My garden has been loving all the rain we’ve been getting lately. I am overrun in cucumbers right now! I need to find more creative ways of using them! I did make this Japanese Cucumber Salad the other night which was really tasty. We had our first okra of the season the other night. Roasting it is one of my favorite ways of eating it – and my son absolutely loves it! It is very simple – just rub the okra with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 5-10 minutes at 425 degrees until fork tender. Our blueberry bushes are also bursting forth with fruit. I made the Meal Makeover Mom’s Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins over the weekend with my son. It was the first time he has helped in the kitchen. We had fun, though it was a little messy, which I just have to accept as normal for now when he “helps.” I was too busy watching him to take any pictures!
Friday night we were supposed to go to an outdoor concert on our town square with friends, but the weather didn’t cooperate. We relocated to our house and had a great impromptu dinner party at home. I had planned a very simple picnic menu. I shredded up a rotisserie chicken and had a green salad with blueberries, raspberries and almonds on the side. You could either make a salad with it or a sandwich (with some sandwich thins). On the side, I had the Japanese Cucumber Salad and my friend rounded out the menu with a lovely chickpea and quinoa salad. We also had some wonderful homemade guacamole and salsa and then brownies for dessert. My husband couldn’t resist making freshly popped popcorn as well on the stovetop. We ate very well.
Here is our menu plan for this week:
Monday: Homemade Pizza and Spinach Salad with Berries
Tuesday: Easy Salmon Cakes with Stuffed Summer Squash (recipe coming soon!) and Sautéed Spinach
Wednesday: Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Peppers with Mixed Green Salad
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Baked Coconut Shrimp with Broccoli and Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Saturday: Evening Out
Sunday: Simple Supper
I’m not sure what our plans are for the 4th and this coming weekend just yet, but I’m sure it will involve family, fireworks and the lake at some point! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
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