Week's Menu Plan & Sirloin Kabobs

Life seems to be back to normal - back to my menu plan and my farmers market shopping tomorrow. I did, however, go to a farmers market today to visit with a good friend. As a bonus, I got broccoli for the chicken chow mein and my friend gave me some blackberries as a (delicious) gift which I will promptly turn into blackberry crumb bars.

Week's Menu Plan

Friday: chicken chow mein with blackberry crumb bars for dessert

Saturday: spanakopita with Greek salad

Sunday: burgers (with roasted cauliflower and red bell peppers)

Monday: Italian wedding soup

Tuesday: eggplant curry with rice

Wednesday: balsamic chicken with mozzarella & basil

Thursday: ahi tuna bowl over rice

Also, the sirloin kabobs we had last night were delicious. They were so tender and moist, even though I forgot to use the extra marinade to baste the sirloin while grilling. Also, next time I'll toss the vegetables in olive oil, oregano and salt and pepper before grilling but they still turned out well.

We've been buying grass-fed beef (higher in omega-3s, lower in saturated fat) which is definitely better for you but more expensive. Since we keep a stricter budget, we buy a smaller amount and make it count when we do have it. Kabobs are a great way to stretch a budget. We got 4 meals out of 3/4 of a pound of beef (which means a lot for us!).

Sirloin Kabobs
Taken from: AllRecipes

• 1/8 cup (equivalent to 2 Tb.) soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage (I used carbonated water with flavoring)
  
• 1 pound beef sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• skewers (if you have wooden skewers, soak them in water for 10-20 minutes and they won't burn on the grill)
  
• 1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, stems removed
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup pineapple cubes (fresh or from a can)
  

-In a medium bowl, mix soy sauce, light brown sugar, distilled white vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage. Reserve about 1/2 cup of this marinade for basting. Place steak in a large resealable plastic bag. Cover with the remaining marinade, and seal. Refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.

-Toss vegetables with olive oil, dried oregano, salt and pepper.

-Preheat grill for high heat. Thread steak, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and pineapple onto skewers in an alternating fashion. Discard marinade and the bag.

-Lightly oil the grill grate. Cook kabobs on the prepared grill for 5-10 minutes (on a George Foreman grill, it was more like 3-5 minutes), depending on your desired doneness. Baste frequently with reserved marinade during cooking.