Did you catch my posts this week about the Scallion Turkey Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze and Peter Reinhart’s (Two-Day) Challah? They were both fantastic and worth a look.

My menu plans have been very simple lately, but that makes them easier to stick to! Lots of vegetable-based recipes this week.

Monday: Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup, Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (bumped from Sunday)

Tuesday: Spiced Lentils with Mushrooms and Greens, leftover Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup, leftover Pumpkin Dinner Rolls and challah rolls.

Wednesday: Beef meatballs in marinara sauce, spaghetti, Carrot Salad

Thursday: Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups, garden salad (I have got to find whole wheat lasagna noodles!)

Friday: Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, Pull-Apart Challah Rolls, Cheesy Kale Crisps

Saturday: Out to dinner

Sunday: Out to dinner

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

The boys are suddenly very interested in my menu planning, asking to be part of the process and wanting to look up what’s for dinner online rather than just talking to me about it. It’s very cute, and makes me feel happy that I put in the work to plan.

Monday: Trying Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Crust for make your own pizza and calzones; garden salad

Tuesday: Baked Barley Risotto With Butternut Squash (+ spinach), Sweet Potato Rolls, sliced cheese

Wednesday: Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze (from the freezer), spaghetti, sauteed broccoli

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Out to eat

Saturday: Grilled rib eye steaks, potatoes, and asparagus; garden salad

Sunday: Black Chocolate Cake with a White Meringue Frosting (I needed a non-dairy dessert) for an afternoon family birthday celebration; leftovers for dinner

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

I’m kicking off 2012 with some new recipes, some old standbys, and lots of vegetables. Did you cook something fantastic recently? I’m looking for new recipes!

Monday: Smoked beef ribs (from the freezer), barley & sauteed onions, pineapple

Tuesday: Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Greens, Light Wheat Rolls

Wednesday: Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze, whole wheat spaghetti, sauteed broccoli

Thursday: Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups, garden salad

Friday: Chicken Soup with noodles (from the freezer), Quinoa Recipe with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Leeks and Slivered Almonds, Honey Challah Rolls

Saturday: J.’s Favorite Goulash, whole wheat egg noodles, steamed green beans, garden salad

Sunday: Leftovers or eat out

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

This is my final menu plan of the year! Next week, both the boys and J. are home on vacation, and since we’ll be out of our usual routine, we’re going to play meals by ear.

Monday: Make your own calzones or pizza (G. likes calzones, A. likes pizza)

Tuesday: First night of Hanukkah! Latkes with sour cream and applesauce, garden salad

Wednesday: Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, Honey Challah Rolls

Thursday: Meatballs and penne, steamed green beans

Friday: Chicken Soup with noodles (new batch), Honey Challah Rolls (leftovers), Mujadarra, roasted broccoli

Saturday: Grilled hamburgers & hot dogs, Grilled Steak Fries, garden salad

Sunday: order in Chinese food

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

My menu is all over the place this week — some meals I can cook without a recipe, like comfort food favorite spaghetti and meatballs. But I’m also trying a couple of new vegetarian dishes, one based on white beans and the other on chickpeas.

Still, I am most excited about the baking I have planned. I’m trying Ina Garten’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake to take to a morning event early in the week. Then I plan to test out Chewy Butterscotch Graham Cookies, but I’ll use toffee chips instead of butterscotch. I am participating in a holiday cookie swap at the end of the month, so I need to figure out what I’m bringing. I may make a batch of Martha Stewart’s Pretzel-Shortbread Bars, as well, since I think they’d make a unique contribution to the swap instead. Either way, I need to make small batches before I decide which sweet will be multiplied to 6 dozen.

Monday: Warm White Beans with Roasted Fennel, bow tie pasta

Tuesday: Cumin-Spiced Chickpeas and Carrots on Couscous, Curried Split Pea Soup (from the freezer), pita bread

Wednesday: Meatballs and spaghetti, roasted broccoli

Thursday: Grilled chicken tacos, lettuce & tomato, cilantro

Friday: Roasted chicken with butternut squash and cauliflower, challah

Saturday: Eat out

Sunday: Homemade onion soup (from the freezer), salad, dinner rolls

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

After the bigness of Thanksgiving last week, I’m keeping this week super-simple.

Monday: Pepper (red, orange, yellow, and green) and onion fajitas, with sliced steak and whole wheat tortillas

Tuesday: Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups (from the freezer), garden salad

Wednesday: Sauteed chicken & shredded Brussels sprouts over whole wheat spaghetti

Thursday: Make your own pizza or calzones (trying to make homemade whole wheat crust for the first time)

Friday: Roasted chicken with butternut squash and cauliflower, challah

Saturday: Eat out

Sunday: Homemade onion soup (from the freezer), salad, dinner rolls

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

Last Wednesday, A. ate two homemade meatballs in sauce, whole wheat pasta, steamed green beans, and an apple for dinner. That may seem like any day of the week to you and your kids, but as the mom of picky eaters, it was a night to be remembered. Sure it was a well-rounded and healthy meal, but it was extraordinary in how simple it was for me to make, and how nonchalantly it was eaten by my eldest. (G. just ate the pasta.)

I’m repeating that meal again this week, though A. requested I cook the meatballs separately from the sauce. No problem, I can do that. In addition to the dinners below, I’m also making a batch of Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies for a meeting on Thursday.

Monday: Grilled steaks and sweet potatoes, salad, challah (meant to be served last night, but we ate out instead)

Tuesday: Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups, Italian bread, roasted broccoli

Wednesday: Whole wheat spaghetti and Baked Meatballs, marinara sauce, steamed green beans

Thursday: Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup, rolls, fresh mozzarella cheese

Friday: Nibbles for dinner with friends: cut up veggies, hummus, crackers, cheeses, etc.

Saturday: Out to eat

Sunday: Leftovers or out to eat

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

I got through last week — which started out with a three-day power failure — with a lot of plain pasta dinners. The kids were happy, but I was not. Still, it’s good to feel I can fall back on a week like that when a major storm derails our normal plans, and I struggled to get back on task.

This week is filled with “real” meals, as G. would say. This kid, who once thought it was the greatest thing on earth to be allowed to eat a cup of yogurt for dinner, has come to expect a home-cooked meal with multiple components. I love that this is his idea of normal, even though he still won’t eat most of what I cook. I did ask the boys to each contribute a suggestion for one dinner this week. G.’s choice is the calzones; A.’s is the lasagna roll-ups. They only suggested those meals after I shot down their first request: plain pasta.

Monday: Bulgur Chickpea Salad (bumped), Curried Split Pea Soup, sliced tomatoes with balsamic vinegar (+ bagels for the boys)

Tuesday: Whole wheat calzones stuffed with marinara and cheese, garden salad (+ roast sweet potatoes and cauliflower for other meals)

Wednesday: Whole wheat spaghetti and Baked Meatballs, marinara sauce, steamed green beans

Thursday: Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups, Italian bread, roasted broccoli

Friday: Out to eat

Saturday: Farro with Mushrooms, Thyme, and Balsamic Vinegar, grilled steak and asparagus

Sunday: Leftovers

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

Trying several new vegetarian recipes this week. Must use up the mustard greens and arugula.

Monday: Leftovers (hamburgers & hot dogs), Mustard Greens

Tuesday: Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, Potato Salad with Yogurt, Arugula, & Herbs, dinner rolls

Wednesday: Bulgur Chickpea Salad, sauteed arugula with poached eggs (+ bagels for the boys)

Thursday: Whole wheat spaghetti with eggplant pasta sauce, fresh mozzarella, garden salad

Friday: Chicken Soup with noodles, roasted butternut squash and broccoli

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: J. grills or smokes, farm share vegetables

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

Soup weather! Have a favorite soup recipe? I’d love to hear about it.

I’m also trying out an Oktoberfest Black Forest Bar cookie recipe to bring to a party this weekend. What could be bad about chocolate and cherries? Nothing a lot of beer can’t fix.

Monday: Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Soup, toasted bagels, sliced cheese (+ roasted Brussels sprouts — I have them and need to cook them)

Tuesday: Mini Calzones, red pepper rings and celery sticks

Wednesday: Whole wheat spaghetti with chicken thigh pasta sauce (from the freezer), sauteed spinach

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Chicken Soup with noodles (make a new batch), challah, roasted butternut squash and broccoli

Saturday: Leftovers or eat out

Sunday: Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, garden salad, dinner rolls

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