Ah, Monday morning. A week full of new beginnings and promises...
and the inevitable "what are we going to have for dinner?" question that looms
over my head every day. I love to cook, but sometimes have to be in the mood
to do so ~ and there are other days where I just don't have a taste for anything.
I eat mostly vegetarian, but will eat little bits of meat and fish; my husband will eat
anything (thank God); and our son is pretty picky, but I don't cater to him. ;-)
Starting last Monday, I've been planning a week's worth of dinner menus
so that I'm not scrambling for ideas at the last minute every day.
Looking over last week's menus, I saw that we ate mostly vegetarian meals.
So much cheaper - and healthier - than meat-based meals!
Here's one of the meals I made that is easy to keep vegetarian, or you can add
a little bit of meat to keep the meat-eaters in your family happy, too.
Chop up onion and celery...
Little side note: did you ever notice how beautiful the inside bottom of a bunch of
celery looks when you cut it open? It has a flower pattern. A few years ago, I used
this open celery bottom as a "stamp". I dipped it in paint and stamped the pattern
on my kitchen wall!
Back to the cooking:
Put a pound of dried beans (I used a mixture of red and white) in the Crockpot...
Add your chopped onions and celery and a ham hock (or not)...
Cover with water. (Note: I used too much water and ended up having to drain some.
You'll want to add just enough water to cover the beans.)
Set your Crockpot to 8 hours on low.
Add seasonings of your choice (salt, pepper, oregano), to taste.
That's it!
I made cornbread to go with the soupy beans...so hearty and delicious!
Another mid-week dinner I made was a quick, simple one that we all enjoyed...
Sauteed veggie pizzas on naan bread.
Saute veggies of your choice (I used onions, red pepper, green olives, and mild pepper
rings because I was going for a Mediterranean vibe) in a little garlic olive oil,
top purchased naan bread with the sauteed veggies, and add cheese.
I used shredded mozzarella and a little bit of feta.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 min. or until cheese is melty - and enjoy!
Other meals we had during the week were Southwestern veggie chili; garlic chicken
in the Crockpot with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli; grilled cheese and tomato
roasted red pepper soup; and....Chinese take-out!
What have you been cooking up lately? Do you do weekly menu planning or do
you fly by the seat of your pants?
