Meal plans and the week ahead

Happy Birthday, America!!!!!

This is another fun week for us. Today we're headed out to the lake to my Aunt Sharon's house for a family party. Kevin and I are both off tomorrow, so we're going to go down to Kensington Metropark for the day (as long as it doesn't rain). Thursday is Kevin's mountain biking night. Friday is my flex day. I think Carson and I are going to do story time at the library in the morning, then in the afternoon we'll do something else fun that I haven't figured out yet. Maybe we'll just go to one of the local playgrounds, or maybe we'll try and meet up with some friends at the beach or something. Saturday we'll be doing something with my in-laws. My BIL, SIL, and niece are coming to town for the day, so we'll be spending time with them, just haven't heard what the plans are yet.

This week I am going to focus on dehydrating. I want to try out some different veggie crisps to have as snacks... sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, and peas. I'm also going to be focusing on dehydrating for preserving the season's bounty. There is a guy down the road that has his own small greenhouse and is selling really awesome tasting tomatoes and peppers already. They're all sustainably grown, they're local, and they taste amazing! So I am going to be stopping by and picking up a good deal of tomatoes and peppers to dry this week. I'm also planning to do a little more lacto-fermenting... and hopefully I'll catch up on my posts from everything I've been making during the last month! I'm still so far behind!

Anyway, here's the plan...

Sunday - Happy Independence Day! Family party at the lake
B: sourdough pancakes with homemade syrup
L & D: family party... appetizers; hot dogs; brats; potato salad; macaroni salad; fruit salad; desserts

Monday - holiday from work; Kensington Metropark
B: scrambled eggs with local raw cheddar; sourdough toast
L: picnic lunch at Kensington... sandwiches; chewy granola bars from freezer; cucumber slices; carrot sticks; fresh grapes and watermelon
D: TBD... probably out to eat near Kensington Metropark grilled chicken breasts; steamed broccoli; corn; watermelon

Tuesday -
B: crunchy granola bars from freezer
L: misc.
D: mushroom 'n swiss burgers; steamed peas; cantaloupe; raspberries

Wednesday - Allen Street Market
B: banana blueberry zucchini bread from freezer
L: misc.
D: grilled kebabs with salmon, mushrooms, pineapple, onions, and peppers, and green zucchini; sauteed beet greens in butter with onions and garlic

Thursday - Kevin's mountain biking night
B: yogurt; granola; berries
L: TBD
D: TBD whole wheat pasta with broccoli, peas, beets, swiss chard, onions, and garlic (veggies sauteed in EVOO)

Friday - flex day; library story time; playdate with friends?; doctor's appointment
(make sauerkraut; make cucumber pickles; prep sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets for dehydrator; dehydrate sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, garlic; make brined grape leaves; make chocomole)
B: toast with jam
L: misc.
D: pesto or california burgers; veggie crisps; fresh fruit fresh raspberries and blueberries

Saturday - family party with the in-laws
(make onion powder and garlic powder from dehydrated onions and garlic)
B: sourdough pancakes with fresh berries, bananas, and walnuts
L: misc.
D: with the in-laws... I'm brining roasted veggies (red potatoes, green and yellow zucchini, carrots, beets?, broccoli?)