Menu Plan Monday

Breakfasts: Baked Oatmeal squares (recipe below!), our favorite yogurt, or cereal

Lunches: Salads with Barefoot Contessa's dressing - yum yummy!

Monday: Black Bean Soup w/french baguette, carrots ~ this was supposed to taste like Panera's, but we didn't think it did.

Tuesday: Spice Rubbed Salmon w/lemon-garlic spinach ~ this was GREAT! The lemon zest/juice on the garlic spinach, with the spicy salmon and cilantro was unusually delicious. Also served sweet potatoes.

Wednesday: Enchilada Casserole, steamed broccoli

Thursday: Baked Ziti w/veggie primavera sauce

Friday: Asian Pork Tenderloin w/asian veggies and brown rice

Saturday: Leftovers!

Oatmeal Squares

2 eggs, beaten

3 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup crasins

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

Pre-heat oven to 325. Mix all ingredients and spread in a greased jelly roll pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Makes 15 large squares.

The Olympics

We can't get enough of the Olympics at our house.

W and I are just six months apart in age, so we both remember the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. He remembers more of the hockey and curling (????). I remember more of the excitement of speed skating with Eric Heiden and I also loved the luge. It was mind expanding!!

At the time, I spent most evenings with our neighbors while my Mom worked. The Olympic fever was high at their home, too. Of course, this was when there were only 5 channels available, unless you had Qube with the big channel changer box attached to a cord.

Our neighbors were (still are) Catholic, so this was also my favorite time of the year because of Lent. I usually picked something to give up, just to join in, but I think I only avoided chocolate while at their house. The best part of Lent, in my opinion, was Fish on Fridays! We would have baby shrimp salads or fish sticks. Combine Fish on Fridays! with the fact that they could walk to their parochial school and their blue plaid uniforms, I often begged my Mom to become Catholic.

When spring time came to Ohio, we roller skated outside on our newly re-black-topped street. That is when the dreams of roller skating in the Olympics started. This would be followed in a few years of playing in the swimming pool and dreaming of being synchronized swimmers. And our 12-year-old minds knew WE WERE GOOD!

Our daughter doesn't seem as enamored of the Olympics. She just turned 9, however, and W and I were at the ripe old age of 10 at the 1980 Olympics, so maybe that is it.

And she just has discovered (my) her love of roller skating, so maybe she will fulfill my dreams!!

Menu Plan Monday...on Wednesday : )

Monday: Italian Chili (sauteed onions, mushrooms and garlic, a jar of chunky spaghetti sauce, jar of water and seasonings, plus two cans of white beans), Pesto Pinwheel bread from Gooseberry Patch Cookbook. * Both delicious - the pesto bread slice with turkey and tomatoes makes great sandwiches for lunch!

Tuesday: Ina Garten's Cape Cod Chopped Salad. This dressing is A-MAZING, and we had bought some fabulous blue cheese at Central Market over the weekend. I didn't add bacon, but it would only make it more fabulous, of course. Mushroom bisque. The main man and I loved it, the sweetie pie had a bit of a problem with the texture. She was gagging towards the end, and we were stifling laughter.

Wednesday: Spinach and mushroom over pasta.

Thursday: Funky Chicken with Sesame noodles.

Friday: Homemade pizza.