Menu planning March 2-8

• Sunday
  Roast turkey breast
  Mashed potatoes and gravy
  Green beans
  Oatmeal cookies
• Monday
  Stir fried beef and veggies
  Brown rice
• Tuesday
  Turkey, pineapple salad
  Peas
• Wednesday
  Broiled fish
  Carrots
  Broccoli
• Thursday
  Turkey vegetable soup
  French bread
• Friday
  Reuben sandwiches
• Saturday
  Pizza

Turkey pineapple salad: Mix turkey chunks, chopped celery, chopped pecans, chopped green olives, pineapple chunks. Mix mayo or plain yogurt with a pinch of curry powder, salt and pepper and mix with salad. To serve: place lettuce leaf or two on each plate. Top with salad. Top each salad with a pineapple slice.

Garden dreams

As we get near the end of winter, this is a great time to plan your garden. Garden catalogs arrive daily and have lots of inspiration. When I was about 5, my pre-school class planted a garden, including spinach. We cared for it, harvested it, cooked it and ate it. Amazingly, I loved it. Only my dad and I ate it at home, but from then on, I was a fan. Dad and I started having a garden every year when I was about 9. We always planted radishes, which were fun to grow, but I never cared for them or turnips or beets. However, I did learn to love all types of summer squash.

Because of this love of gardening, I love the garden catalogs. I vary the annual vegetables each year, but also grow: asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, currants, raspberries, grapes, apples, peaches, cherries, plums, and herbs in my yard. I have harvested the asparagus, strawberries, currants, raspberries, apples, peaches and herbs, while the other fruit has yet to yield anything other than beauty. We had a bumper crop of chard and squash last summer. My husband has decided he doesn't care for chard, so I probably won't plant that again, but I'm dreaming of what will go in come May.

If you start seeds now, you will have tomato plants, eggplant, peppers, etc for transplanting to the garden at the right time in the snowbelt regions of the US. I've done that some years, and it is very fun to do with your kids.

Don't make everything utilitarian. We need flowers too as food for the soul. I grow old fashioned rugosa roses, as they make nice rose hips for tea and the flowers are edible and taste nice. I also grow carnations and lilacs as I love the flowers. Hyacinths have the most amazing fragrance, and I try to buy some in bloom each year. I then plant them and they return again and again.

What are your garden dreams?

Menu Planning February 10-16

• Sunday
  Spaghetti
  Garlic bread
  Green salad
  Apple crisp
• Monday
  Stir fried veggies and chicken
  Brown minute rice
• Tuesday
  Leftover spaghetti
  Caesar salad
• Wednesday
  Chicken stew
  Multi-grain rolls
• Thursday
  Zucchini and tomato frittata (or omelet)
  Sourdough toast
• Friday
  Leftover chicken stew
• Saturday
  Cream of tomato soup
  Grilled shrimp with spinach salad
  

Early February Activity

This is a great time to make some valentines. Remember how fun it was when you were young to make special valentines for your family or friends? It still is. If you have kids, plan to spend an evening with scissors, paper, glue, stickers, crayons and make some special valentines for some of the special people in your life.

Even if you don't make your own, Valentines Day is a nice time to remember those who are special in your life. I send cards to my family members to remind them how important they are. The younger members especially enjoy getting cards. I send them through regular mail, not email, so they have something to open. They get very excited about receiving mail.

It is also fun to decorate for Valentines Day. We have our red and white table cloth in the dining area. I also usually put a few other decorations around to remind us of love in all its forms. It is also nice to focus on something besides all the snow we've been getting this winter! I'm getting ready to go shovel again.

Menu Planning February 3-9

• Sunday
  Boneless pork chops baked in creamed corn
  Spinach
  Apple blueberry crisp
• Monday
  Stir fried vegetables and pork
• Tuesday
  Split pea soup
  Whole grain rolls
• Wednesday
  Broiled fish fillets
  Broccoli
• Thursday
  Left-over split pea soup and rolls
• Friday
  Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Avocado sandwiches
  Tomato soup
• Saturday
  Cream of mushroom soup
  Corned beef on rye sandwiches