What's For Dinner

I don't know about you all but if I don't plan out weekly menus, I tend to overspend in the grocery store AND get so overwhelmed in the grocery store that I just grab processed convenient stuff because I just can't get inspired.

So, if you are like me and are looking for inspiration, here is a peek at my meal plans:

1. Butterflied Grilled Chickens with grilled zucchini and quinoa salad. 

(Butterfly a whole chicken by cutting up either side of its spine with shears, cutting out the backbone and pressing the chicken flat to ensure even cooking.  I marinate mine in soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic.)  The quinoa salad includes mushrooms, green onions and fresh cucumber, and it is dressed in a lemony olive oil dressing.

2. Spanish Omlette (aka 'tortilla') and Spinach Salad

Spanish Omlette is merely frozen O'Brien potatoes and onions stir fried in olive oil till tender, then add about 6 beaten eggs into the pan, stir til it starts to 'set'.  Place the whole pan in the oven at a high temp til the top is set too. 

3. Pan Seared Catfish with homemade coleslaw and German potato salad.  LOVE German potato salad. Bacon makes everything wonderful. 

4.  Homemade Hamburger Helper. 

I despise the boxed stuff, but this is so easy to make from scratch, why bother with the boxed stuff?? I use macaroni pasta, ground turkey, tomato sauce, chopped bacon and cheddar cheese to make a Cheeseburger version.

5.  Grilled Pork Chops with sweet potatoes and broccoli. 

I love to glaze chops near the end of cooking with orange marmalade or peach preserves thinned with a little soy sauce. The sweet potatoes get steamed in the microwave til tender and are whipped with butter and cinnamon sugar. (BAD...I know.)  The broccoli gets stirfried in a pan with olive oil and garlic.

What about you? What is your favorite summer meal? How do you find inspiration for your family's meals?