Tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad

It doesn't get more basic, more fresh, or more delightful than this!  We are growing basil in pots on our deck this year and we've been told that the key to growing in abundance is to use them frequently, paring them back for fresh growth.  That being the case, our arms have been twisted into enjoying fresh basil more often!  Since we are leaving on vacation tomorrrow we thought that a small salad, using the cherry tomatoes from our organic delivery and fresh mozzarella cheese from this morning's visit to Plum Market, would make up a great use for that pared back basil.  Yum!

There's not a whole lot of direction for this one, just throw together some small tomatoes (I halved my cherry tomatoes to release some of their juices and flavors), some small mozzarella balls, and fresh torn basil leaves, then sprinkle with olive oil, basil, and touch of salt; toss to coat and serve immediately!

Monday plan day, 7/6

Organic delivery this week: bananas, cherries, kiwi, oranges, plums, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, garlic, vidalia onions

Dairy delivery this week: Two 1/2 gallons of skim milk, cottage cheese, eggs

On wednesday of this week we are headed to Holland for a short vacation, so this week is a little different.

Tuesday - Tomato/basil/mozzarella salad (tomatoes from the delivery, basil from our garden, mozz from the store), and loaded baked potatoes (cheese from the fridge, potatoes from a previous delivery, sour cream from our dairy, and other added items from our fridge)

Wednesday - We'll be grilling sausages (from our freezer) on a deck in Holland overlooking beautiful lake Michigan!  Oh, and steaming broccoli (from our order).

Thursday - Still grilling while overlooking the big lake!  This time we'll be grilling pork loin brought by Jon's parents, and stove cooking zucchini and couscous from the store.

Friday - Dinner out at the New Holland Brewing Company, a fun local restaurant on Holland main strip.

Saturday - Seafood dinner at the Ottawa Beach Inn, just around the corner from the condo in Holland.

Sunday - Leftover pork and zucchini as one final meal in view of the beautiful lake before heading home.

Monday - Back in our landlocked home we'll be grillng chicken (from our freezer), topped with Penzy's Spices and flanked by asparagus and noodles

Grocery list - This week's dinner shopping list includes asparagus, mozzarella, zucchini, and couscous.  We'll be shopping at Plum Market this week because I also want to pick up some of their organic, no nitrites/nitrates added sandwich meat for making beach picnics while on vacation.  We'll be taking our cooler packed with milk, cheeses, salsas, and other items we already have on hand here, and once in Holland we'll stopping at the store there to pick up a few things, like orange juice and coffee creamer.  We'll also be taking a box of other food stuffs, like our favorite coffee (and grinder, to boot), homemade breads and english muffins, and chips for snacks.  Then, after this short interruption in our daily life (a much desired one, at that) we'll be back to the basics next week!  Hope you all have a good one.

Monday plan day, 6/29

Organic delivery this week: grapefruit, grapes, plums, kiwi, cherries, carrots, roma tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, corn

Dairy delivery this week: Two 1/2 gallons of skim milk, cottage cheese, 1 pint whipping cream, eggs

Thanks to a power outage and a few unscheduled events last week's plan got a little bent out of shape in a few different ways, so this week we have a plethora of leftovers that are finding their way into this week's plan...

Monday - Leftover salmon

Tuesday - Zuppa Toscana (using kale from last week, cream and potatoes from this week, and meat from our freezer)

Wednesday - Leftover burgers and buns from a potluck we hosted last Sunday (a potluck I'd forgotten about when planend last week's meals), corn and zucchini (from this week's order)

Thursday - Leftover soup

Friday - Leftover sausage and buns from said potluck dinner, with zucchini and carrots (from this week's order), and homemade potato salad (using potatoes and eggs from this week and celery from last week).

Saturday - Happy 4th of July! We will be celebrating with family since it is my dad's birthday and my brother will be in town

Sunday - Grilled chicken with summer veggies (using yellow squash from this week's order and asparagus from the store, and herbs from our garden!) and whole wheat pasta (from our cupboard)

Monday - Grilled steak (from our freezer) with mushrooms and artichokes (from the store) and leftover potato salad

Grocery list - This week's dinner shopping list includes asparagus, mushrooms, and artichokes. Cheese and frozen shrimp are on sale at Meijer this week so I'll also be picking some of that up for future use. We also need vinegar, baking soda, garlic salt (Meijer now carries the Simply Organic spice line, yay!), and maybe some strawberries for fun (their organic strawberries have been beautiful all summer long, and priced the same as the conventional berries, too!), and that pretty much concludes our shopping list this week!

Monday plan day, 6/22

Organic delivery this week: Bananas, grapefruit, Danjou pears, plums, peaches x 3lbs (for jam), celery, grape tomatoes, kale, vidalia onions, zucchini, baby carrots, garlic

Dairy delivery this week: Two 1/2 gallons of 2%, cottage cheese, sour cream

Monday - Leftover grilled sausages from our wonderful fathers' day party!  Along with peaches and leftover asparagus

Tuesday - Dinner at the Hillers' with a friend who is visiting from out of town.

Wednesday - Tacos using ground beef from the freezer, lettuce left from last week, tomatoes and onions from this week, sour cream from our dairy delivery, and homemade tortillas.

Thursday - Lentil soup using dried lentils from our pantry, onions, carrots and celery from our order, ginger root and cilantro already in our fridge, and organic broth and spices from our pantry.  This is our vegetarian meal for the week.

Friday - Grilled basil butter salmon, using basil and parsley from our garden (yay!) and cilantro from the fridge, limes and butter from the fridge, and spices from the pantry.  I will have to buy the fish, though.

Saturday - We will be enjoying a romantic evening out with friends while Calvin eats pizza with his Oma and Opa.

Sunday - Leftover soup

Monday - Leftover salmon

Grocery list - This week's dinner shopping list includes salmon.  I also need to restock my frozen brussels sprouts, or get some fresh organic sprouts if I can find them.  For lunches I will be making bread on Wednesday as usual, but we need more peanut butter and rice cakes.  We also need dish soap and a new comb for Calvin.  And that completes this week's shopping list.

Monday plan day, 6/15

Organic delivery this week: Bananas, blackberries, Danjou pears, red plums, celery, cucumbers, green leaf lettuce, mushrooms, yams, peaches x 2lbs

Dairy delivery this week: Two 1/2 gallons of 2%, 2 pints whipping cream

Last week we got a bit off schedule; it was too beautiful outside to be inside baking stuffed squash, so we had pesto burgers instead, which had me making homemade buns and picking up some extra herbs at the grocery store (our herb garden isn't quite mature enough to make pesto just yet). So we start off using up some of last week's leftover meal items.

Monday - grilled chicken with spinach pasta toss

Tuesday - Leftover grilled chicken made into chicken salad sandwiches (using celery and leaf lettuce from our delivery and leftover homemade hamburger buns from last week, plus almonds from our cupboard, though I will need to buy more olive oil mayo).

Wednesday - Grilled organic sausages with homemade hotdog buns and tabouleh (using cucumbers from this week's order, tomatoes from last week's order, bulgur from our cupboard, and parsley and garlic already on hand, though I may need some extra tomatoes).

Thursday - Sausage pasta toss using the leftover sausages, whole wheat pasta from our cupboard, and any leftover vegetables in our fridge tossed together with olive oil and feta cheese. This is great cold or warm and is a wonderful way to use up leftovers, since any meat or veggies will do (this time I will need to buy more feta).

Friday - This is ladies' night for me, so I will be making hummus and pita to take to dinner with friends, and Jon and Calvin will enjoy hummus and gardenburgers (from our freezer, for shame!) at home.

Saturday - We will be eating out with friends tonight after my friend, Julie, and I run in a 5K benefit beer run (meaning that we benefit from getting free beer at the finish line).

Sunday - Fathers' Day!  Jon has requested brats on the grill, and we'll see what the other dads want.  We may be hosting a party with burgers and brats, so that will mean homemade buns, plus some other yummy homemade treats, like hummus, dipping bread, salsa (we can get the ingredients at our Farmer's Market on Saturday morning).

Grocery list - This week's list includes feta, tomatoes, olive oil mayonaise, tahini, and OJ.  Also, cheese and sausages are on sale at Meijer, so I will be stocking up on some of those.  I still need to check the sale papers for other stores, as we need to replenish our stock of chicken as well, and I need to go to Arbor Farms to get more organic flour (whole wheat and white) as well as a few other grains to have on hand.

Happy week!