Desperation Dinners - it's working!

I just have to say – this whole 12-week menu planning thing is awesome! Yes, it was a pain in the ass to actually sit down and come up with that many meals – plus I added in a few parameters* that made it a bit more challenging – but if all I have to do is look at the menus for the week to do my commissary shopping, life is really good!

Last week was the first in our 12-week experiment and overall it was a success. The rating system I'm looking for is a three-thumbs-up – that means anyone under the age of 18 in this house actually ate the entire meal and said they would have it again. Miracles never cease.

And for the record: I am not a nutritionist, nor am I a chef. I am a mom, trying to feed 2teensandatween, day in and day out. This all came about because I was frustrated – not because as some have accused me, of being uber-organized. I'm definitely not. I'm also not super mom - believe me, my kids will vouch for that one. I'm just a desperate mom, trying to cook dinners that the majority in this house would eat and that wouldn't keep me in the kitchen all afternoon. If you can use any of this to help you, feel free.

*Parameters: I realized I needed guidelines to help me fill in the blanks on our menus. So loosely, per week I selected; one pasta dish, one bean dish, because of various schedules Tuesday nights are soup night so family members can come and go as needed (yes, all our soups are homemade - but sooooo easy once you get into it), Friday nights are sandwich/wrap or dinner salad night, and then a night with some type of fish. If I am using a recipe from a particular cookbook I have made a note, otherwise they are from all the various clippings I collected over the years (magazines and food columns).

Week 1 - Menus
Monday - Cheese, Bean and Rice Enchiladas (note to self - next time I need to double this recipe, with 2 teenaged boys there was definitely not enough food for them). 3ThumbsUp
Tuesday - Minestrone Soup and salad; I rarely make this soup since it takes me a long time and it makes a lot, but I wanted to make a dinner for a friend who'd recently had a baby and it was a cold day here, oh and Wrenn had also put in a request (it's my favorite soup you make). 3ThumbsUp
Wednesday - Orzo with feta, zucchini and red onions. 3ThumbsUp
Thursday - Mushrooms with Creamy Polenta and spinach saute.
Friday - Garlic Pizza, Greek Salad and Tomato Cheese Soup 3ThumbsUp

The only dinner that did not go over well was the Mushrooms with Creamy Polenta - they all ate it but with a definite lack of gusto. It was a new recipe, one of my many clippings, that wasn't a smash and so is now in the trash.

Week 2 - Menus
Monday - Mexican Lasagna and a salad
Tuesday - Kale Bean Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Wednesday - Baked Tofu with stir fry Broccoli and rice (Moosewood Simple Suppers)
Thursday - Yakisoba
Friday - Mediterranean Tuna Salad (Whole Foods p.125)

Bonus Recipe (this one's mine, one Jeff and I tried to perfect after having it served to us years ago in a little restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island. I kept ordering it and then going home and trying to recreate it until we got it just right. It's super easy and the kids love it).

Tomato Cheese Soup (you'll never have Campbells again)

1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 can evaporated milk
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 (1 lb 12 oz) cans of chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup parmesan (green can)
chopped parsley for garnish

Saute onion, add broth, tomatoes, basil, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf; add parmesan and evaporated milk and with immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add chopped parsley and serve. Enjoy and I hope you too will be ... inspired.