June 6, 2020

WEEKLY MENU 06.07.20

Life is starting to get busy again, so the Weekly Menu 06.07.20 incorporates both the grill (yay Bert!) and the crockpot, both staples of our busy home during the summer.

Life is still slowly (very slowly) returning to normal here in Erieland, but we are stuck in yellow by royal decree. (Actually it’s the decree of the governor, but he’s acting like he’s the king, so we’re going with that.) What do you do when life literally gives you lemons?

Obviously, you make lemonade, at least figuratively. There are many things to enjoy about taking life a little slower, especially during the summer. We’re spending much more time outdoors, and taking the time to enjoy the great lake (did you see what I did there?) that is outside our door. We’re checking out the Road Atlas (we actually do have one!!) and thinking about a road trip. What are you doing differently?

Summer Eating…

Means grilling, but it also means crock pot – at least around here. (Affiliate links follow – see disclaimer page for details.) We have two – one slow cooker is bigger and allows for feeding a crowd. The other slow cooker is smaller and is perfect for single item cooking – like layers of chicken.

I love the crockpot for making food that lives on in leftovers too. Our Mississippi Crock Pot Roast does that this week. We’re having a traditional chuck roast on Tuesday with potatoes and carrots. But we’re using it again on Saturday – sprinkling with chili powder and adding some cheese to make tacos. The chuck roast won’t heat up the kitchen because we’re using the crockpot. And we’ll enjoy the aroma all day long while it cooks.

We’re having rice on Thursday – so I’ll make double what we need for dinner. We’ll add a great dressing and some canned beans and corn to make Mexican Rice, Black Bean and Corn Salad. Super easy, and it perfectly rounds out our leftover night on Saturday.

No Recipe Required…

On Monday, we’re having a “big salad” – grilled chicken makes it’s way onto an easy, NRR (No Recipe Required) meal. It’s loosely based on our Southwest Chicken Bowls – but we’re subbing in lettuce for the rice.

I’ll pop a couple cans (pinto beans and crispy corn) and chop up an avocado. And cut up a red onion and halve some grape tomatoes. We’ll use the open chipotle peppers in adobo (from the Chipotle Mayo on Sunday night) to make a tasty Adobo Vinaigrette and let everyone put together their own salad. That way there’s no complaining about any of the ingredients!