Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of May 9, 2011

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Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! I’ve had a lovely day that started with breakfast in bed and ended with a family excursion to the movies. All-in-all it’s been a great day.

As I look forward to next week it’s a bit bittersweet because my husband will be away for most of the week on business. That’s the bitter part, the sweet part is the quality girl time I’ll get to spend with my daughter while he’s gone. We have all sort of fun planned including a food blogger event at a local restaurant, girl’s night out, a trip to the farmers market, and the first Austin Food Blogger Alliance potluck. And who knows what other trouble we’ll scare up along the way?

The Plan

Although we have a couple of special evenings of girl time planned this week, my goal is to keep our dinner schedule as regular as possible to keep our budget and calories contained. I’ll be firing up the gril more than once and I’m also trying out a couple of new recipes.

• Monday: Grilled pork tenderloin, grilled vegetables, and steamed rice
  My local Central Market has a great selection of marinated meats including grill-friendly pork tenderloin. While these tenderloins are about 50 cents more per pound and un-seasoned tenderloin, the time the save is worth the extra couple of dollars. Leftovers will go well with leftover rice for lunches later in the week.
• Tuesday: Grilled sirloin, oven fries, steamed Brussels sprouts
  With temperatures consistently in the 90s the grill will be working overtime this week. Sirloin is a nicely priced cut of steak that grills quickly for a fast weeknight dinner. I’ll use leftovers in sandwiches for lunches later in the week.
• Wednesday: Food blogger fun
  The kidlet and I will enjoy dinner a local restaurant during a food blogger event. I always like to get her perspective on the food and atmosphere of family-friendly restaurant and we’ll enjoy the evening out.
• Thursday: Papparadelle with Baby Spinach, Herbs, and Ricotta
  I’ve been wanting to try this recipe from the April Cooking Light for a few weeks now. I’m sure the kidlet will have plain pasta with some chicken but that’s what great about pasta night.
• Friday: Girl’s Night Out
  While I’m sure we’ll be home before most girl groups are hitting the town, the kidlet and I will enjoy a mother-daughter dinner somewhere in town – her choice.
• Saturday: Apple-Glazed BBQ Baby Back Ribs, corn on the cob, slow-cooked green beans
  After a Saturday of farmers market adventures and maybe some shopping, the kidlet and I will spend the afternoon baking for the food blogger potluck on Sunday. The ribs and corn mostly cook themselves over the course of a few hours so we can set them and turn our attention to potluck goodies.
• Sunday: Grilled pizza
  After what promises to be a hefty lunch at the food blogger potluck, fast-cooking grilled pizza on a pita crust will be a nice way to end the day. I like mine with goat cheese, spinach, pineapple, and prosciutto. I’m betting the kidlet will want pepperoni but she might surprise me.