October Menus

sun
Balsamic-marinated tomato salad with basil
Flat bread pizzas with turkey pepperoni, green peppers & black olives

mon
Eggplant Parmesan
Tomato Meat Sauce

tues
Organic tortilla chips & salsa
Taco Salad with ground turkey, cheddar, cilantro

wed
Sesame Chicken Wings
Brown Rice
Sauteed Bok Choy

thurs
Lemon-herb Salmon
Baked Maple Acorn Squash


fri - Happy Halloween!
Green salad with green apples, pecans & goat cheese
Pumpkin Penne Pasta
Chicken sausage

sat
Luscious Leftovers

This week's fall menus include some of the new harvest vegetables from our local farmer's market, including eggplant, pomegranates, fuyu persimmons and a fat butternut squash I found. I love the color of fall vegetables and fruits mixed with the rich food aromas produced by braised lamb and curry dishes.

sun
Chicken & Corn Chowder
Honey Corn Bread Muffins
Green Salad

mon
Maple-Pecan Halibut
Mushroom Risotto
Green salad with fresh wax beans & cherry tomatoes

tues
Pomegranate-Spiced Lamb
Israeli Couscous
Butternut Squash

wed
Baby greens salad with fuyu persimmons & goat cheese
White Bean and Chicken Chili
Crusty Whole Wheat Bread

thurs
Eggplant Curry with Cilantro Yogurt
Basmati Rice
Multigrain Naan

fri
Lombardi's Italian restaurant
in Paso Robles
on the road to the Central Coast

sat
Brad's Seafood restaurant
Pismo Beach


One of my fave parts of fall are all the comfort foods like soups, chilis and baked entrees. This week we're bringing out a french fave - chicken cordon bleu, and an Italian standby - stuffed manicotti. Add Asian pears or apples to your salads or desserts now that they are appearing at the farmer's markets. Savor those crisp fall flavors!

sun
Chicken Sausage Jambalaya
Brown Rice

mon
Baby greens salad with Walnuts, Asian pears & Goat Cheese
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Sweet potato spoon bread

tues
Salad with Cherry tomatoes, black olives & parmesan cheese
Spinach-stuffed manicotti
Whole wheat Italian bread

wed
(Small Group)
Honey-Apple-Date Galette

thurs
Wheat Berry Salad
Vegetarian pizza with Zucchini, Red & Yellow Peppers, Feta

fri
Pecan-crusted Chicken Dinner Salad
Maple Roasted Acorn Squash
Sliced Fruit

sat
Luscious Leftovers

We're on the border of late summer sun and cooler fall temperatures. We still see an abundance of fresh produce at our farmer's market - plenty of plums, pluots, tomatoes, etc. - but some new "fall finds" are appearing as well like bok choy, apples and persimmons. This week our family has several outings where food is prepared for us. That means making smart choices. It's all about moderation when you're eating on the road. And the real dilemma...how to eat healthy and still have fun at the Fresno Fair...we'll skip the deep-fried twinkies.


sun
(Ocktoberfest Picnic)
Tri-tip
Pilaf
Salad
Bread

mon
Chicken Fajitas on Whole Wheat Tortillas
Organic tortilla chips with Salsa
Rice & Beans

tues
Caesar salad
Gnocchi with Tomato Meat Sauce
Crusty whole wheat bread

wed
Green Salad with Cherry tomatoes & cucumbers
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Sweet potato spoon bread

thurs
Lemon-Herb Tilapia
Sauteed summer squash
Risotto

fri
(Big Fresno Fair)
Gyros
Chicken Kebob
Cinnamon Roll

sat
(Cooking Club: Whole grains & Beans Bonanza)
Sundried tomato & white bean crostini
Wheat berry salad
Crispy white beans with Spinach
Crockpot tri-tip
Dairyless Chocolate Mouse
Dorina's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies