Day Seventy-two--Couscous salad of sorts

Hello all. Sorry for the brief non-posting. It was just too much to keep up with between camp with the kids, keeping the house clean, the laundry done and everything. We did eat real food in the meantime. Wednesday we had eggs in the basket. Local bread with local eggs. A nice quick and easy dinner. Thursday we had smoothies. Yup. That was it. Everyone was so hot and tired that we didn't really want to eat all that much. Another easy meal. Friday was our normal pizza night. I was smart enough to make my pizza dough first thing in the morning so that I didn't have to worry about making it when we got home just after 4. I didn't photo any of these meals. I just didn't feel like it.

Things are pretty much back to normal now. Last night I made one of the recipes we were supposed to have on Wednesday night. I haven't had a chance to think about menus or shopping lists this week so I am happy to have a couple of meals that are easy "go-to" recipes for this weekend. Last night's recipe was tasty. It was easy and quick to put together. It's another recipe from the recent Everyday Food magazine.

Couscous, Black Bean, Corn and Mushroom salad

This recipe used Israeli couscous, which I had in the cupboard. Sadly, I used the rest of it in this dish and I didn't see it at Wegmans when I went last time. I'm hoping I can find it again because I really like the texture of it. I browned the couscous first and then added water and brought it to a boil and then it simmered while I finished getting rest of the things ready. I cooked the mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil. I pulled the mushrooms out of the pan and then cooked some corn with some green onions. Then this went in the bowl with the mushrooms. By this time the couscous was done and it went in the bowl too. Then I just squeezed two limes on top of it all and fluffed it all up.

Tim and I loved it. Connor liked it after he pulled all of the mushrooms out of it. Aidan had one bite and decided that he didn't like it. I think I'll make it again just to leave in the fridge for a quick lunch.

That is all I have for now. I suppose I'm going to go make up a menu for next week. We're supposed to be in the mid-90s all week. No baking around here, well except for Friday pizza, but I'm hoping the temps will normalize by then.

Day Seventy--Zucchini Corn skillet

I fear I'm going to be a day behind each day this week. The kids are attending a Peace Camp this week and they are having soooo much fun. I'm volunteering to help out where I can and take pictures and keep my eye on Connor's blood sugars. This means that I'm gone all day and I am behind in blogging. Sorry.

Enough of the excuses...on to last night's dinner. If I'm still awake enough, I might actually try to do tonight's post too. Last night's dinner was delicious. I was skeptical when we were putting it together and it made me question my sanity when I was making up menus.

Zucchini Corn skillet

Thankfully, Tim helped whip this together. We used the zucchini that we got at the farmer's market. We sliced the zukes up and sautéed them in some olive oil and some chopped onion. This cooked for a few minutes and then we dumped in a small bag of frozen organic corn and a can of organic diced tomatoes. For seasoning, just salt, pepper, and garlic powder. That's it. It all cooked together for about ten minutes until the zukes were soft. Then it was time to shred fresh cheese. It was a mixture of Monterey jack and cheddar. The recipe called for a half pound of each cheese and I just thought it was too much cheese so I halved that. When it was all done, we served it up on the burger buns I had made the night before.

Three of the four of us enjoyed this. Can you guess who didn't like it? Yup, it was Aidan. He was not having it. He did eat a few bites of it and then we put him out of his misery. It was really good and easy to do. Like I said, I'm glad Tim helped me out because I came home from Peace Camp with a crazy headache. 53 children. Loud children. Children having fun. It made for a crazy headache. So that sums up our meatless Monday. It was a good day.

Day Seven--Chili Corn Chowder

Tonight's dinner was a change in plans. It was supposed to be fish but I changed it kind of last minute. I knew that I would not be home for dinner and I wanted to make something simple for the boys to enjoy. This dinner was actually supposed to be done a couple of weeks ago and we never got to it. Presenting:

Chili Corn Chowder

It was easy to put together and didn't really have that many ingredients. I got the recipe off of my Jamie Oliver 20 minute meals app. I made it early because I had to leave for a Peace and Justice Awards dinner. Tim took Connor and Aidan to karate and then when they got home, the chowder was still warm. I had shredded some cheddar and chopped up some spring onions and a jalapeno for topping.

Reports are that it was pretty good. I didn't have any. Tim said it could have used more spice and flavor. Connor said it was good and I guess Aidan ate half of a bowl of it. There is a little bit left over that I will have for lunch today.

One thing that I have learned in this first week is the fact that I use my little hand blender almost every day. Thank you mom for giving it to me. It has been a lifesaver. I am still in the market for a food processor and I know which one I want. I'm just waiting a couple of weeks or until the need arises to get it. Oh, and another thing I've learned, I enjoy cooking dinner and listening to Fresh Air on NPR every night. Now that I actually get to spend more time in the kitchen it's fun to listen to NPR because the only other time I get to listen is while we are driving.

That is all for now. Happy cooking!!

Cost per meal: **still figuring out**