Marin mama’s weekly dinner menu for August 24th

Sorry I’m a bit late (oops, it’s 10:00 on Sunday evening) in my posting of the weekly menu today, but we were awakened at 3:30 in the morning by an earthquake, and needless to say we’re all a bit rattled over here. The good news is that there wasn’t any damage and we’re all ok! Whew! I definitely don’t want to experience another one of those anytime soon.

So the kids and I took a mini vacation recently to Carmel Valley to visit our girlfriend Hilary and her family. It was a wonderful mini vacation, and even though it was short, it totally re-charged my batteries. The best part was that we all got to spend some quality time together, as we all bunkered down at Hilary’s casa for 4 fun-filled days! Yep, hotel Hamilton is where we stayed, and the views and accommodations were amazing! Thanks so much for having us Hilary. By the way, I left a big tip for you in the guest room! Eli was super psyched as he got to spend 4 days with his bestie, Sawyer. These two boys have known each other since they can remember, and they are bonded like brothers.

Anyway, we ventured down the coast to Big Sur for the day and had to hit one of our favorite restaurants, Nepenthe! I’ve seriously been craving their tofu burger ever since we visited there last year, and I have to say it was totally worth the trip just to eat that burger. Here’s Eli giving me a smile right before he devoured his burger. The gentleman in the background doesn’t look to psyched to be in the photo, or maybe he just wasn’t a fan of his burger

I love this picture of the kids on the deck of the restaurant. The burgers are amazing, but the view is even better. It was a bit foggy, so I can’t really show you how majestic the views are, but trust me they’re truly breathtaking! There’s just something so spiritual and calming about Big Sur. I mean look how happy and calm the kids look!

and check out the views of the California coast we got to see along the way….

We also hit Earthbound Organic Farm for lunch one day, as I was told they had an amazing salad bar (no kale in sight, but that was ok). The salad bar may be tiny, but it’s filled with the best of the best, and the beets were amazing, so sweet and cooked to perfection. They were my favorite part of the salad, and I’m totally craving them now as I type up this post. Little Hadley is the perfect model to showcase the salad bar, don’t you think? I mean how adorable is she with that HUGE carrot in her mouth, and yep, she ate the whole thing! Go Hadley!!!

The kids all enjoyed picking fresh raspberries from the bushes. The had the traditional red raspberries which were amazing, but they also had these orange ones that tasted like mango. Super yum!

Hadley was a big fan of them, and Zoe was a big fan of feeding them to her!

The farm is just one of those places where you can pack a picnic and spend the whole day exploring the grounds, picking berries and just hanging out. I love this photo of Rafferty posing for me next to the flowers. She seriously has the best fashion style for a 7-year-old, and she’s super cute to boot!

All in all , it was a wonderful weekend, but the best part was what I found Sunday morning as we we’re leaving, five happy adorable kids playing sleepover in the trampoline. Cutest photo ever!

So let’s move onto this week’s menu, or should I say partial menu, as I’m not really going to do a lot of cooking this week.

Sunday night dinner: So I had planned on cooking up nice home cooked meal tonight, but Eli had a non-stop soccer tournament all weekend and by the time his game finished up, I was wiped and not in the mood to go home and rally up a Marin mama dinner. We then decided to hit DJ’s for some take out, and it was the perfect call. Sometimes you just have to do take out! Go DJ”s!!

Monday night dinner: Heirloom tomato soup and grilled cheese and roasted broccoli sandwiches. This is the perfect meatless Monday dinner! Grilled cheese sandwiches and soup! Yum! We love this soup and I make tons of it this time of year, as heirloom tomatoes are not in season too long, so you gotta enjoy them while you can! If you haven’t tried this soup yet, you have to. It’s totally kid and adult approved, and everyone that tries it says it tastes like there’s cream in it, but there’s no cream. It’s all vegan! Seriously, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Tuesday night dinner: I’m off duty tonight as my girlfriends are taking me out for a belated birthday dinner at Farmshop! Yippee!

Wednesday night dinner: Rosemary skillet chicken, rosemary and sea salt popovers and roasted broccoli. I’m also making up a batch of our favorite peanut butter and chocolate rice krispy bars! Yes, we’re going a bit crazy on the rosemary tonight, but we’re big fans, and I have 8 rosemary bushes in the backyard, so why not! We’re also having roasted broccoli for the second night in a row, but my kids and I are addicted, and it’s so easy to whip up, so there you have it!

Thursday night dinner: Pasta night! Spaghetti with cheesy broiled tomatoes and basil and easy garlic bread. I’m taking full advantage of heirloom season and topping our pasta with them. This pasta tastes like a pizza with the cheesy tomatoes. Totally kid approved and loved!

Friday night dinner: TGIF! It’s Marin mama’s night off! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

xoxo, Jacquelyn

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