Monthly Meal Plan (August)

I cannot believe it’s August and summer is almost over.  My kids start school a week earlier this year — August 25. Help!

Actually, we are taking our vacation this month so no meals scheduled for one out of the four weeks.  Don’t forget to check Org Junkie for more meal planning inspiration!

What’s Cooking?

Monday: Chicken and Sweet Potato Enchiladas with black beans and toppings (fish tacos, slow cooker chicken meat)

Tuesday: Baked Ziti with Homemade Sauce and salad/fruit (veggie lasagna, homemade pizza)

Wednesday: Kids’ Choice

Thursday: Salmon Topped with Veggies (stir fry, grilled shrimp)

Friday: Chicken Tenders baked fries and salad (lentil and brown rice casserole, Greek chicken pita)

More from Cooking Light…

Great Summer Salads

Lighter Casserole Options

Super-Fast Kid-Friendly Recipes

Stepping up our smoothies

I noticed our blender wasn’t working so well and then, “bam,” it died.  After talking to hubby we decided to take the plunge and buy a high-powered blender.  The most popular (and expensive) ones are the Vitamix and Blendtec.

There seem to be many Vitamix diehards who say it’s the best but according to some reviews Blendtec has a stronger motor.  But what made my decision was reading that while both are easy to clean (just add water and soap and pulse for 5 seconds) when you make stuff that requires getting in there you have to be careful with the Vitamix because the blades are sharp.  And if anyone will cut themselves on one of these machines it would be me.  So when we saw a good price on a Blendtec at Costco, we got it.

At first I was afraid to use it.  But now I’m making smoothies like a mad women.  I like that I can throw in celery or an apple with the skin or even a carrot and it comes out smooth.  I’ve experimented with ice cream too, and that’s pretty cool.

Little D’s smoothie usually includes peanut butter, cocoa powder, banana, blueberries, apple or pear, spinach, celery or cucumber and milk.  Big A skips the peanut butter and cocoa powder and prefers strawberries and yogurt with some juice. I’ve been experimenting with different combinations of fruit, veggies, protein powder and water for hubby and he likes them (good snack for work).

I usually drink a little of everyone’s smoothies.  I like them all.

Do you have a high-powdered blender?  Am I the last person to get one??

Links

In my guest  post over at NY Times Motherlode, I discuss why I don’t oversell nutrition to my kids.  

On this WebMD post, I dish on how I fit fish into my family’s diet. 

Don’t miss this important post over at Real Mom Nutrition on 12 signs your child is constipated. 

On Finding Our Best Selves, mom and dad discuss how they discovered the importance of sleep after having kids (part 1 of a series).

Over at Yummy Mummy Club, dietitian Sarah Remmer explains why parents shouldn’t use food as a parenting tool.  

Over at Slate, one mom describes her experience growing up not being vaccinated. 

Ellyn Satter gets to the bottom of kids and food obsession in this Family Focus article.

Love this perspective on why it might be time to stop worrying so much about sugar (and trying to quit).