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What's for Dinner: March 29 - April 4

Looking for dinner inspiration? Here's what I've planned for dinner at our house this week!

Yellow Tulips | Photo by Violeta Avram via Unsplash

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I had higher expectations for myself for the past week. I was hoping to stick to my blogging schedule and share some more content. But my motivation dropped more and more as the week progressed.

Our family is still struggling to find balance in these uncertain times. Since the kids are so young, creating a strict schedule for them doesn't make much sense. We know they're used to a structured day at school, but we can't commit to that while working from home. So I've been trying to do little activities like this and this with them when I can.

I want to be everything for everyone all the time. But it's been hard for me to deliver my usual level of attention or devotion right now. We're healthy and safe and together... and I know that should be enough, but I can't stand knowing that I'm coming up short in certain areas.

Aside from not having time or energy, I'm reluctant to push out recipes. I know there are people out there who are doing a lot more cooking now that they're confined to their homes. (Thanks to all the readers trying my olive oil drop biscuit recipe!) I'd love to spend more time in the kitchen, too. But I'm being super careful about the ingredients we use and how we use them... because things are still hard to come by where we are. So I'm not doing too much in the kitchen outside of preparing regular meals.

As long as our family is self-isolating, my blogging will be sporadic. I'll do my best to get back on track... because I really do love sharing with you guys... but understand that there may be long periods of silence between posts. (Things are always hopping in the What's for Dinner? Facebook Group, though, so be sure to join us there for more regular interaction!)

For now, here's what I've planned for dinner at our house this week.

Do you remember how I shared two weeks of dinners on the blog last Sunday? I thought it would be a good idea to share how last week went... then I'll let you know how I altered this week's plan based on what we were actually able to get from our Peapod delivery.


Review: March 22 - March 28 


Sunday: Oven-Fried Chicken with Brown Rice Pilaf and Roasted Carrots


As I was pulling ingredients out to make the chicken, Stephen and I decided to live in the moment and do something we wouldn't normally do. I put the boxes of brown rice pilaf back into the pantry for another day and changed the menu. While I still made the Oven-Fried Chicken, I served it over buttermilk waffles that we had in the freezer instead. Drizzled with some maple syrup, this chicken and waffles dish was a treat. I roasted carrots and russet potatoes to go along with them.

Monday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Soup


It turns out we didn't have as many cans of tomato soup in the pantry as I thought. So Stephen and the kids had grilled cheese and tomato soup. I skipped the soup and had sliced apples with my sandwich. And... maybe a handful of barbecue potato chips.

Maybe.

Tuesday: Spaghetti and Basic Baked Meatballs with Marinara Sauce


Dinner went as planned, and everyone was happy about the meatballs. I wish that wasn't our last bag of freezer meatballs, though... Because who knows when I'll be able to make another double batch to restock the freezer supply.

Wednesday: Leftovers


Check!

Thursday: Kielbasa Fried Rice


I completely forgot to cook the rice ahead of time. I had planned to make the rice on Wednesday so the day-old rice would be ready for me on Thursday night. But it completely slipped my mind. So I had to come up with a meal on the fly that used the kielbasa, which I had already taken out of the freezer to thaw.

I wound up slicing the kielbasa and cooking it on the stove until the edges were nice and crisp and caramelized. While that was happening, I roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions in the oven and cooked some rice for the rice-lovers. Everything turned out pretty tasty... and I got to enjoy the leftovers for lunch yesterday.

Friday: English Muffin Pizzas


These didn't happen.

I've been trying to juggle so much that I forgot I planned to make these. Out of habit, I pulled regular pizza dough out of the freezer and had to use that instead. Since our Peapod delivery arrived on Friday morning, I bumped up the Pizza with Roasted Eggplant, Grape Tomatoes, Garlic, and Fresh Mozzarella to use the vegetables while they were freshest.

I'll adjust Pizza Night for this week accordingly. (Keep reading.)

Saturday: Applegate Turkey Cheese Burgers with Caramelized Onions and French Fries


 We were supposed to have this meal a couple of weeks ago but skipped it in favor of using up leftovers. But we were good this time around and I made the meal as planned. Stephen and I topped our burgers with both cheddar and pepper jack cheese (the slices were super thin), while Caroline had only cheddar on her burger. Jonathan refused the cheese on his burger and, instead, had his slice of cheddar on the side. Everyone had a side of waffle fries.

As a treat for finishing their dinner, we let the kids share one of these donuts.

So... let's take a look at this week's menu plan.


A Week of Dinners: March 29 - April 4


Sunday: Cream-Style Corn Chowder with Oyster Crackers 


 Peapod was completely sold out of canned cream-style and frozen whole kernel corn. So I'll be making my corn chowder with canned whole kernel corn and without the added layer of flavor from the fresh parsley. Oyster crackers were too expensive, so I took advantage of a sale on store-brand saltine crackers to serve with the chowder.

Monday: Crispy Cheese and Mushroom Quesadillas with Salsa

Peapod was also sold out of flour tortillas. I was planning on making some from scratch, but Stephen was able to find tortillas at Target yesterday. I may go easy on the mushroom filling so we can use the mushrooms in another dish later this week. We'll see. 

Tuesday: Stuffed Pepper Casserole 


 I have everything I need to make this casserole. I know the whole family will love this one and it should last us a few days.

Wednesday: Leftovers 


Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner - Pancakes with Maple Syrup 


Friday: Margherita Pizza 


 As I said earlier, I swapped our original Pizza Night plans to make better use of the fresh produce that arrived from Peapod. We're due for another "plain" pizza, so I'll use the other half of the package of fresh mozzarella pearls from the Peapod order for this pizza.

Saturday: Spinach and Beef Cannelloni


 We had no problem getting grass-fed ground beef (on sale!) from Peapod, so I'll be able to make this dish without too many adjustments. As I said last week, I'll use lasagna noodles rather than cannelloni shells, but everything else will come together as the recipe states.

We loved this dish the last time I make it, so I can't wait to make it again!

We don't have another Peapod delivery scheduled until April 9, so I may give you two weeks of dinners again next week so you can see how I continue to shop our pantry and refrigerator/freezer supplies. We'll see. :)

How are YOU guys doing? Are you finding the ingredients you need in stores near you? Any issues with online ordering? Let me know what's going on!


Need Help Menu Planning?


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Seven years ago: Basic Baked Meatballs
Nine years ago: Are You Even Trying?
Eleven years ago: Sweet Friday Wishes

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