Tag Archives: meal planning

Dinner Menu for the week of February 2nd

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Well hello February.  I guess this means I should finally take my wreath off the front door.  Oy!

Despite having not posted  a menu last week, we have been eating.  Many meals were from the freezer, but nonetheless, they were tasty.

Over the last couple weeks, the scallop quinoa salad was my favorite.  SO easy, and light.

scallops

Second favorite we actually made last night.  On a whim, I bought some grass fed steak at whole foods because it was on sale.  We lightly seasoned it, and used a cast iron grill pan on the stove.  Roasted some red potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, sage and rosemary, and steamed some baby broccoli.  SO flippin good.

steakandpotatoes

 

Here is what is on the menu for this week:

Sunday: I plan to give this pulled pork recipe a go.  Will make corn tortillas.  Yumm-o!

Monday:  Left over pulled pork on a whole wheat bun for Dave.  I have a dinner commitment this eve.

Tuesday:  Tossing in a brinner meal mid-week and planning omelettes.  We can add bacon, avocado and tomato.  Even the boys gobble these up!

Wednesday: Enchilada soup from the freezer.

Thursday:  Chopped Salad with quinoa, sweet potatoes and apples

Friday:  Using the grass fed beef from our CSA delivery this week to make Meatballs alla Parmigiana with whole wheat spaghetti

Saturday:  Pizza night!!!  We use this crust.

Eat well this week!

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Dinner Menu for the week of January 19th

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Dave reminded me on Friday that we do not have to work on Monday due to the holiday.  I nearly cried.  I limped into the weekend.

My favorite meal of the week was the broccoli cheddar soup.  It was so easy, and came out really great.  Even the boys loved it!

I spent most of today doing prep for the freezer.  I shredded some blocks of cheese from costco, and made another batch of applesauce in the crock pot.

apples cheese

I plan to do some freezer stocking tomorrow, and also prep the veggies for our morning juice for the week.  Yay for productive days off!

Here is what is on the docket for the coming week:

Sunday:  Broccoli cheddar soup from last week out of the freezer

Monday:  Whole chicken in the crock pot with parmesan zucchini and wild rice

Tuesday:  Chicken and Broccoli pockets (using left over chicken from Monday)

Wednesday: Super easy bean, cheese and avocado roll ups.  Using these beans from the freezer.

Thursday: Quinoa Stuffed red peppers

Friday:  Sauteed scallops with quinoa and orange and avocado salsa  (I am a huge fan of making a large batch of something, and then making two meals.  Hence the second night of quinoa.  I use the amazing stock from our whole chicken carcass to make quinoa and wild rice.  The flavor is ridiculous.)

Saturday:  Roasted asparagus with a runny egg and bacon.  Inspired by this recipe.  We LOVE this meal.

Hope everyone has a very enjoyable week.

Dinner Menu for the week of January 12th

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What a week!  The first week of the month is usually FULL for me.  I have a few meetings that consistently meet in the first week, so it always takes planning, and grace from Dave.  I was out of the house 4 of the 7 nights.  Yikes!  The evenings this week should slow down considerably.

Oh…having the Chargers AND the Forty Niners in the playoffs for the last two weeks has done slight damage to our obedience to 100% real food.  There may or may not have been a snack or 7 that are not technically “allowed” in the rules.  We will imagine this did not occur, and there will be grace all around.  kthnxbye

Last week’s menu had some real winners.  My favorite item was the crab cakes.  They were a bit of a labor of love, but so so worth the effort.  I used a large biscuit cutter to shape them, and used bread crumbs in place of panko.  They turned out really delish, but next time I make them, I will have to do something about the breading.  It was a little crumbly.

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My second favorite was the beef pot roast.  I ordered a grass-fed beef roast from my local CSA.  Honestly, grass-fed beef has such a different flavor.  The only change I made was to add potatoes to the crock pot for the last hour.  Pretty yum!

Here is what is on the docket for this week:

Sunday:  Left over pot roast from Friday.

Monday: Seared Scallop salad

Tuesday: Cilantro chicken and wild rice (using avocado oil instead of veg)

Wednesday: Broccoli cheddar soup

Thursday: A slightly modified version of this spicy peanut chicken salad.  I plan to use whole wheat noodles and less kick.

Friday:  Veggie tacos inspired by this recipe.  I will make home made corn tortillas.  Yay!

Saturday:  Filled pancakes with strawberries and blackberries.  Will used the rest of the cream from the soup to make a bit of honey whip cream.

It is a goal of mine to slowly reduce our wheat consumption this year.  Looking at this menu makes me think that it will be quite a struggle.  Oy!  Baby steps though.

Enjoy your food adventures this week!  🙂

Dinner Menu for the week of January 5th

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It is 2014.  This is my year.  Pretty sure I say that every year, but I do have big plans.  Personally, spiritually, and also in business.  Looking forward to getting my plans down on paper/blog and then mapping out activities to reach my goals.

Last week, I was so eagerly anticipating the crab cakes, but they had to be moved to this week due to some scheduling issues that prevented me from having time to shell the crab.  Tomorrow…

My favorites from the week were the pot pie and the meatballs.  These are both go-to meals, and each time I make them, I remember why they continue to land on my menus.  I had a slight issue with the pot pie this time around because I let the pie crust get too warm before rolling it onto the top. Here are pictures of the yummy filling, and the top-crust FAIL.

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Another fail this week was that I did not get to make stock out of my chicken carcass.  I stripped the whole chicken that I cooked in the crock pot for the pot pie, and left everything in the pot to make overnight stock.  Forgot to turn the darn thing on when i went to bed!  It crushed me to have to toss it into the compost in the morning.

This week, we plan to cook up this yumminess:

Sunday:  Take two on crab cakes.  Also planning on cooking a LARGE pot of Chili for the freezer.  I modify this chili recipe quite a bit.  I leave out the sugar, bacon bits, hotsauce, corn chips and beef boulion.  I use one whole beer.  Honestly, this turns out AMAZING.

Monday:  Chili cooked on Sunday.

Tuesday: Chicken cobb salad with egg, avocado, bacon and cheese.  (Can you say chicken stock redemption this week?!?)

Wednesday:  Chipotle Chicken potato skins.  (Sweet potatoes for me and boys, and russet for Dave)

Thursday: Grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato bisque

Friday: Beef pot roast

Saturday:  Spinach, cheese and bacon omelettes

Have I mentioned that I am excited about 2014?!?!

Happy and healthy eating this week friends!

Dinner Menu for the week of December 29th

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Hoping that everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  For some this is a tough time of year though, so for those of you that struggle during Christmas, I hope you were able to find pockets of peace and joy.

We celebrated with my side of the family.  Lots of love and lots of cousins.  It was loud, and fun, and the food was amazing.  On Christmas eve, my mom made her yummy crab salad, and I attempted desert.  Pinterest kind of hosed me this year because I found a super cute idea for individual pumpkin pies.  I am led to believe that I can make anything that I find on Pinterest, but most of the posts sit on a throne of lies.

It took FOREVER to put together the crusts, and the filling did not set before the crust burned.  Do not get me started on the fact that I did not realize until JUST now, that I was supposed to use a mini-muffin tin.  I.cannot.even….

Here are the links to the sites I used for the crust inspiration, and for the filling.

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2014 is just a few days away.  YAY!  I love new beginnings.  A beginning is an opportunity to do better.  It is refreshing.

Starting on Jan 2nd, we are doing another “10 days of real food” pledge.  Dave says he needs the 1st to enjoy a celebratory sweet (or five) on new years day.  Hence starting on the 2nd.  WAY too much sugar over the last few weeks, and I am feeling really yucky.  Brain fog, cranky, not sleeping well, and really insecure.  I will have to do some reflection to get to the bottom of that last one.

Anyone feeling like joining us on this 10 day journey?  We are better together you know!

Here is what we have planned for dinner this week:

Sunday:  It is crab season, so I am giving these crab cakes a go.  It could be a culinary disaster, or the best thing I have ever eaten.  I will photo document.  (Planning to use whole wheat bread crumbs in place of panko.)

Monday:  Potato and bacon hash with a slightly runny egg.

Tuesday: Left over chili from last week out of the freezer

Wednesday: Happy New Year!!!  Dave’s request is Chicken pot pie.  Most of the time, I modify this recipe and make my own crust, but I have some left over pie crusts from my pumpkin pie attempt that I plan to use.

Thursday:  Whole wheat spaghetti with parmigiana meatballs.  I use a marinara from Trader Joe’s that does not have any sugar or processed oils.  Yay!  Tip…freeze the remainder of your sauce of choice in ice cube trays for quick sauce options for the littles.  Mine love “dippers”.

Friday: Spinach mango salad with Prawns

Saturday:  Pizza night!  Making this crust, and will add cheese, mushrooms and tomatoes.

Consider joining us in January for our 10 day pledge.  It will change your palate for the better!  I promise you will thank me later.

Wishing you all health and happiness in 2014!

Dinner Menu for the week of December 22nd

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Last week’s menu did not contain any new recipes, so no need to do a re-cap.  Tried and true staples are necessary during this season’s craziness.

Here is what we have planned for Christmas week.

Sunday: Seared Scallops and Lemon Orzo

Monday:  Enchilada soup from the freezer

Tuesday:  We are heading to my parent’s house for Christmas eve dinner.  My Mom is making crab salad.  Yum!

Wednesday:  My sister Chantelle will be cooking dinner, and I will be bringing two sides.  Bacon Glazed Carrots (using Maple Syrup instead of brown sugar) and Broccoli with Garlic Butter (using slivered almonds, and maple syrup in place of the brown sugar).  I will also be giving this YUMMY Apple-Cranberry crisp a go.

Thursday: White Bean Chicken Chili

Friday: Left over chili

Saturday: Pumpkin Spice Waffles.  (My recipe escapes me currently, but I will be sure to update the link when it is located.)

This week I also plan to make Peanut Butter Cup granola and also stock the freezer with pre-made smoothie bags full of frozen fruit and greens.

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas.

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Dinner Menu for the week of December 15th

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It has been almost a month since I last posted a menu.

Here is what I have learned over the last month.  Time is in short supply during this “season”.  Cookies are hard to avoid.  Brain-fog returns IN FORCE when I eat more than my share of the aforementioned cookies.  Lastly, we eat lots of granola with yogurt and/or Amy’s burritos for dinner when this mama does not meal plan.

One fall/winter highlight that I want to share is making applesauce with my sweet boy.  He really enjoys peeling the apples, and then also really enjoys eating the resulting sauce.  We have made several batches in the last few weeks.  I am pretty sure I have mentioned this before, but please get yourself an apple peeler if you do not already have one.  Super cheap, and one of the very best gadgets I have in my kitchen.  Here is my tiny using the fun tool…

applepeeler

Back to the discipline of a meal plan.

Sunday:  Garlic and lemon baked salmon with roasted potatoes and green beans inspired by this recipe

Monday:  Left overs from Sunday.  (I have an evening commitment, so Dave will be rocking the left overs solo.)

Tuesday:  Shrimp tostadas inspired by this recipe

Wednesday:  Dinner with Dave’s family to celebrate Christmas a bit early.

Thursday:   Using my VERY favorite chicken to make Chicken and broccoli pockets  I will be using this recipe for the crust instead of pastry crust.

Friday:  Chicken and pesto sandwiches.  We will use whole wheat rolls, and use the toaster oven to get them all melty.

Saturday:  Using up the last of the chicken to make this yummy chicken veggie soup.

During this week, I am hopeful that I can find some time to rest, and prepare for the festivities.  It always seems so rushed, so I will have to work hard to carve out the rest I crave.  Until next week…

Dinner Menu for the week of November 17th

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Last week’s recap.

We are STILL eating chili from earlier in the week.  We made a huge batch, so it fed us for several lunches, and also stocked the freezer.

The honey mustard chicken was amazing!  I doubled the recipe and brought it to a mama that welcomed a new tiny at the end of October.  She sent me an email raving about it, so it will be a keeper.

The pulled pork tacos turned into roasted pork tenderloin with blueberry sauce.  I did not have any limes, and I needed to improvise. It was really tasty, and the kids gobbled it up.

Tonight for desert I pulled together a yummy cobbler with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and apple.  I squeezed a meyer lemon over the top of the fruit with a little zest, then drizzled honey on the top.  I used this recipe for the crumble, using 2tbs honey mixed with whole plain yogurt instead of cane sugar.  Yummo!

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Here is what is in the plan for this week:

Sunday:  Grilled scallop and avocado salad

Monday: Brinner…  Avocado, Bacon and egg wrap

Tuesday:  Whole chicken in the crock pot and bacon glazed carrots

Wednesday:  Chicken tostadas using the left over chicken

Thursday:  Cobb salad with egg, avocado, cheese, cucumbers and shredded carrots

Friday:  Parmigiana Meatballs with steamed broccoli

Saturday: Minestrone soup in the crock pot

Eat well friends!

Dinner Menu for the week of November 10th

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Getting back on the menu horse.  Last week was full of defiance, and sorrow, and other things that have nothing to do with menu planning.  It all just resulted in me having very limited energy to meal plan.  Can anyone guess what happens when I do not meal plan?  Suffice it to say…nothing good.

Since I did not update you last week, I thought I would sneak in this gem. On Halloween, I brought some real food snacks for Trevor’s Halloween party.  It clearly was a HIT with the pinterest stalkers, because there was another mom that brought the same thing!  Ha!  (Stems are kiwi, and the ghost eyes are cocao nibs)

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Another win during my week of defiance was these ever so delicious and simple pumpkin granola bars.    PS, who says you can only make pumpkin things in the fall?!?!   These pumpkin swirl bars are in my very near future!

pumpkin

Here is what we have on the menu for this week:

Sunday: Turkey chili in the crock pot

Monday: Left over chili

Tuesday:  Honey mustard chicken with  cheesy broccoli orzo

Wednesday:  Sauteed scallops and quinoa with orange/avocado salsa 

Thursday:  Bacon, avocado and tomato omelet

Friday:  Pulled pork tacos. (Home made tortillas!)  Should have more than enough to freeze for leftovers!

Saturday:  Left over tacos

Hope everyone has a great week!

Dinner Menu for the week of October 27th

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I am running on fumes.  Dave was out of town for most of the week.  My housekeeper came on Wednesday, and my house was a shit-show by Friday morning.  I stand in AWE of single parents.  You just plain rule.

Pity party is over, so moving on to the re-cap.

The soup rocked my world, and is now occupying much of the deep freezer space.

I forgot to go to the store/was too embarrassed to go in public unshowered, and in the same clothes from the day prior/could not bear to muscle two toddlers into the car, so I did not get to eat my yummy salmon on Tuesday.  Pretty sure I ate the remainder of the kids meal for my dinner.  Since I cannot recall what it was, it was clearly amazing.

By Wednesday, I had a bit of a second wind, and I made the kids chicken tenders for dinner.  They were SO awesome!  Really cool because they can be frozen and then just re-heated when needed.  I see this getting added to my next cookapalooza weekend.

I know that I keep telling you about this chicken in the crock pot, so I will not go on and on and on about its deliciousness. Moved it to tonight because the bird was not quite defrosted.  I decided to roast some veggies (sweet potatoes, carrots, and zucchini) to go with the chicken, and found a recipe that suggested tossing the veggies in some bacon grease prior to roasting.  I thought….well, I DO happen to have some saved bacon grease.  I mean, why am I saving it, if I was not planning to use it to cook something.  It was the most humongous hit ever.  Between the chicken and the veggies, I have never seen the boys eat so much.  (Lets hope full bellies means sleeping past 6 am!)

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Here is what we are planning to make this week:

Sunday: Tomato basil chicken stew using the left over crock pot chicken

Monday: Left over soup

Tuesday:  Ready to harvest more peppers from the garden!  Making southwestern stuffed peppers.

Wednesday:  Dave’s birthday, so we are going out to dinner!

Thursday: Chicken and avocado salad

Friday:  Pizza night!

Saturday: Sausage, egg, and biscuit casserole.  Adapted from this recipe, but plan to make my own biscuit dough.

This week I am also going to stock up on some muffins for the freezer.  We go through them SO fast.  I am planning to make cinnamony apple pie muffins, whole wheat carrot applesauce muffins and another round of pumpkin muffins.

Hope everyone has a safe and FUN Halloween!