My Monday Menu Plan: Lettuce

Red leaf butter lettuce

Healthy Salads

Our box from Two Small Farms is loaded with lettuce, so I think this week is going to be all about salads. Hopefully the weather will cooperate, as salads are best, IMHO, when it is too hot to cook. And, as it turns out, the folks at Tossed (those of you in New York might know this made-to-order salad spot) sent me the top 10 things to put in a salad, and the top 5 mistakes to avoid:

Top 9 Additions to a Healthy Salad

1. Spinach
2. Broccoli
3. Carrots
4. Sunflower Seeds
5. Almond
6. Grape Tomatoes
7. Shiitake Mushrooms
8. Apples
9. Strawberries

Top 5 Ways to Ruin a Healthy Salad

1. Iceberg Lettuce
2. Too Many Croutons and Bacon Bits
3. Loads of cheese
4. Fried anything
5. Overdressed (that is too much salad dressing, not the tuxedo problem)

The rest of our box, in addition to Spinach, Red Butter Lettuce, Romaine Lettuce and Arugula, contained Cilantro, Strawberries, Chantenay Carrots, Summer Squash and Oyster Mushrooms. I think I am going to have a salad bar available at most of the dinners this week with some of the items from the good list (I will prepare everything ahead of time and keep in the fridge, so we can just pull out and put on the table for everyone to make their own salad). I ended up with 3 bunches of cilantro, so I am going to make pesto and stick it in the freezer for use later this summer.

Here is my menu plan for the week of June 7:

Sunday: Lamb kebabs, orzo salad with zucchini and feta, red leaf butter lettuce salad

Monday: Arugula pesto on broiled salmon and tossed with whole wheat pasta, braised spinach, green salad bar

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Rotisserie-style Chicken in the Crockpot (new family favorite), grilled zucchini, green salad bar, bread

Thursday: Eating out to celebrate the end of school year!

Friday: TGIF and mini block party (I think I am going to make Wild Mushroom Crostini, although technically, it is supposed to be Appetizers of the 50′s, 60′s and 70′s. Maybe I can find some other way to use the mushrooms. I could also make some sort of rolls with the zucchini, since we have quite a bit of that. Other suggestions?)

What is on your menu plan this week?