Progress Report

It's been almost two weeks since we began our latest weekly menu plan, and, Faithful Reader, you must be wondering how we're doing. Well, we're doing exceedingly well: if "we" equals "Susan," we're doing well at creating delicious and unusual items; and if "we" equals "the girls and I," we're doing well at grilling, eating, and enjoying said items.

Here's what we consumed last week (the meals included fruits and vegetables, too, but I can't remember what those were for every meal . . . so fill in the blanks yourself with green beans, corn, asparagus, broccoli, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, etc.):

• Mediterranean Monday: grilled pork tenderloin marinated in lemon and garlic; couscous with lemon and parsley; peas
• Take-Out Tuesday: grilled cheeseburgers (meat from Omaha Steaks) on toasted buns; baked crisscut French fries
• Watery Wednesday: grilled fresh northern pike (caught over the weekend by Susan's dad, Roger) marinated in Old Bay seasoning, canola oil, and fresh lemon juice; pasta
• Thirsty Thursday: sangria (white wine, kirschwasser, and club soda) with fresh orange, lime, and lemon juices; build-your-own taco salad
• Familiar Friday: homemade pizza
• Scandinavian Saturday: [we attended a wedding and ate at the reception, so we didn't "do" Scandinavian last week]
• Ice Cream Sunday: grilled T-bone steaks (meat from Omaha Steaks); parmesan potato packets on the grill; ice cream sampler--a scoop of each of these flavors from Schwan's: strawberry, chocolate marshmallow ripple, cookies & cream, and caramel peanut chocolate bar made with Snickers bars

Not bad, huh? Now for this week (including what's to come tomorrow and Sunday):

• Mediterranean Monday: chicken parmesan over whole-wheat pasta; homemade garlic toasts; green beans almondine; fresh cherries
• Take-Out Tuesday: baked "fried" chicken; homemade potato salad [note: this night, Susan achieved "Pretty Darned Close" in her quest to make potato salad that tastes like my mom's did, a "recipe" {Mom: "Oh, I just use a little of this, a little of that . . ."} that we consider to be the ne plus ultra of potato salads . . . and that my sister Sandy pretty much nails already]
• Watery Wednesday: grilled salmon; steamed broccoli; green grapes
• Thirsty Thursday: blended margaritas; tequila lime chicken (marinated in tequila, fresh lime juice, minced garlic, and teriyaki sauce; then grilled; then topped with Mexi-ranch dressing and shredded cheese and then broiled); homemade guacamole (Susan: "Is it too salty?"; me: "Is 'too salty' even possible?"); tortilla chips; sun-dried tomato pasta
• Familiar Friday: homemade pizza; baked cherry crisp with almond extract
• Scandinavian Saturday: [recall our liberal definition of "Scandinavian"?] grilled bratwurst; spaetzel; sauerkraut; fresh strawberries
• Ice Cream Sunday: creamy garlic baked chicken; mashed potatoes; the same ice cream sampler as last Sunday (Faithful Readers who know Zion Lutheran Church, of which I was a member while growing up, will know this creamy garlic baked chicken from the annual April fundraising dinner served by the ladies of the church--it's so delicious)

Is it a coincidence that we have been going as a family to the West River Community Center almost nightly during the same two weeks that we've been eating like this? (Can you imagine what we'd weight if we didn't?!)