Meal Plan - July 5 - 11

So far I'm liking the two-board system I started last week.  I had most meals for the upcoming week planned by Friday morning. Yesterday, I did a quick fridge/freezer inventory and was able to fill in the blanks for the rest of the week.  It meant that there wasn't a huge meal planning session, so I saved some time, and I was able to ensure everything in the fridge will get used up.

This Week's Recipes:

Quinoa with grilled veggies and sausage:  No real recipe there.  It's exactly what it says it is.  Cook quinoa. Grill, then chop veggies and Italian sausage.  Add to quinoa.  Top with dressing of choice.  This week I'm using Maison Orphee's Olive and Balsamic Vinaigrette.  Yup.  I've started buying salad dressing again.  

Chickpea and broccoli salad: Another recipe from Stephanie Kay's 5-Ingredient cookbook.  I know I won't make it exactly as written, but it's a good starting point.

Pasta with butternut pesto:  I'll be using this recipe that I got from Heather at Good Earth Farms years ago.  I almost always have a jar of this in the freezer.

Zucchini cakes:  I'll use a recipe from a Harrowsmith cookbook I've had for years.  It's similar to this recipe from Ina Garten.  When I checked my freezer yesterday I found some grated zucchini I should probably use up.  When zucchini is abundant, I grate and freeze it in one cup portions for this recipe. 

I'll also be making my own "refried" beans for this week's quesadillas.  I use a recipe from "The Fresh and Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook".  

Cooking my own beans instead of using canned beans...

I don't want to jinx anything, but perhaps I am getting used to this back to work thing.

(*Note:  I don't get anything for the links above.  They're there for your information.  Hope you find them useful.)