Marin Mama’s Weekly Dinner Menu for September 1st

Marin Mama's weekly dinner menu - September 1st

This past week was all about love, as John and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary on Friday!  I can’t believe we’ve been married 16 years, but I’m so happy with the life that we’ve created together.  We followed our dreams and moved out to California a week after we got married, a few years later we bought a house and we’re now having a blast raising two wonderful kids.  We’re now even talking about adding a puppy to the mix this spring.  I mean why not, why not make the family even bigger, you’ve got to live a little, right?  Yes, there have been ups and downs, marriage and life are not always rosy, but at the end of the day, I feel blessed to have John as my partner in life and blessed at this amazing family we’ve created together.  Family rocks and one of our favorite sayings is, “Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind.”

Jackie and John

We celebrated our special day with Zoe, as Eli was finishing up his last day at soccer camp.  We headed out to Point Reyes Station for some muffins and coffee at Bovine Bakery and then headed over to Cow Girl Creamery for some picnic fare.  We were all craving the cool mist of the ocean so we headed over to Bolinas to kick back and enjoy our picnic lunch.

Zoe and John

How could you not enjoy lunch with view like that?

Zoe with ocean in background

Zoe got into the tranquil vibe of Bolinas and decided to meditate a bit before lunch.

Zoe meditating with rocks

After lunch we walked along the beach and it truly made me appreciate where we live and why we live here.  There’s just something so tranquil but yet at the same time exhilarating about the ocean. I love the smell of the saltwater, the sound of the waves and just the overall feeling of freedom I get whenever I visit the ocean. I  just had to take a picture of this sign that was at the beach, only in California, right?

Naked surfer sign

I also made a double batch of our favorite chocolate chip cookies for a moving party for one of my best girlfriends, Hilary.

Chocolate chip cookies

Sadly Hilary and her family are moving 2.5 hours south of us to Carmel Valley.  While I’m excited for her and this new adventure she’s starting, I’m going to miss those quick last minute get togethers and just seeing her beautiful smile out and about Marin. Here’s a photo of her and her hubby, Bryce.

Hillary and Bryce

You could have not picked a better night or backdrop for a party.  The party was held in Yvonne’s back yard and she seriously has the BEST backyard for entertaining. The table setting was simple but elegant.

Beautiful outdoor table set for event

Here’s a picture of the drink table, as a party is not complete without some drinks.  Meredith made some amazing margaritas and this killer spicy salt mixture.

Drink table at outdoor event

Here’s a photo Hilary, Yvonne and me, I was not going to post this pic because I’m not a fan of how I look in the photo, (I pulled my hair back to one side and thought it looked good, but now that I see the photo, I’m not too sure) but it shows the love between us girls, and as I said earlier, this post is all about love, right?

Jackie, Hillary and Yvonne

Dinner was amazing!  Abel’s taco truck provided some amazing tacos for a simple dinner under the stars.  Here’s a photo of John with Yvonne’s hubby Greg (the party host). I just had to fit in a photo of the amazing host!  All in all, it was a wonderful night and the party was full of love, laughter and friendship.  Hilary and Bryce are truly going to be missed in Marin.

John and Gregg

So let’s get back to reality and the weekly menu.  This is our last week of summer and it’s bittersweet as I’m excited for a routine, but I’m also not excited for the routine.  Back to school means back to craziness and schedules in our house, and it’s been nice having this extra long no-stress summer.  It’s going to be difficult for all of us to get back into a school routine, so this week I’m going to try and cook in most nights, so we can slowly get back to a sense of normal.

Sunday night dinner

Turkey burgers with cilantro-lime mayonnaise and kale slaw, Nepenthe’s garbanzo and kidney bean salad and corn on the cob.  It’s   been hot out, so we’re taking a break from cooking in the kitchen and hanging out on the deck and grilling.  This is our last calm Sunday before Zoe starts up dance again, so we’re going to just chill out and enjoy the day.

turkey burgers with cilantro lime mayonnaise and kale slaw

Garbanzo and kidney bean salad

Monday night dinner

Vegeterian Banh mi sandwiches (recipe next week) and lacinato kale salad.  We tried these sandwiches last week and they were a hit, but I didn’t take any pictures except for this one below that I Instagramed, so I’m making them up again so I can take photos and therefore post the recipe for you all.  I’m serving them up with my favorite salad ever, my lacinato kale salad.

Vegetarian banh mi sandwich

Kale Salad

Tuesday night dinner

Cilantro-lime chicken tacos with mango avocado salsa and kale and ricotta salata salad.  It’s a hot week, so I’m cooking easy, grill-able (don’t know if that’s a word, but let’s go with it) and low fuss meals, and this is one of those dinners.  You just marinate the chicken all day and just grill it up come dinner, and it makes for great leftovers.

Cilantro lime chicken tacos with mango avocado salsa

Kale and ricotta salad

Wednesday night dinner

Leftover night!  Eli has a soccer game tonight so I need something quick and easy to serve up when we get home.  I’m making quesadillas with the leftover chicken from last night’s tacos. I just top the quesadillas with a fresh batch of mango avocado salsa (made earlier that afternoon)  and some sour cream. The kids love and devour these quesadillas.  I will serve these up with some fresh cut veggies.

Leftover chicken quesadilla

Thursday night dinner

We’ve had two nights of meat, so tonight it’s going to be a meatless pasta night. Spaghetti with cheesy broiled tomatoes and basil and kid friendly caesar salad.   I’m making up a full batch of the caesar dressing as I will be serving the salad again tomorrow night.

Spaghetti with cheesy broiled tomatoes and basil

Kid Friendly caesar salad

Friday night dinner

Zoe has soccer practice till 7:00 on Fridays, so Eli and I are going to be dinner making buddies.  We’re going to attempt to bring back our Friday pizza night, (that is if I don’t get lazy and just go out to dinner) so tonight we’re making up one of our favorite pizzas, sausage and arugula skillet pizza and we’re going to serve that up with some kid friendly caesar salad.

Skillet pizza

Stay tuned for Wednesday when I will showcase this super easy weeknight meal of parmesan crusted pork chops!  When I say easy, I mean easy!

Parmesan crusted pork chops

Have a great Labor Day everyone!

With love Jackie
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13 thoughts on “Marin Mama’s Weekly Dinner Menu for September 1st”

    1. Hi Pamela! We’re on a wait list for a puppy, so hopefully this spring 🙂 I will definitely post pics when we get her 🙂

  1. Wow, congrats on 16 yrs. That is amazing. I love love love your opening paragraph and admit to crying a few Hallmark tears 🙂 What a special post, Jackie. I love that you guys moved across the country when you were newly married. We moved across the country together 3 mos after dating and knew no one! We were such nomads and so brave and then we moved across the country to CA where I know will be our forever-home. I love the life you’ve carved out for yourselves!

    And that backyard. And that table. WOW. That’s fancier than many weddings Ive been to. What a lovely event!

    And your cookies – perfect. And your friends and how close you are with everyone – makes me want to work less, and do more things with friends 🙂

    1. Awww, Averie! Your comment made me shed a few tears. You and your hubby are a bit like John and I. We didn’t know anyone out here either nor did either of us have a job, but we both felt a connection to California and the bay area when we visited, so we just did what you did and went for it. Sometimes the best time to make those moves are when you’re young and before kids.
      Friends and family truly are what make my heart beat. I couldn’t imagine my life without their love and support! Have a wonderful week girl and thank you for your sweet words! xoxo, Jackie

  2. Happy Anniversary!!!! what a great way to spend the day – the anniversaries are a very special day – with all the ups and downs of life it’s great to celebrate that everyones made it through another year!! your food as always looks SO delicious – my turkey burgers NEVER look like that!!!!
    Mary x

  3. You always have such beautiful pictures of your family on here. The party looks like it was a wonderful time, and in a beautiful setting! That sausage and arugula pizza looks amazing. We love having pizza on Friday nights, so I will be trying your recipe!

  4. Wow, that party looks like it was amazing and I love how you talked about how much you’ll miss your friends being close by. It really makes a difference when friends move away, doesn’t it?
    I’m so eager to try skillet pizza, not sure why I haven’t yet. It looks sooooo good 🙂

  5. oh jackie! What a fun and wonderful post! Congrats on 16 years! That is amazing and I can see the love between you two just looking at a pic of ya’ll. You have created such a special and amazing family. You are truly blessed!

    What fun at the party! Yes i must say her backyard is perfect for such and I love the long elegant white table setting. beautiful. I hope school starts off great for you next week! We are doing soccer for the first time this year and my husband is the coach so we are all tied up with mommy’s day out, soccer and LIFE! Love ya

  6. Staying home sick from work , means I finally get to catch up on blogs – (I am actually sick BTW! 🙂 ). Just looking at those Northern Cali pics makes me feel a bit better though – I obviously love London – but oh for some ocean air!! anyway – most important – what sort of puppy?? Labradoodle still?? You know Tibetan Terriers are also hypoallergenic! 🙂 Zoe must be thrilled! And no more rinsing before you put stuff in the dish washer : P

    1. Oh Em! How good is it to hear from you. It feels like old times 🙂 I miss seeing your pretty little face on my blog 🙂 I’m sorry to hear that you’re under the weather. I’m hoping that it was short lived and that you’re now up and about feeling like yourself again. I can’t wait to see you out here in January. I truly miss my old blogger English friend and I can’t wait to hear about how your job is going at the homeless shelter. Let’s totally meet up at Cafe Gratitude. I’ve been craving that place as the one near me closed. We can also go for a hike beforehand if it’s nice. I will tell you all about the doggy then. We’re on the wait list for a cavapoo which is a cross between a Cavalier King Charles and a toy poodle. We want a dog that is low to no shedding for John’s allergies and one that is on the smaller side. Zoe’s bestie is on the wait list as well and for the same litter. It will be great for them both because they can walk the puppies together and have sleepovers and bring the puppies, too cute for words! I finally get what you mean by no rinsing before you put things in the dishwasher, I wasn’t sure at first, but it’s the dog thing! Haha! At first I thought there was something wrong with rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Miss you girl! xoxo, Jackie

  7. Happy belated anniversary! I love this love post, it IS filled with love! I think you look happy and beautiful in all these pics. When Rick and I first got married we too moved to CA right after! We lived in SoCal for 3-4 years before moving back to WA. You and John have made a beautiful family and life together, it is so heartwarming to see. I can’t wait to see if you all do decide to get a puppy! Your family would totally embrace a dog, and that dog would be so lucky to be in your fam!

    great menu as always, and I’m looking forward to the veggie banh mi sandwich recipe, I’d love to try that! xoxo, Sharon

    1. Hi Sharon! Your comment is too sweet girl. Thanks so much for your kind words. I didn’t know that you and Rick lived in Sol Cal. I guess it would be a natural transition from Hawaii. Seattle seems more like your style though or I could totally see you in Northern CA where we are, hint hint. Yes, we’re totally getting a puppy in the spring. We’re on the wait-list for a cavapoo which is a cross between a Cavalier King Charles and a toy poodle. We want a dog that is low to no shedding for John’s allergies and one that is on the smaller side. I’m excited but nervous as I know how much work a puppy/dog entails, but I don’t want my kids to grow up without a pet. I will post those banh mi sandwiches soon. I preferred the veggie one but John preferred the salmon one. I think I was just over salmon by the time we ate that sandwich. I never got around to making the veggie one (because Eli caught that salmon) to photograph, so I may post the salmon one first and the veggie one next week. Have a great weekend girl! xoxo, Jackie

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