Weekly Menu

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted anything!  Work has been insanely busy, so I needed to let things go for a while.  Getting home after 8pm has meant cooking the quickest thing possible and eating it before falling asleep, so it meal planning hasn't been that inspiring.  Trying to take back control and get back to normal.

We're already almost two weeks into Lent... instead of giving up all meat this year, I am including fish/seafood this year.  Keeps a few of our staple meals and restaurants in the rotation.  So far, so good!  I'm pulling a lot from our tried-and-true vegetarian list and hoping I don't get sick of salmon or tacos from this list.

 

 

This weekend was beautiful in Columbus, blue skies and Spring temperatures.  It's been nice to get these Winter breaks every other weekend lately to get out of the house and do something outside without freezing your butt off!  Made our way to Hoof Hearted's new brewery in Italian Village.  It kind of looks like a retro-modern library inside and after waiting forever to get some beer, we weren't overly impressed.  Maybe we'll go back once the crowd has died down and we can actually get a table (the swim up bar service will be interesting in the summer).

 

 

As I was saying earlier, trying to get back in to meal planning so we're not throwing whatever is fastest on some plates (although that is probably still going to happen).  Here is the plan for this week...

butternut mac and cheese and salad
pizza night
broccoli cheddar pot pies
ravioli
salmon burgers and roasted potatoes

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Weekly Menu

It's the week of Christmas!  While it hasn't felt quite like December here in Ohio, winter officially starts tomorrow... which means it is the darkest day of the year... which also means every day after is lighter and brighter!  :)


This weekend we celebrated Christmas in Canton with my husband's family.  There was a crazy flurry of wrapping paper as all the kids opened their presents... this year was very Star Wars focused.  Good thing the kids are like their dads/uncles.  I think the adults had more fun playing with some of the toys! The night before the Christmas celebration, we ate ate 91 Wood Fired Oven and drank at Canton Brewing Company... we'll certainly revisit both places when we're in Canton!

  
On the other side of the emotional scale, unfortunately my aunt passed away last week after dealing with cancer for a while.  It is always hard to lose someone so young, but we were able to celebrate her life through a scavenger hunt around Columbus.  If you see the donation plaques around town, feel free to follow the clues to the other seven locations she loved to frequent.

Death always puts things in perspective... reprioritizes your thoughts.  So many things suddenly seem frivolous.  But also makes you stop to think... what if today was my last day... am I living the day like I would want to live my last day?  Instead of watching TV, should I be doing something more fun?  Instead of saying we should do that someday, why can't that someday be sooner rather than later?  Life is short.  Unfortunately not everyone gets to live a long life, but that doesn't mean it can't be a full life.

With that being said, one moment you can take everyday is sitting down at the dinner table over a home cooked meal and having a conversation.  So here is this week's meal plan...

crab cakes and corn on the cob
taco night
stuffed shells and salad
salmon fillet with dill sauce and potatoes
Christmas dinner
butternut mac and cheese

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Weekly Menu

Have you started your holiday shopping yet?  I finally started this weekend... with the clear blue skies, it was a perfect weekend to wander around Easton or the Short North shopping for gifts.  Finally checked out the LL Bean store too... was really hoping for some flannel lined denim (I didn't even know that was a thing until shopping for my nephew!), but no luck this time.

Right now it feels like every retailer is in competition for the money in your wallet.  In the spirit of Advent, I am planning on donating or volunteering every week... starting with donating toys to a few kids through work.  Not sure what's next, but I'm sure the Mid-Ohio Food Bank could do a lot with a little extra money in their budget.  I think this might have to be a new tradition...

To close out the weekend, we watched a difficult Crew loss.  So close... the cup was here...  It's been an exciting season and there is a lot for the team to be proud about.  

Alright... on to meal planning for the week...

steak tacos

creamy dijon chicken and broccoli

tuna melts

butternut leek soup

monkfish with lemon butter, mashed potatoes, and green beans

I discovered monkfish while wandering Whole Foods on Saturday... I don't think I have ever had it before, let alone cooked it.  We'll see how this goes...

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Weekly Menu

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Good food, good people, good conversation.  Then on to Black Friday (maybe you opted outside instead?) and Small Business Saturday to get your Christmas shopping started.  Then maybe some decorating and cookie baking?  

       

Looking forward to having a normal week of meals this week.  No soups because I'm finally over that darn cold (except for a little lingering cough) and no big meals focused around a giant bird.  We can focus on cooking up some of our favorites this week.  Here's my plan...

salmon burger and crispy potatoes

pizza night

cheesy fajita couscous and enchilada chicken

lamb sliders

broccoli frittata and hash browns

What are you planning to make?

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Weekly Menu

What an awful time of year to get sick! I have that darn cold that seems to be going around and it is quite a doozy of a cold. Hopefully my appetite returns for the biggest food day of the year! 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, you may be on the hunt for some last minute sides recipes. If I can be of some assistance (while coughing my head off), here are a couple crowd pleasers...

crispy roast potatoes - for if you're trying to avoid the mashed potato route
butternut leek soup - serving a first course at Thanksgiving, now that's fancy
brussel sprout gratin - so many brussel haters out there, this will surely convert them
stuffing muffins - two sides in one!  stuffing and the bread basket
butternut mac and cheese - because who can resist mac and cheese??

On this day that is centered around food (and thanks, of course) that home cooks and food lovers look forward to for weeks, I hope everything turns out delicious and your Thanksgiving is filled with good people and fun memories!

As far as meal planning for the rest of the week...  Well my meal plan is the same as last week's due to this annoying cold and some late nights at work which resulted in lots of soup and a quick BIBIBOP run.  What are you planning to make this week?

sausage stuffed acorn squash and broccoli
pizza night
butternut mac and cheese and salad
spaghetti squash and meatballs

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Weekly Menu

It's been a tough weekend on the soul, hearing about the details that happened in Paris and Beirut.  Innocent people in everyday circumstances... eating at restaurants, enjoying a concert, watching a sporting event... it's hard to process or understand the hate.  How do you respond without fear or more hatred, but in a way that is strong and prevents future attacks?  Maybe it is to resume everyday life, but in a different, more cautious way... not really sure.

So this weekend was spent with close friends and family over good meals, coffee, cookies, and zoo lights.

 

 

 

This week's meal plan is a short list because the Thanksgiving festivities start this Friday.  Here's my plan, what's yours?

sausage stuffed acorn squash and brussel sprouts
pizza night
butternut mac and cheese and salad
spaghetti squash and meatballs

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Weekly Menu

Back from a weekend in Cleveland celebrating my cousin's wedding!  We went up a day early to meander around town a bit since it has change a little since the last time I spent much time there staying at my aunt's house during the summer when my sister and I were in elementary school.  This time we went and checked out some breweries; Nano Brew, Platform Beer Co., and Fat Head's Brewery.  We also met up with some friend at Jack Flaps in Ohio City, where the menu says their pancakes are sweet and they are certainly not kidding about that, they're pretty much dessert!

Cleveland is such an interesting city.  I would loved to have seen it in its prime!  Now it has several areas that are thriving again with breweries and restaurants opening all of the time... but you still have those areas of abandon warehouses and run down neighborhoods reminding us that the rust belt struggle is real.  

 

  

  

 

Now that we're back in the Cbus and it's the start of another week, time for the meal plan...

sticky drumsticks and irish nachos
sloppy joes and steamed broccoli
crab legs with garlic mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts
shrimp tacos
chicken parm with caesar salad

What are you planning to make?

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Weekly Menu

Hope everyone is nice and rested from that extra hour to the weekend!  Now the sun seems to be setting in the early afternoon and really makes it feel like it is time to hibernate...

Have you seen Sociality Barbie's Instagram yet?  Fox in the Snow always makes me think of that account, which is always good for an ironic laugh.  Fox in the Snow has to be one of the most Instagrammed locations in Columbus...

Finally got around to going to Wolf's Ridge Brewing restaurant after having been to the taproom several times.  The cool thing about a restaurant that has a constantly changing menu is that you get to try new things all of the time.  Unfortunately, it also means good items rotate off the menu.  we'll have to go back, but check the menu first!  I hear their brunch is amazing.

After Wolf's Ridge, we went to see BalletMet's Dracula, which was pretty fun!  I needed to read the program to remember some of the story.  We have been to a couple ballets now, so I should know to read up a little beforehand so everything makes a little more sense without any words... oops!

 

 

  

Alright, it's menu time...

pizza night
creamy dijon chicken and brussel sprouts
shrimp po' boys and green beans
lamb sliders and crispy potatoes
then up to Cleveland for my cousin's wedding!

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