Menu Plan Monday 2012 ~ Week of August 6th

Wow!  It feels like it's been forever since I've posted!  Although, it's been just a short time, so much has been going on around here.  I can't decided if time is speeding by or just dragging along!  I'm not sure how much sense that makes, maybe it just depends on my mood (or task) at the moment.

This summer has been pretty boring.  Due to some needed car repairs, we haven't done much as far as entertainment goes.  Sure, we've gone to a few local events like the soapbox derby in our town and a small country fair hosted by one of the local schools.  I think I'm just ready for summer to be over.  I know parents of school-age children probably feel differently, dreading the time when summer is over and the kids go back to school.  I'm sure I'll feel that way when it's time for Grace to begin school in a couple years.

But for now, I'm ready for the fall.  I'm ready for soups and stews.  I'm ready for apple picking, the pumpkin patch and the Halloween Parade at Sesame Place!  I'm ready for some brisk autumn weather and leaf piles, too!

This week is going to be another busy week, so the menu plan for this week is going to be an easy one!  I've already pulled a few things from the freezer to help myself out!

• Black Bean & Spaghetti Squash Casserole and ham steak.  Last week, I made one of our favorite meals:  Spaghetti Squash Casserole.  While we really enjoy this as a meatless meal, there just isn't enough leftover to make it a complete meal for the two of us.  I'll reheat the leftovers (probably in the microwave) while I heat up a ham steak in a skillet on the stove.  

• Chili over rice.  I pulled a quart of chili from the freezer yesterday since I was rooting around looking for easy meal ideas!  We enjoy our chili over rice.  Since I don't have any pre-cooked rice in the freezer, I'll just make some Minute Rice.  Dinner will be on the table in no time with the help of a few short cuts!  

• Pesto Orzo.  I'm having some friends over for a visit one day this week.  I'll throw together a batch of Pesto Orzo together for lunch and I'll save some for dinner for one night.  Since it's tasty both hot or cold, it will be the perfect meal on Thursday night when we have some errands to run!  

• Coney Island Hot Dogs and fries.  Joe bought some hot dog sauce when it was on clearance at the supermarket a couple of weeks ago.  I'll probably just add the dogs and sauce to a pot and heat on the stove while the fries bake in the oven.  

• Corn Chowder with Roasted Poblano Peppers.  Mmmm!  I really enjoyed this soup when I made it a couple of months ago!  I'm so glad that I froze a couple of servings for later!  I pulled the corn chowder from the freezer at the same time as the chili.  I'll make a couple corn quesadillas to serve on the side. 

• Spaghetti and Meatballs.  We took Grace to my families' house to swim at lunch time yesterday.  While we were there, my brother was preparing meatballs for dinner.  We didn't have the time to hang around for dinner, so I decided I'd make us a spaghetti and meatball dinner this weekend.  I'll serve a salad, garlic bread and possibly some fried zucchini along with the pasta!  

• Cheese Steaks and Wings.  After a very budget-friendly, almost all from the pantry/freezer menu plan, I think I want to treat us to some take-out. 

Now that you know what we're eating this week, let us know in the comments what's for dinner at your house this week!  Or, if you need more menu planning inspiration? Follow me over to  Menu Plan Monday hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie! Or, if you like what you see here, you can check out my past menu plans.


You can also find this week's menu plan linked to On the Menu Monday hosted by Yvonne at Stone Gable. Yvonne was very kind to add my blog to her weekly features last week!  Thanks so much Yvonne!  You made my week!