Joyce's Menu Plan 8/18-8/24

I've kind of been dreading writing this post.  As a teacher who lives by a bell schedule for nine and a half months of the year, I really relish the unstructured nature of summer.  I actually had every intention of meal planning throughout my ten weeks off, but that plan quickly dissolved once I had the luxury to go the the grocery store to buy fresh ingredients more than once a week.  Why plan for the week when a few days will suffice?  And the plan constantly changed as we made decisions on the fly about what we would do that day.  Well, all of that is about to change in a hurry.  School starts on Monday, and what I have been able to stretch out over the course of the day will now be crammed into the short evening hours.  Efficiency is a must.  So, here we go...meal plan #1 of the 2012-13 school year.  Enjoy!  

Saturday - Black Bean and Quinoa Toss

We are going on a picnic with my family and this will be our contribution, along with some sandwiches.

Sunday - Chicken Marsala, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies

I am going to make a double batch of this family favorite so that we can have it for leftovers later in the week.

Monday - Sausage, Tomato, and Spinach pasta

This is my first day back at work and it will be an in-service day.  Since in-service days start later than my usual workday, they also end later, leaving me less time to cook.  This is a super quick and easy meal to make that always is a hit, and I have everything on hand in the freezer and pantry except for the bag of spinach right now.

Tuesday - Tuscan Chicken and Beans

Bring on the slow-cooker, baby.  

Wednesday - leftover Chicken Marsala from Sunday

This is why I make a double batch.  Leftovers = luxury by the time Wednesday rolls around.

Thursday - leftover Tuscan Chicken and Beans

Thursday will be my first day with students, which is the most exhausting day of the year for a teacher, if you ask me.  My body is adjusting to everything from waking up at 5AM to wearing heals, and I am full of excitement and energy as I meet each of my new classes.  By dinnertime, I feel like the microwave is heaven-sent.

Friday - Burgers on the grill.

Often, I am completely sick of cheeseburgers by the end of the summer.  But, for some reason, they have not been common at all for us to make or even eat at picnics and parties this year.  So, I think a good burger with some fresh tomatoes would be nice at the end of the week.