A month of menus
I have always wanted to see weekly or monthly menu ideas, for my family, a real family ideas for my family, a real family with four children with six different tastes in food.
Simple and healthy, but not to the point of spending hours in a grocery store finding ingredients (many I've never even heard of), to put into a meal I am confident that no one would eat.
Our two oldest children are good eaters and will try just about anything. Our two youngest, not so much.
However, to be honest, none of them even know what a parsnip is and even if you wrap it in a glazed doughnut, you wouldn't get it near any of their mouths.
Tacos they will all eat. Mac and cheese is always a winner.
It may not be braised salmon on a bed of lightly dressed kale salad, but it's practical for us.
With help from my husband and my children and friends we have compiled 30 days of menu ideas that work really well for our families.
We throw in eating out every once in a while and PB&J when we are on the go, but in a perfect world, this will be our June 2016 menu.
Tina Klotz, of Franklin Township, says she prepares a lot of her summer meals ahead of time.
She shared two of her favorite quick summer fixes that her entire family enjoys: Smoothies and Rotelle Noodle Salad.
Easy Stuffed French Toast
1 loaf sliced Italian bread
6 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
Cinnamon
Vanilla extract
Filling:
Fresh or frozen berries
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
16-ounces Marshmallow Fluff
Toothpicks
Powdered sugar
Beat eggs with fork until scrambled. Add milk and mix together. Add cinnamon and vanilla to taste. Dip bread into egg mixture until soaked then place in greased skillet heated on medium heat. Cook until browned on both side.
For filling, mix softened cream cheese and marshmallow on high speed until light and fluffy.
Spread filling and sprinkle berries on French toast then roll up. Secure with a toothpick and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Smoothies
4 cups frozen strawberries (or frozen mixed berries. Fresh fruit works as well)
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup fat-free or 1 percent milk
Microwave strawberries in a small bowl, just to defrost
In a blender put vanilla ice cream, fruit and blend.
Add milk to make the consistency of a smoothie
Tina and her girls like to make batches of Smoothies for the warm summer weather. The girls eat a cup immediately, then she freezes the rest for snacking.
Quick & Easy Chicken Wraps
Frozen chicken strips (any brand)
Whole wheat wraps
Lettuce
Tomato
Cucumber
Fat-free or light ranch dressing
Grill or fry the frozen chicken strips. Put all together in wrap and serve hot at night or wrap in foil, refrigerate and eat as a cold wrap for lunch.
Delicious either way.
Rotelle Noodle Salad
1 pound tricolored rotelle noodles
1 small can of salt free corn
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 small box cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 cups cubed ham (I like to fry them first then let cool)
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
16 ounces cheese cubes (we like to use Colby-Jack)
Fat free zesty Italian dressing
Cook noodles as directed. Combine ingredients and refrigerate overnight. Use as a light meal or a great side dish.
Baked Mayo Chicken
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Mix together:
¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
4 boneless chicken breast, strips or cutlets
Combine mayonnaise with cheese. Arrange chicken on baking sheet and top with mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture. Bake at 425F. for 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Recipe adapted from Hellmann's Mayonnaise.