So Saturday was awesome I started to think hard about BBQ season and by Sunday 80 degrees became 60. Such is Northeast life!

And my visions of corn bread, perhaps swinging back to the store for some corn on the cob vanished by Sunday afternoon.

So what did I do? Soup!

Yes…crazy talk the day before May 1st but I had this awesome butternut Squash that wasn’t getting younger and it was so ginormous that I decided to cover 2 – 3 days worth of side dishes with it!

I did, however, made some faux pas this week.

First I did “double chicken” (a no-no when trying to make the repetition of a smart leftover system seem novel and surprising to everyone else).

Seriously this has been the most chicken heavy week we’ve had in quite a while. But no one complained… I’m complaining to you… because I worry for the overuse of chicken, but no one among my crew seem to care. Yay! Win for easy.

Oh and I made something with a carcass on a Sunday. Usually to be avoided on a pre work night.

Roast hummus chicken thighs with sweet potato, mushrooms & sage.

Saturday:  

• Roast chicken thighs with hummus, sweet potato, mushrooms, sage & balsamic
• Barley  don’t dismiss prematurely, it’s an out of this world version…seasoned and garlicky.
• Sugar Snap Peas in the Oven

Sunday:

• Barbecue chicken with mustard & rosemary
• Roast butternut squash soup with sage
• Cut carrots & peas on the side for the kids

Cauliflower, green beans and zucchini pair nicely with braised fish fillets.

Monday:

• Fish (braised in olive brine over cauliflower, zucchini & green beans)
• Cous Cous
• Sliced tomatoes & carrots for the kids
• More butternut squash soup with sage (warmed up from Sunday).

Leftover bbq chicken over cous cous with peas

Tuesday: 

• Leftover BBQ chicken  (warmed up gently with 1/4 cup each orange juice and olive brine in a saucepan).
• Leftover cous cous (warmed up with about 1/8 cup of water in a shallow sauce pan or could use a microwave).
• Warmed up butternut squash soup (take 3).
• Tomatoes & peas for the kids

Wednesday:

What would I do without this dish? I make it every week just about. So easy – I can make it with my eyes closed.

Brazilian chicken & rice

Thursday:

Brazilian chicken & rice redux

So my husband once again did the ‘after work outing thing’ unexpedeclty on Friday, which meant I didn’t want to fuss with a full meal. I made a lovely egg, avocado & tomato burrito for myself and provided pasta with eggs for the kiddos.

Friday:

Egg burritos & pasta

When spring weather finally hits the Northeast I’ll begin to bring more fun vegetables into the mix. I’m already having visions of fresh artichokes, ramps and asparagus to mix into the formula.

What are you cooking these days? Have you tried making an entire week’s menu yet? I’d love to hear how it’s going for you and if you have questions – leave a comment and I’ll respond.  Again the goal is fresh, (mostly) healthy and saving time while making dinner every night.