Meal Plan Monday - 2/23 thru 3/2

Our meal planning is a constant work in progress!  I love eating a variety of things and trying new recipes.  But for ease of planning, I have instituted a loose structure to our meal planning....

• Meals that take a long time to prepare or are very hands-on are limited to weekends
• Monday is "sandwich" night, something super easy to prepare to start our cooking week off on the right foot.  "Sandwich" can be anything from grilled cheese, to hamburgers, to quesadillas; virtually anything that meets the premade bread/carb base with meat/veggie filler/toppings.
• Tuesday OR Wednesday is pasta night.  The other is whatever strikes my fancy.
• Thursday night is leftover night; I try to get as much out of the fridge as I can before the weekend (and grocery shopping).
•  Friday night is pizza night.  NerdDad suggested that we start this tradition.  And I love it for so many reasons.

 I will share more of my meal planning strategies next week.  But for starters, anything that doesn't get made gets pushed to the next week... see BBQ Chicken Tortilla Pizzas and Cajun-spiced Tilapia below...

DINNERS

Saturday - Ordering Pizza at Grandma's house with out-of-town visitors

Sunday - Cajun-spiced Tilapia, Jambalya Rice, Zucchini

Monday - BBQ Chicken Tortilla Pizzas

Tuesday - Hard-shell Beef Tacos and Black Beans, with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese {taco seasoning recipe}*

Wednesday -BLT Pasta {Recipe #18 here}{new}

Thursday -Leftovers

Friday - Pepperoni and Green Pepper Personal Pizzas

Saturday - Pigs-in-a-Blanket **

LUNCH
Leftovers (still a bunch from last week)

BREAKFAST

Carrot and Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal (leftovers from last week)

SWEET

Cupcakes ***

* In an effort to eat slightly less meat, I've convinced my family to mix a can of black beans with our taco meat.  Kat loves it; she's a bean fanatic.  NerdDad has grown to appreciate it.

** NerdDad will be out, so it'll just be me and Kat for dinner.  And Kat is an expert at making Pigs-in-a-Blanket!

*** From a box, because I'm willing to make a few compromises to save some time.

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This post is linked at OrgJunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday.

Meal Plan Monday - 2/16 thru 2/23

 

In January, I discovered the yumminess that is Baked Oatmeal.  It's like a healthy dessert for breakfast.  It satisfies my desire for something warm as well as my perpetual craving for cereal with milk.  And the recipe is easily adaptable to stave off boredom.  I've made several versions already: Zucchini Bread, Gingerbread, Blueberries and Cream, Carrot Cake.  I couldn't find a good Carrot Cake version that included everything that I wanted, so I made on up;  I hope to post the recipe soon.

Here's what else we'll be eating this week...

DINNERS

Saturday -Valentine's Date Night In from Columbus Fish Market, Chef Boyardee for Kat *

Sunday - Mustardy Pork with Apples and Onions from Dinner a Love Story {new}

Monday - Chicken Enchiladas {new} and Salad **

Tuesday - Spaghetti and Salad

Wednesday - Orange Chicken, Rice and Asian Veggies

Thursday - Pigs-in-a-Blanket ***

Friday - BBQ Chicken Tortilla Pizzas

Saturday - Cajun-spiced Tilapia, Jambalya Rice, Zucchini

LUNCH
??? - Buffalo Chicken from the deli for NerdDad, Leftovers for me

BREAKFAST

Carrot and Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal

SWEET

??? - Whoopie Pies from Food Network {new}

* NerdDad and I decided to do a Date Night In for Valentine's Day, since finding a sitter we trust with our kids is a bit challenging right now.  Kat had canned pasta (while I try to avoid these, I figure a splurge every now and then is fine).  And we all shared some corn chips and guacamole (from Trader Joe's - best guac!), as sort of an appetizer since Date Night didn't start until after bedtime.

** This made the last menu, but we were busy and it got put off until this week.

*** Mom has to work late, so this is an easy dinner for NerdDad and Kat. 

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This post is linked at OrgJunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday.

Meal Plan Monday - 1/26 thru 2/1

I have been meal planning in one form or another for quite a few years.  I’ve learned that when I don’t plan, I aimlessly wander the grocery store deciding what to buy, and we order-in or pick-up a lot more food because “We don’t have anything for dinner”.   But I already feel like I don’t have enough time, and I don’t want to waste time I don’t have at the grocery store!  And most of time, I prefer to my spend money on things other than mediocre restaurant carry-out. 

Basically, meal planning saves time and money!  What more could you ask for?

I hope to go further into how I do meal planning in future posts, but for now, I’ll just share what we’ll be eating this week.

DINNERS

Saturday - Celebrating NerdDad’s promotion with a carry-out steak dinner**

Sunday - Chicken Curry {adapted for crock-pot} and Rice

Monday - {Frozen} Fish sandwiches, Fries, and Veggie

Tuesday - Spaghetti and Salad

Wednesday - Chicken Enchiladas {new} and Salad

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Pizza Sandwiches

Saturday - Fancy work party, just simple dinner for Kat & Grandma

LUNCH

Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup {new}

BREAKFAST

Spinach & Bacon Egg Burritos

SWEET

Oatmeal M&M Cookies {new}

 ** Despite my above-mentioned opinion on carry-out, steak house carry-out is an exception and is awesome!  1. We didn’t have to spend a meal keeping our two munchkins under control at a white-tablecloth restaurant.  And 2. We didn’t have to pay exorbitant amounts of money for a babysitter!  Instead we got to relax in our own living room, eat delicious steak (I still haven't mastered steak), and celebrate!

What are you eating this week?
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The post is linked at OrgJunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday.