Menu planning

Sometimes it's a bit difficult to transition to summer menus. I'm afraid the meals I've planned are too heavy, but they use what we have on hand. Recently I've been planning 2 weeks ahead, which I think should save me some shopping time, since then I can get obscure ingredients when I happen to be in the neighborhood of whatever store carries them.

For this week, my monthly menu plan overview suggested:
lentils
chinese
leftovers
tacos or quesadillas
polenta
fish
bean soup/chili.

It helps me to have the starting point of ideas and to remind me that I want to eat more legumes and fish.

I started my menu with a carryover I never got around to last week, African pineapple peanut kale stew, to use up the rest of the kale in our garden from last year. I'll have to do a post on that recipe if I end up making it.

In place of lentils, I decided I wanted an interesting summery salad that I could share with our vegetarian friends, so I chose a new recipe I haven't tried before, Quinoa Black Bean Salad with Smoky Lime Dressing.

For Chinese, I remembered that I had some fat udon noodles in the freezer that I picked up at the Japanese grocery store a couple of weeks ago. I found a recipe in Fine Cooking Magazine that I want to try: Udon with Tofu and Stir-fried Vegetables. We loved a recipe from the same article for Chinese Egg Noodles with Five-Spice Pork, and I've been wanting to try more of those recipes.

For Tacos, I chose Chicken Veracruzana tacos. It's been too long since I've made that and I have most of the ingredients on hand.

For Polenta, I chose our most frequently made version, where I top it with caramelized peppers and onions and some blue cheese.

For Fish, I decided to skip it this week because I already have too many things to make with the carryover of the African stew.

For Bean Soup/Chile, I chose to use some bean soup out of the freezer, either White Bean and Ham Soup or White Bean Pesto.

For next week, the suggestions and my choices were:
Potatoes: Kale and Mashed Potatoes with ham (in the freezer, leftover from Easter)
Thai: Salmon with Thai Curry Spinach (adds in the fish I skipped the week before). I may also make Thai Chickpeas and Sweet Potatoes to use up ingredients on hand.
Leftovers: just clear out the fridge
Burritos: whatever fillings we have on hand, usually bean and cheese. Might have some leftover chicken from the week before.
Use-it-up Pasta: skip (pasta being used in the Pork Ragu)
Meat: Pork Shoulder Ragu (I've been wanting to try this recipe from Dinner a Love Story)
Vegetable Soup: Quick Blender Tomato Soup with some crusty bread or melted cheese sandwiches.

I generally find that even planning for one night a week of leftovers, between eating out and with friends I often have one more dinner plan per week than I manage to make. I sometimes just push it to the next week, sometimes make it for a lunch, and sometimes skip it altogether.

Maybe this will give you some ideas for your menu this week!