I took this picture of the kids the other night at my friend Yvonne’s house. I made them all gather up with their desserts to pose for a photo. You can tell that they we’re really excited about having their pictures taken, I mean look their faces, they’re each in their own world. The only ones looking at the camera are Tucker and cute little Hadley. Hadley is looking at me saying,”take the photo already so I can get down and eat my rice crispy treat.” I love how Andrew is cracking up and has that big happy smile on his face. I seriously love all these kids. They’re my California adopted nieces and nephews and I’ve known them all since they were born. They call me Auntie Jackie and my kids call their moms Auntie Hillary and Auntie Yvonne. We’re just one big happy family!
So we had a girls and kids night at Yvonne’s new house this past Tuesday. I brought over dinner for us moms, Hilary brought dessert and Yvonne ordered up pizza for the kids. Sometimes you have to make it easy on yourselves, and the kids didn’t care about eating dinner, they just wanted to inhale a quick piece of pizza so they could play. I made up the Israeli couscous salad, kid friendly caesar dressing and the croutons ahead of time, and just assembled the heirloom grilled bruschetta and tossed the salad right before dinner. It was a super easy dinner and just what us gals were craving.
I found a new favorite topping for my steel cut oats, peanut butter! A reader, Abby, made the suggestion. I’m so glad I listened to her because it just gives me a bit more protein in the morning, and when I add the peanut butter, I don’t need to add any brown sugar! So if you love steel cut oats, then give this a try. Thanks Abby!
My new favorite peanut butter is this one from MaraNatha. It’s a no stir one that doesn’t need to be refrigerated, and I have to tell you it tastes great. It’s the first natural peanut butter that I actually like.
I made up a great dip by accident on Sunday and I’m loving it. It’s made up of avocado, tahini, cilantro and lemon. It’s so good and stays green even on day 5! Here’s the Instagram I took of my pre dinner snack the other night, HAVE’A corn chips, minty limeade, water with lemon and the avocado dip.
I also have a new favorite afternoon snack! One that is full of antioxidants and gives me a little afternoon pick me up. I take a little jar and add in some roasted almonds, goji berries and a few little pieces of dark chocolate. I love the dark chocolate bars from Green & Blacks. I usually get either the 70% or the 85%. It’s a great snack to take on the road or to work. I put this snack in the jars for portion control. If I had the chocolate, goji berries and almonds in front of me, then I would eat way more than I wanted! I mean a snack is just supposed to be a snack, right?
Speaking of chocolate, John and I made up this amazing chocolate ice cream this week. It took me back to my childhood. It’s a classic chocolate ice cream and it’s so easy to make. Recipe next week!
So, I made the heirloom pizza again and it didn’t stick this time (yaay) thanks to parchment paper! I love parchment paper. The pizza was good, but not great enough for me to want to blog about. I’m not sure what it was, but I think it just needed something a bit more. I will work on it and see if I can come up with something better.
Whew, I made and ate a lot of food this week I must say, so let’s move onto this week’s dinner menu.
Sunday night dinner
We’re going up north for the day to go kayaking and paddle boarding, so were going to eat out tonight.
Monday night dinner
Miso kale salad with miso roasted tofu and grilled bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes. This is an easy summertime meatless Monday dinner.
Tuesday night dinner
Curried chicken salad on whole grain tortillas, Israeli couscous salad and corn on the cob. This is another easy summer dinner!
Wednesday night dinner
Leftover night! Take a look at last night and that’s what’s on tonights menu!
Thursday night dinner
Buffalo apple burgers with sage-jalapeno pesto, onion rings with sriracha mayo (soo good and so addicting) and cherry tomato, garbanzo and green bean salad.
Friday night dinner
We’re eating dinner at home tonight and I’m trying up a new taco recipe, BLT tacos with Thai chili mayonnaise, inspired by the tacos I tried and loved at The Taco Guy’s truck last Sunday. I will let you know how they turn out!
Have a great Sunday everyone!
6 thoughts on “Marin Mama’s Weekly Dinner Menu for July 21st”
Those kids are SO ADORABLE!! I love how you include them in all the time! What a cheerful photo , it justs makes you smile !!
Love that picture of you and the tacos. That chocolate ice cream looks amazing! YUM!
I have an obsession with Thai condiments so I can’t wait to hear how the Thai chili mayo comes out! Did you use an ice cream maker for the ice cream?
Hi Reba. The Thai chili mayo they made and used on the tacos was awesome, so hopefully I can find a good one as well. Yes, we used an ice-cream maker to make the ice cream. It’s so easy with that thing 🙂
I would love to come to your house for dinner, Jackie!
We were so happy when we discovered the parchment paper trick, too. That pizza looks irresistible- I’m wondering what there is to work on! Here’s to a good week 🙂
You take the best pics of the kids. You really capture the moments so well!
I love the idea of peanut butter in oatmeal. I’ve not tried that before either, but it’s a great idea and I’ll have to try that.
I also love your snack ideas, they sound delish! And the chocolate ice cream sounds so classic and delicious. I love being adventurous with food but sometimes the simple classic recipes are the best too!
The parchment paper reminds me of that near cake-fail I had for my dad’s birthday and you suggested parchment. I have used it faithfully ever since and have not had any problems. I will never not use it again when baking! 🙂
Hope you are having a great week. Looking forward to the BLT tacos! xoxo, Sharon