This was some Italian Ice we enjoyed a couple weeks back when friends were visiting. It was such a great little treat for a summer evening. . .a hot summer evening. All that being said, the big mistake I made last week was not focusing on summer-associated recipes for our dinners. This week will be different thanks to great deals at the grocery store and the realization that our summer is almost over. Let's all take advantage as long as it lasts!

I made Sunday productive by making a collection of PB&Js to freeze for lunches. When I had finished the blueberry, I started on the cloudberry jelly. It was a great way to use up a bit of something in the fridge, plus, I made about 8 sandwiches, which should last us a couple weeks. Meanwhile, my spinach au gratin potatoes or Spinach Potato Bake spent an hour in the oven. We ate some for Sunday lunch and have two servings leftover for lunches later in the week. Oh, and I almost forgot. My morning in the kitchen started by boiling eggs for egg salad sandwiches--very summer-ish.

Lunch Ideas

• Potato Spinach Bake Leftovers x2
• Mediterranean veggie Pizza Leftovers
• Peanut butter and Cloudberry or Blueberry Jelly and/or any egg salad leftovers
• I got free lunch at the office today!

Dinner Ideas

• Egg Salad Pita sandwiches with tomato and spinach
• Grilled Mediterranean vegetable pizza
• Marinated Mediterranean vegetable pitas
• Dinner out with folks (Monday) to celebrate their anniversary. Sit with Grandmother (Tuesday) so folks can go out for their anniversary alone.
• Broccoli and Quinoa

As time has passed, I have learned that I do not do well looking ahead all the way to the weekend for planning my weekly menus. Instead my menus come to mind for Saturday and Sunday on about Thursday, my traditional grocery shopping day. I've decided to start planning my meals on Thursday or Friday, but won't post them until Monday along with the rest of the blogosphere. The positive side will be that hopefully we'll have pictures and stories to match the menu ideas earlier in the week.

Looking back, we had spinach pesto pasta and roasted vegetables at my parents' for Sabbath afternoon lunch. Saturday night, we just ate a sweet potato muffin as a snack. Sunday, we had the potatoes and spinach as mentioned above. Then, my parents came to swim with Nora, but we had a thunderstorm instead. So, we tried out the veggie pitas. They were quite enjoyable, and I will be happy to eat the remaining veggies in similar sandwiches later on in the week.

What about you? What are you eating this week? And what day do you like to plan your weekly menu?