Extra-long-Monday-Daylight-Savings-non-ranting-rant

Dear reader, in case you aren’t already aware, I am weird. I don’t really have a problem with Mondays. Also, the only thing I really dislike about Daylight savings time is that it’s hard on my 5 year old son, and that it makes many of you lovely folks cranky.

I’ll stop now before you leave me forever. So! Even though it would be much more convenient to do this over the weekend, part of my Monday ritual is menu planning. I only really plan for dinners, the rest of it gets thrown together depending on my mood. Are you ready for this week’s extravaganza?! Here we go:

• Monday Jalapeno/cream cheese/cheddar cheese stuffed chicken breast topped with toasted/seasoned panko, veggie rice pilaf, salad.
• Tuesday Smoked beef sausage (sliced & seared) with peppers/onions/garlic/bowtie pasta (it’s just so dapper), sauteed broccoli.
• Wednesday Greek Chicken Salad! Sauteed chicken thigh with lemon pepper seasoning/garlic, rice with lemon/dill/feta, ginger marinated garbanzos, roma tomatoes, cukes, thin sliced red onion, and quick Greek dressing (garlic/olive oil/dried oregano/salt & pep/fresh lemon).
• Thursday Pasta with meat sauce (reheated- half a double batch I made last week with beef & turkey Italian sausage), sauteed green beans, garlic bread.
• Friday Chicken Thighs with teriyaki/peanut butter sauce garnished with cilantro, white rice, steamed cauliflower with sugar snap peas & soy.
• Saturday Something with Fish and whatever veggies are around. Detailed, right?

I wish I could tell you there were recipes for this. But I’m a cook, not a chef, so I just throw things together until the food looks and tastes the way I want it to. I usually have delicious results, that I really wish I could share with you! I’ll break out the cell phone camera and document steps some day, but today is not that day.

Are you ready for another crucial detail? Here we go. I have a blended family, with a schedule that is wonderful, helpful, and magical. My son Darian, 5, has an older brother Kimathi, 8. Through the magic of loving children and a wonderful twist of fate, the Brother’s Mother, Nicole, and I communicate beautifully about scheduling time with the kids. Dad and I have both boys Tuesday evenings and Friday overnight, while Brother’s Mother has them Wednesday evenings and Saturday overnight. This means Wednesdays I get to cook and eat things the boys wouldn’t touch, and Tuesdays and Fridays get the same favorites repeated often.

This concludes my extra-long-Monday-Daylight-Savings-non-ranting-rant. If you made it this far, you get a telepathically delivered gold star.