require turning the oven on, and it was just the comfort food I was craving. Lila LOVED it and it was made of - vegetables! Now if only Charlotte would be so keen... she did taste it but that is it.
So here is the plan for this hot summer week:
Monday: Pureed potato soup with french bread for dipping
Tuesday: BBQ sausage, garden salad
Wednesday: Veggie stir fry over basmati rice (I'm looking for a good stir fry sauce recipe, let me know if you have one!)
Thursday: Asparagus Bacon Quiche (requires the oven, but is supposed to be a rainy day!)
Friday: 5 Minute Southwest Layered Salad
Saturday: BBQ hamburgers and Potato salad
Sunday: Leftovers
Check out Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas!
I usually make a stir fry once a week! I used to use bottled stir fry sauce but I've gotten away from that because of all the nasty ingredients. I now use sesame oil, garlic, ginger, naturally brewed soy sauce, some honey, red pepper flakes, a splash of rice vinegar, a bit of fish sauce, then thicken it at the end with arrowroot. Everyone's a fan in our house!
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