CSA and Dinner Menu

I made it through week one of my new grocery routine!  And to top it all off, I only needed to purchase $20 worth of groceries on top of my CSA box.  I definitely feel encouraged to keep going.  Let’s look at this week’s bounty.

Apologies for the sloppy pile, my son and I were both starving when I brought these home.  In fact, I think leftovers were in the microwave as I frantically snapped a shot and stored these away.

Anyway, this week we have red leaf lettuce, red beets, cauliflower, carrots, parsley, summer squash, padron peppers, tomatoes and strawberries.  I was relieved to read that padron peppers are actually sweet, not spicy.  It seems rather convenient to have these small, seedless sweet peppers.

I have a couple of challenges this week.  Not only to use up all my veggies, but to start plowing through my freezer too.  My deep freeze is mostly empty in anticipation of the split quarter of beef I will soon be receiving.  The refrigerator freezer is another story.  It’s the kind of full where if you open it, things fall out.  Not good.

I’m hoping to use up some bread, fish, chicken and tomato puree from the freezer this week.

Thursday: Beans with Pesto Bulgur.  Side of roasted beet slices in mustard cream sauce.

Saturday: Pork and Veggie BBQ Skewers. Uses padron peppers & summer squash (plus store-bought onions, mushrooms and pineapple).

Sunday: Marinated Swordfish.  Side of steamed cauliflower and quinoa.

Monday: French Bread Pizza.  Side of buttered beet greens

Tue & Wed: Spicy Chicken Rice Bake.  Makes great leftovers because the rice & veggies taste better the second day.

Hopefully I can work some baking into the week as well.  I’m purchasing some buttermilk just so I have to motivation to use it up.  Maybe I’ll finally get to make that spicy corn bread that I was supposed to bake last week.  My red peppers are begging to be used.