Another month, another menu, this one is peppered with summer celebrations. June is birthday month in our household, with 3 out of 4 “Jones” kids ringing in a new year. Only 2 live close by so special dinners and desserts are planned, showcasing their favorites.
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Our younger son turns 25, we make kind-of a big deal because, “QUARTER OF A CENTRUY”!! Silver and quarters and “25” are intertwined into the celebration as we will bake a round cake sprinkled in silver, sitting on a silver round platter and topped with silver candles. $25 in quarters will be unwrapped and my older daughter is planning to drape the house in silver décor and balloons. We each also got him $25 gift certificates to his favorite hobby store along with some fun and more personal gifts. (When my older daughter turned 25, we did 25 cupcakes decorated in silver!!) Do you do anything quirky or fun for certain family birthdays?
Also topping our menu adventures this month are Father’s Day, the 1st Day of Summer, and a perspective visit from our youngest and her family (for which we will certainly be cooking out!). Once upon a time, we used to make a special 1st Day of Summer slushy, a bit too sugary for all us grown-ups now! However, I do highly recommend it if you have kids or grandkids around, a link to this fun beverage and a glimpse into a weekly June menu from 9 years ago can be found here.
I’m also happy to report an extra special celebration meal: hubby secured a new job, he starts next week! I plan to cook one of his favorites; cubed steak 😊 While pay is not expected until July, though, I’m still able to manage by offsetting with other more cost-effective meals. Planning low-budget wonders during the week allows for hosting company, buying once-in-a-while better cuts of meat, AND some fun variety. So, when hubby wants to try “burnt ends” on our smoker for Father’s Day, I start watching for some good meat cuts to go on sale at our local grocery store and then making good use of leftovers while also alternating during the week with something like hot dogs with pork-n-beans, bone-in chicken quarters/legs, and even some cuts of pork (all of which are super cheap meat options right now) so we still get protein without all the expense. Mixing into or pairing with other veggies, rice, noodles, or salad is a great way to stretch a meal as well. Even bread on the side or shredded meat/ground beef sandwiches can make something as little as 1lb of meat feed a crew… with leftovers!
Budget conscious or not, summer is great for hot dogs, burgers, kabobs, and meat-stretching salads (to replace cooler weather casseroles). AND, for healthy hot-weather desserts, try homemade popsicles using fruit juices! I had the good-old-fashioned Tupperware popsicle molds from the 80s, found at a garage sale! However, small bathroom Dixie Cups or empty yogurt containers with popsicle sticks (check the Dollar Tree or craft aisle at local store) or plastic spoons set inside will suffice. I always wanted the low-stain option and made (still make) my own lemonade popsicles with 1c. lemon juice + 1 c. sugar in 2qt. pitcher with water. Lemon juice is super inexpensive when purchased at Sam’s Club or Costco AND you know you and your kids are getting a good dose of Vitamin C without all the additives. I use organic sugar in mine and often under-measure it slightly to lessen the sugar load.
Speaking of healthy beverages-turned-desserts, try adding frozen fruit to your lemonade. Raspberries are my fave, others work well too. They keep your drink cold, add extra flavor, AND, by the time you are done sipping, your fruit is ready to eat! You can add them in per-cup or let them rest in-container with your juice, they will keep for a few days in the fridge. Additionally, yogurt + milk (I use almond milk) + frozen fruit in a blender make great smoothies. Try variations of amounts to get the desired consistency from sipping through a straw to scooping with a spoon like soft-serve frozen yogurt. Add a scoop of protein powder for a mid-day boost.
I need those mid-day healthy boosts! Not only will I be restarting weekly chemo this month, but looking at the above attached old blog post and how we cleaned up a particularly over-run area of our yard at the time, it is hard to believe how much MORE over-run and neglected it is now! We were MIA last year on yard work because of a summer full of surgery and healing. Now, with my limitations and hubby’s heart health keeping him from his usual projects, getting anything cleaned out and in order is slow-going. It doesn’t help that we are still also cleaning up after having 4 trees taken down in April! Grateful to have my oldest daughter assisting me during the week, and our younger son is keeping up the lawn for us, they are such a blessing to have close. Still, all at snail’s speed. Most importantly, however, is that we are moving forward. Food is fuel, it is also healing, and we remain hopeful in it all.
What are you cooking this month?
Blessings,
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