Speier fam Menu plan

Okay, here's my menu from last week. I apologize in advance for the lack of actual measurements and pretty pictures:


Monday: crock pot chicken tacos and Nanny's Slaw
Nanny's Slaw: thinly sliced green cabbage, red bell pepper, green apple, red onion, sunflower seeds with a vinaigrette made from olive oil, rice wine vinegar, cumin and Tony's. She usually adds jicama too, which I didn't have.

Tuesday: Alton Brown's meatloaf, salad and garlic mashed potatoes. I used my new favorite healthier swap item in the mashed potatoes: Lite Labne (Kefir cheese) is a great substitute for sour cream.

Wednesday: Coconut Curry in the crock pot: 1 pkg boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1 can of light coconut milk, 1/2 onion, 3 carrots, 3 stalks celery, 1 red pepper (all chopped) 2 cloves garlic (minced) 1 or 2 Tablespoons each of red curry paste, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Cook it until the chicken shreds easily and then add 1 can of chickpeas until everything is heated through. Serve over brown rice with whatever garnishes your family is into. We do jalapenos, cilantro or basil, scallions, chopped peanuts and rooster sauce.

Thursday: I made this farro salad, but truth be told, it wasn't a hit. Maybe because I didn't get the fancy ricotta salata she recommends. I think next time I will just make a wheat berry salad, which my family all seem to enjoy: 2 cups of uncooked wheat berries simmered in either salted water or stock for about 45 minutes, chopped apple, cucumber, scallion, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, feta and parsley. I make a vinaigrette sometimes with lemon, sometimes with rice wine vinegar. Sometimes I add cooked chicken, too.

Friday: Asian shrimp soup? I don't know what to call this, really. I sauteed red pepper, carrots, garlic, ginger and scallions and then added stock and water. I simmered rice noodles, shrimp and thinly sliced napa cabbage until the noodles and shrimp were cooked through. (Garnish with cilantro and siracha again.) I served edamame in their pods on the side.