Menu Plan Monday, 2/15 – 2/21 - chickinthekitchen.com

Menu Plan Monday, 2/15 – 2/21

February 15, 2010

The according-to-plan week I hoped for last Sunday was derailed by a couple of snow days. Aside from my baking inappropriate amounts of cookies and a batch of sweet-and-spicy nuts while snowed in, we were prepared for the storm and had plenty of real food to enjoy, along with a fire we kept going all day long.

I was especially pleased with the Easy Chicken Chili, Made with Leftovers. I had roasted chicken on Monday night, and chopped up the leftover meat to use in this chili on Tuesday. It was fantastic! I recommend it, even if you need to cook up some chicken just to make it.

On Saturday night, J. and I went out to Sonora in Port Chester for a Valentine’s dinner. Our food was fine, we enjoyed the evening, but neither of us felt any urge to rush back (especially since it’s a half hour away — might as well go into the city). We were crowded in between two tables upstairs, and the servers had trouble negotiating between these three tables (ours in the middle) which backed up to their kitchen/staging area. Also, and this is such a silly complaint: please don’t serve my sangria with a bendy straw! The sangria was actually lovely, with lots of fruit and not too much sweetness. But the plastic straw made me feel like I was anywhere but in a white tablecloth restaurant.

On Sunday J. dug a path through the snow to his smoker, and treated us to smoked beef ribs and burnt ends. It was a Valentine’s Day labor of love, to be sure, topped only by the fact that when I dragged myself into the kitchen that night to clean up from the chaos, I found he had already done it all while I was reading to the boys.

Monday: Chana Masala (chickpea curry), basmati rice, naan (bumped from last week)

Tuesday: Hot & Sour Soup, lo mein noodles, steamed broccoli

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Out to dinner

Friday: Chicken Soup (from freezer) with noodles, steamed green beans, challah

Saturday: Bean-less Chili (made with stew meat — I’m making it up as I go along), salad, corn bread

Sunday: Leftovers or order in or eat out

For more menu planning ideas, check out Laura at Organizing Junkie.