What's Cooking -- March

I am creating this post in order to archive the content from my "What's Cooking?" Sidebar. The sidebar has been a successful element of this humble blog, yet I haven't figured out a way for Blogger to keep/update the content. So far I've lost nearly two months of information! So, I've decided to paste each day's entry into a monthly archive. Maybe these monthly archives of our family's meal plans will be helpful to someone. They will be a good reminder for me on those days when I seem stumped as to what we haven't had in a while.

March 31st:
Tonight I plan on preparing Baked Salmon with Mashed Potatoes and a Garden Salad for supper.

We received beets in our produce box again. I have heard of a salad with grated beets and carrots. I plan on looking this one up. It might be worth a try...

Also, we just finished the last of our "5 Minute Artisan Bread." I am very sorry to see it gone... it has such an addictive flavor! And, it is moist enough to be eaten plain. Love it! I hope to get another master batch soaking tonight. This time, I'll take pictures to post :)

March 30:
I've got to spend this afternoon in the car... picking up our produce box and running other errands. I am so thankful for leftovers on days like today!

A leftover note: I try to cook something new each day of the week. We keep leftovers for the weekend, or we freeze them. When I follow this plan, I get a break from cooking over the weekend and I also have a few things in the freezer for days like today when we need a meal in a hurry. If you want to stay away from Fast Food, a plan like this is so helpful!

March 27th:
Family Fun Night = Homemade Pizza and Salad.

I'm especially excited about the salad tonight because I have two perfectly ripe avocados. MMMMM... all six of us love a good avocado tossed into our salad!

On another note: last night's Cabbage Rolls were awesome! The kids separated the cabbage and filling, but the flavors were so delish that even they enjoyed it all... separate.

March 26th:
Tonight we are having Sally Fallon's Spicy Cabbage Rolls. (You can get her excellent cookbook here.) We haven't had these in several years, but I still have more cabbage from my produce box to use up.

Sadly, I will be using my very last package of ground beef tonight. I have gotten grass-fed beef from a handful of sources in the past, but am still looking for a better price. Do you have a good source for grass-fed beef? If so, please comment or email me! Thanks.

March 25th:
Things are happenin' in the kitchen again today! This week I'm trying to prepare a couple of batches of the foods we eat often. Today, I've got two batches of granola soaking. I will also be making Power Bars this evening.

Since it is Wednesday, we are having Beans and Rice... surprise, surprise!

March 24th:
There's a lot going on in this kitchen today! I've got a half gallon of yogurt culturing. Later this afternoon, I am going to be making all six loaves of bread from my "5 Minute Artisan" master recipe. I'll post on that later this week...

For supper, I will be making my version of Chicken Fried Rice. It's not fried. And there's not a lot of rice. I guess it is just my way of using A LOT of vegetables in one meal. We have tons of cabbage, carrots, onions and other greens to use.

March 23rd:
I have a chicken in the crockpot! We will eat a portion of it this evening and save the rest with the stock for meals later this week.

I will be preparing butternut squash, swiss chard and mashed potatoes on the side. The kids love for me to thicken some of the stock into gravy for their potatoes and chicken too.

However, they do NOT love butternut squash. It is a texture thing. I can't waste what came in our produce box, so I am going to dice it and steam it lightly. If I can time it right, the squash won't be mushy...

March 19th:
I'll be doing a Health Fair this evening. Rainbow will be reheating the extra Parmesan, Kale and Portabello Quiche and making a Garden Salad on the side. I am so thankful for her... she is such a bright, cheerful help to me! Thank you, Rainbow! And, thank you Witzy, for helping set the table too!

March 18th:
We will be having Beans and Rice for supper tonight. Those of you who read this sidebar regularly will recognize our normal Wednesday evening meal :)

Since I need leftovers for Rainbow to heat up on Saturday, I will be making a quick Bean Burrito Casserole with the extra beans and rice tonight. She will be able to heat up the casserole and make a salad while I am away.

March 17th:
We just received our produce box, and the choices for tonight are endless! I need to make something with easily reheated leftovers... so I think I'm going to make a Crustless Veggie Quiche with Salad.

I also baked the last of my "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" master recipe this morning. I got creative and made it into a cinnamon swirl bread. And it really only took 5 Minutes! We tasted a bit of it when it came out of the oven and are really looking forward to more with our supper!

March 16th:
We have not had fish in quite a while. I can't even remember the last time. So tonight, we are breaking from our normal chicken night for Baked Fish with Salad and Cowboy Potatoes.

Cowboy Potatoes... now there's a story! When Spiderman was only twoish, I roasted whole potatoes coated with olive oil and rolled in salt. The hot oven made the skins crispy, but the white inside was perfectly soft. He made a comment like: "These potatoes are so good I bet cowboys eat 'em!" The name stuck. They do remind me of potatoes cooked over an open fire...

March 13th:
Tonight I am going to make Chicken and Rice Soup with our very first loaf of "5 Minute Artisan Bread" on the side. I'll be adding chard, onions, carrots, mushrooms and maybe some other veggies to the soup. This meal should provide leftovers for the weekend... YAY!

An update on the "5 Minute Artisan Bread": I did the preliminary work last night. It seemed really wet, which might be due to the freshly milled flour. I am a little doubtful the loaf will hold its shape so I will be putting it in a bread pan. I am a very curious about the results though.

March 12th:
I know it's sounds a bit disappointing, but we are having leftovers tonight. I have several items that need finishing up in the fridge. No wasting, right! So tonight, it's a no frills supper.

Since heating up leftovers and steaming broccoli will not take much time, I plan on starting my first batch of "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day." This bread is a "soaked grain" and it seems really simple. I'll let you know what we think!

March 11th:
Wednesday, as you know, is our $3 or less meal. Tonight, we are having black beans and rice.

I also have 1/2 a gallon of yogurt culturing and granola soaking. If "soaking" seems like an odd word choice, tune in tomorrow when I'll post my granola recipe with pictures!

March 10th:
I got the chicken cooking this morning, so we will be having part of that on a HUGE spring-salad for supper tonight. I have lots of vegetables to toss in too. With the weather as warm as it is here, we are all in the mood for a light and fresh meal.

March 9th:
ARG! In all of this past weekend's running around, I forgot to thaw out a chicken. I was not able to start my Monday Crock-Pot Chicken this morning. I like to cook a chicken so that I have meat for a few meals and stock for the week.

I guess I will have to pull something else together for supper tonight. I am thinking of making Macaroni and Cheese. I make this a few times a year -- and I think now just might be the right time again! I have taken a Southern Living recipe and made my usual aterations to make it "healthier." We have plenty of vegetables to steam for our side dishes.

March 6th:
Tonight I'm experimenting. We're going to have a rice and beef skillet dinner with asparagus. I have taken a Betty Crocker "Good and Easy" recipe and made several more healthful substitutions. Who knows, it could be worth making again!

March 5th:
Today is Rainbow's Birthday! This is the menu she has selected:

Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, not the instant kind. Just good Old Fashioned oatmeal cooked with real apples.

Lunch: Cheese Sandwiches, Ants on a Log, Bar-B-Q Potato Chips (Kettle Brand), and Yogurt

Supper: Salmon Broccoli Pasta
Dessert: Cinnamon Roll Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream