Things to Eat - Summer Meal Plan (June through July)

WEEK 1

MONDAY - Chris's arroz con pollo at the beach house.

TUESDAY - Kelly's taco bar at the beach house.

WEDNESDAY - Dinner at Lalibela Ethiopian on our way home from Nags Head.

THURSDAY - TJ's chicken tenders and frozen risotto.

FRIDAY - Maggie's pasta (recipe here).

SATURDAY - Eat at the wedding I'm photographing.

SUNDAY - My mom comes to visit, so we take her to our favorite Ethiopian restaurant (Lalibela on Columbia Pike & Glebe Road) - love this place!

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WEEK 2

MONDAY - Grilled pepper and torn mozzarella panzanella (via Smitten Kitchen's blog) with smoked sausage and cherry tomatoes on the side (in case the kids didn't want the salad).

TUESDAY - Zuni chicken (via Gwyneth's It's All Easy). I love this recipe.

WEDNESDAY - Perogies and leftovers.

THURSDAY - Lasagna at Arlington's Outdoor Lab (as I chaperone a 5th grade camping trip).

FRIDAY - Italian Store subs for Wilco at Wolf Trap. The kids eat mac and cheese at home.

SATURDAY - I have a photoshoot, Dan makes pasta with italian sausage.

SUNDAY - Dan makes pork chops and potatoes.

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WEEK 3

MONDAY - Easy warm couscous salad (via Cup of Jo) and hot dogs. I loved this salad but the kids didn't agree. So it goes. I'm having a hard time seeing them on a lot of salad.

TUESDAY - Vegetarian tacos (cauliflower and corn).

WEDNESDAY - Nachos.

THURSDAY - Tabouli and chicken fingers.

FRIDAY - Dan makes fish sticks.

SATURDAY - I have a photo shoot and Dan has the "Dad Olympics", so F makes mac and cheese for the kids.

SUNDAY - Dinner in Kennett Square, PA before the Josh Ritter concert (we took the whole family for Father's Day).

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WEEK 4

MONDAY - Dan makes sausage, broccoli, and parmesan pasta. Yum!

TUESDAY - Dan grills steaks. Corn as a side.

WEDNESDAY - TJ's polenta with sides of cooked chicken sausage, marinara sauce, and parmesan cheese. And a blueberry/strawberry salad. This is one of my favorite easy meals. The kids eat the polenta different ways - F makes with sandwiches with the polenta and sausage, whereas T and P want everything on the side. It's an easy way to make everyone happy.

THURSDAY - Dinner out with friends, Dan cooks for himself and the kids.

FRIDAY - Our annual end of the school year solstice party - Dan makes a GIGANTIC pot of gumbo.

SATURDAY - Order pizza after the Nationals Game (everyone was too tired to cook).

SUNDAY - I have a photoshoot, Dan makes pasta.

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WEEK 5

MONDAY - Dinner at Great Wolf Lodge (I love a good Living Social deal).

TUESDAY - Lentil salad with tomatoes (recipe here); chicken tenders for the kids.

WEDNESDAY - I have a photoshoot; Dan and the kids go to Silver Diner, I come home and make gazpacho with goat cheese (yum!) (recipe here).

THURSDAY - Dinner with friends at Cava; Dan feeds the kids.

FRIDAY - Lalibela Ethiopian restaurant. We love this place.

SATURDAY - Overnight backpack in Shenandoah National Park. We cooked store-bought freeze-dried meals that all tasted horrible. Luckily we had snacks.

SUNDAY - Whole Foods carryout in Charlottesville, VA after we drop F off at summer camp (10 whole days!!). The dogs were in the hotel room with us so we couldn't go out to eat.
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WEEK 6

MONDAY - Dinner out at Marble & Rye after the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

TUESDAY - 4th of July BBQ battle at friends' house - Dan makes ribs.

WEDNESDAY - Dan makes pasta.

THURSDAY - Baja fish tacos (recipe here). One of our favorite staple recipes. Everyone loves it.

FRIDAY - Kids out of town - dinner with Dan at Taqueria el Poblano on Columbia Pike.

SATURDAY - Dinner at a wedding I'm photographing

SUNDAY - Date night dinner at Espita Mezcaleria.
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WEEK 7 - Kids out of town Mon- Friday

MONDAY - Fennel bean salad (via Food 52 Mighty Salads). I'm in love with this new cookbook.

TUESDAY - Pasta with sausage (use up leftovers).

WEDNESDAY - Date night dinner at Texas Jacks.

THURSDAY - Date night dinner at Mazagan with friends.

FRIDAY - Kids and Dan out of town, I make gazpacho for myself before a friend's wine night.

SATURDAY - Zuni chicken (via Gwyneth's It's All Easy) for everyone's return home. I love this recipe.

SUNDAY - Dan grills hot dogs and hamburgers.
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WEEK 8

MONDAY - Tomato, corn, and chickpea salad (via Cup of Jo) with pasta on the side. This is the perfect summer salad. PERFECT!

TUESDAY - Crockpot carnitas before the King and I.

WEDNESDAY - Leftovers.

THURSDAY - Dan makes fish for the kids (I got out to eat with a friend).

FRIDAY - Pasta with bacon and corn (via Smitten Kitchen's blog).

SATURDAY - Dinner at Silver Diner.

SUNDAY - BBQ at a friend's house.
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WEEK 9

MONDAY - Steaks with chimichuri sauce and homemade tabouli.

TUESDAY - P - "mom, we're all sort of hungry but not really hungry. So can we just make our own dinners? I really want ramen." (It's definitely summertime).

WEDNESDAY - Clean out the freezer - Trader Joe's chicken fingers and risotto.

THURSDAY - Dinner at Lalibela Ethiopian.

FRIDAY - Leave for vacation!!

Things to Read - 10 Books I Want to Read this Summer

Last year's list was a bit of a disappointment (except for Emma Cline's The Girls, which was phenomenal), but this year I'm hoping to do better. Here goes . . .



1. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness - Because I want a book that I can get lost in and this seems perfect. According to Amazon, "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness takes us on an intimate journey of many years across the Indian subcontinent—from the cramped neighborhoods of Old Delhi and the roads of the new city to the mountains and valleys of Kashmir and beyond, where war is peace and peace is war."

2. The Blazing World - Feminism and plagiarism all in one novel.

3. How Lucky You Are - So I'm super excited about this book because it sounds really good and it was written by a local. Kristyn Lewis is an Arlington mom and one of the nicest people I've met. How cool is that? Plus, it's about female friendships.

4. Lincoln in the Bardo - Truthfully, this book sounds a little too odd even for me (Lincoln in a ghost-filled purgatory), but I love George Saunders and a good friend recommended it, so I'm going to give it a try. Plus, I'm curious.

5. I Love Dick - Several of my friends raved about this TV show, but I was mixed. Yes, I love that female sexuality was the focus, but everyone was just a little too over-the-top. So now I want to read the book and compare.



6. Transit - This is part of a trilogy that began with the book Outline (which was so good!!), I can't wait to read the newest installment.

7. Rich People Problems - Every reading list needs a guilty pleasure. Here it is.

8. The Idiot - A novel about a female artist? Count me in. Plus, critics say it is funny. And I could use something funny.

9. Exit West - Hamid's novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist was one of the best books I've read in the past few years. And this is his newest book. I'm totally excited. Plus, who doesn't love a love story?

10. Borne - A post apocalyptic novel about an animal/plant/pet. Sounds interesting.

Things to Do - Project 52, Weeks 25 & 26

I'm finally catching up on this project. Yay!! These were the last two weeks of June.













WEEK 25 - The last week of school.

(1) Bicycle helmets and popsicles on the front lawn.
(2) P finds the last week of school exhausting.
(3) Last day of school.
(4) Our 4th annual last day of school/solstice block party.
(5) My last week with this awesome kid before she goes to kindergarten next year.
(6) F's promotion ceremony for middle school.
(7) The nature center (it was was "mixed up" clothes day at school).
(8) Hats are fun.
(9) Our last day of school/solstice block party.
(10) Fireworks to celebrate the beginning of summer.








WEEK 26 - The first week of summer vacation. Basically I worked and the kids needed to entertain themselves, hence the lack of photos (except for a weekday trip to GWL and a weekend family backpacking trip).

(1) T brought an airplane on our first family overnight backpacking trip (in Shenandoah National Park).
(2) York River State Park after a night at Great Wolf Lodge.
(3) P backpacking on the trail.
(4) The Lincoln Memorial in the evening (before a family photo shoot).
(5) Great Wolf Lodge.
(6) One more Great Wolf Lodge shot.

Things to Do - Random Links & 5 Hours 'Til Bedtime

Happy Friday!! I hope you all are having a great summer! The photo above is from our annual solstice/last day of school block party. Once water enters the picture everything became chaos.

If you have a chance, don't forget to check out this week's awesome on 5 Hours 'Til Bedtime! Have a great weekend!

RANDOM LINKS:

* 32 Hilton hotel rooms in different countries (oddly fascinating).

* Have you seen these creative architectural portraits? They're so so cool.

* This book sounds really good.

* 11 ways that I, a white man, am not privileged.

* Funny third grade reading list. Bookmarking for T.

* This look yummy.

* I really want to see this female photography exhibit in Chicago.

* Emmy snubs and surprises.

* 10 cool summer date ideas in DC.

Things to Do - Project 52, Weeks 23 & 24

Our everyday in the beginning of June . . .







WEEK 23

(1) Grandma Troutman came to visit and P couldn't stop playing Scrabble with her.
(2) Artechouse's XYZT exhibit with my mom and the kids (have you been yet? it's pretty cool).
(3) Rather than clean up the vacuum cleaner I took a photo of the cord.
(4) T on the iPad.
(5) F having a blast at Yard Park.









WEEK 24

(1) T outside on his iPad.
(2) I love when the girls both have their friends over and everyone hangs out together.
(3) Sibling bonding during a dog walk.
(4) Besties playing basketball.
(5) I can't figure out what to do with our signs from the Women's March, I don't want to throw them away so they remain in the corner of our living room.
(6) Three generations of Mathesons with T's new bow that Dan bought him as a birthday present.
(7) Sisters on a dog walk.