Meal Planning : Oct 22, 2012

OK, so I am still trying to get my act together here - I have found that if I don't make a meal plan, Doug and I eat popcorn for dinner after the kids go to bed.  So now you know.

Here is the plan for this week - in no particular order:

• Refried pintos (from crockpot) w/ Chorizo and Avocado with corn tortillas
• Tortellini w/ pesto from the last basil in the garden
• Seasoned pintos (made in Crock pot Sunday night), collards, and cornbread
• Chicken saltimbocca with sage from the garden
• Homemade pizza with what ever is hanging around in the fridge 
• Potato, kale, and smoked sausage soup

Inspired by OrgJunkie to get my act together!

Meal Planning Monday - Back on the Wagon

I have totally fallen off the meal planning wagon, and it shows in the quality of our meals these days.  Our life is so freaking chaotic and crazy with all the things three little boys entail - I figured I have to get back to this or will simply not survive!  (OK, the boys will, we feed them - but Doug and I are another story.)

I will link up the recipes as soon as I get a chance.  

So this week I am planning on making the following meals:

• Big Taco Salad
• Chicken Saltimbocca
• Sauteed Kielbasa with root veggies
• Something with Tofu - just not sure what
• Homemade  Pizza Night
• Frittata with Veggies (anything left over or in need of being used up at the end of the week), Salad, and Rolls

This past weekend I made some snacks in advance for the week, two loaves of bead, canned about 40 pound of tomatoes, and made a protein side dish to take in packed lunches:

• Whole wheat bread
• Rolled cinnamon and raisin breakfast bread
• Blueberry oatmeal bars (for the kiddos)
• Honey Lentils (packed lunch protein)

Linking to OrgJunkie, where MPM lives.

Meal Planning - Reinvented (August 1- 14ish)

So I kind of fell off the Meal Planning Wagon over the summer.  Life just got in the way.  I still made rough plans based on what was coming out of the garden and what we had and what was on sale - but I never sat down at put it in the blog.

But with school starting shortly and my new 90 day Beach Body Challenge, I have to start planning again like I mean it.  What I decided to do was make a master list of meals I could make on any given day - and decide which to make during the day, based on how hungry I am and how much protein I have already eaten during the day.  (Protein is always hard for me to get enough of - 'slab 'o meat' is just not appealing.  I'd much rather have a huge mess of veggies or pasta.)

So here is my menu/recipe list for the first 14 days of my 90 day challenge.

Breakfasts:
eggs, whole grain cereal, cottage cheese, fresh fruit, pumpkin seeds

Lunch:
left overs (if available), tomato sandwiches, other random healthy things

Snacks:
Fresh veggies, hummus, almonds, Shakeology

And Dinners - I've noted where they come from (MW is Moosewood, MWLF = Moosewood Lowfat).  I took the easy way out and linked to other people's posting of these recipes if they were true to the book.) I will get the rest of the basic nutritional info up soon.

Black Bean Soup (MW@home p. 23) 204 cal., 10.8 g protein 4.1 g fat per 8 oz
Corn and Squash Soup (Cooking Light, 2011)
Cold Tomato Soup (MW@home, p.26) 71 cal., 1.9 g protein, 2.8 g fat per 8 oz
Curried Chickpeas and Tofu (MW@home, p. 169) 253 cal., 11.7 g protein, 10.5 g fat per 8 oz
Broiled Eggplant w/ Lentil Salad (MW@home, p. 131)
Avocado and Corn Salad (MW@home, p.119) 317 cal., 5 g protein, 23.5 g fat per 8 oz
Pasta Fresca (MW@home, p.184)  273 cal., 11.7 g protein, 9.2 g fat per 8 oz
Pasta Tutto Giardino (MW@home p.186) 208 cal., 6.3 g protein, 5.4 g fat per 8 oz
Caribbean Fish in packet (MW@home, p. 245) 212 cal., 22.4 g protein, 10.5 g fat per 6 oz
         with mashed sweet potatoes
Braised Fish with artichokes, red peppers and onions (MW@home p. 248) 165 cal., 18 g protein, 6.1 g fat per 6 oz  over steamed rice w/ roasted beets
Tuscan White Beans and Sage (MWLF, p.168)
Curried Cabbage and Potato Roll Ups (MWLF, p.251)

Meal Planning Monday

Meal Planning Monday: June 11

The crud has invaded our house again.  This time it seems to only be me - and my yearly mysterious frog voice.  Laryngitis strikes again.  Usually it sounds worse than it feels after the first 48 hours, so I am going to meal plan for the week with the hope I actually feel like eating.  Plus, I went grocery shopping this weekend before I started to feel crappy - so the fridge is full of food!

Monday:  Grilled Chicken w/tampenade sandwiches and sweet potato fries
Tuesday:  Grilled Steak, corn on the cob
Wednesday: Graduation - probably have to grab something ahead of time
Thursday: Home made Pizza (Prosciutto-Mozza)
Friday: Baked Mac and Cheese with Brocc oli

It looks like I'll be making bread again sometime mid-week.

Thanks to OrgJunkie.com for inspiring me to plan out my meals!

Meal Planning Monday : May 28

With the school year wrapping up and lots of last minute things to take care of, I think we are going to use a lot of 'old favorites' that don't require a lot of planning or effort.  I hate that there is nothing all that "new" on the list, but it what it is this week.

Monday: Doug's make dinner tonight - so who knows what we'll end up with!
Tuesday: left over ribs from Sunday
Wednesday: Taco Salad
Thursday: Quiche
Friday: Tuna Noodle Casserole
Saturday: Caramelized Tofu with Noodles (new)

Linking to OrgJunkie.com, where MPM lives

Meal Planning Monday: May 21

Another crazy week on tap at our house.  It always seems this time of year quickly turns into a whirlwind of activity and despite our best efforts to keep it calm and sane, it always happens.  We are trying to keep it simply this week with a lot of easy prep/stand by kind of meals so they can be done without a lot of effort and by whomever has a few minutes in the kitchen to spare!  It is one of those times that I am glad I found Meal Planning Monday over on OrgJunkie.com - a few minutes making a plan helps keep us sane all week!

Monday:  Korean Lettuce Bundles
Tuesday: Frozen Lasagna from Costco (hey, it's easy and makes left overs for lunch - don't judge)
Wednesday:  (new for us) Tofu Stir Fry (recipe coming)
Thursday: Grilled Chicken, sugar snap peas, and roasted baby potatoes
Friday: not sure - I am hoping we can maybe get a babysitter and eat out :)

Meal Planning Monday : May 7

Another crazy week on tap at the Bowen house.  It seems like every week gets just a little more jam packed - just when you think 'surely this is as crazy as it can get,' it goes up a notch!  This week is going to be a lot of quick and easy standby meals.  I have to make sub plans for Wednesday, a meeting after work on Tuesday until 7 - and Grayson has ST after school, then Wednesday I will be running around taking Reece to his 18month well baby appointment followed by Grayson's IEP meeting, then more ST for Grayson on Friday - and I have an assignment due that I haven't finished.  Throw in Amanda being induced on Wednesday, a chance to work on my Scrapbook on F or Sat, AND the Mother's Day plant sale over the weekend and it is one INSANE week!

Monday: Grilled chicken w/ mango peach salsa, grilled zucchini, and Acini de Pepe side dish
      ALSO -- make bread!  Whole wheat sandwich bread + cinnamon raisin bread

Tuesday:  Kalua Pork in corn tortillas

Wednesday: Beef and Gorgonzola Gnocchi with salad

Thursday: Tofu with Peanut Noodles

Friday: Grilled bread with goat cheese and other yummy toppings

Linking to OrgJunkie, where MPM lives

Meal Planning Monday : April 30

We seem to be moving at break neck speed these days.  I just have realized I've really slacked off on taking pictures and that means I'm missing some cool things the kids are doing.  I am going to really try and get my act together and get back in the swing of things!

Despite the mayhem this past weekend, I did manage to sit down and meal plan for the week.  It isn't a fancy menu, but it is a plan - and that is what we are aiming for these days.

Monday:  Black Bean Soup (Moosewood) and Cornbread
Tuesday: Pimento Cheese Burgers (yum!!)
Wednesday: Roasted Carrot and Potatoes with Chicken (or turkey if it gets defrosted!)
Thursday: Ordering Pizza - a rare treat!
Friday:  Big Salad with grilled tuna and other yummy stuff

Meal Planning Monday : April 23

Another crazy week - and I had let the meal planning slip, so I am trying to get back into the swing of things.  Nothing fancy going on this week, just trying to make use of what we have and eat at least semi-healthy.

Monday: Soft Tacos and make 2 loaves of bread for the week and some Preschool Crack (ok, Bunny Bait) for the kids to take for snack week at school

Tuesday: Pasta w/ sauteed sugar snaps, red peppers, walnuts and lemon ricotta cheese
Wednesday: BBQ Ribs in the Slow Cooker, fried okra, and corn
Thursday: Loaded Baked Potatoes
Friday: Left overs or homemade pizza

This weekend I'm hoping to get a turkey breast thawed and cooked so we can munch on that for a few days early in the week.

Meal Planning Monday - a day late! April 10

We have really fallen off the meal planning wagon the last few weeks.  I have resolved to get my act together and do a better job.  I hated that each day we had no plan - which meant Doug and I ended up eating crap a lot. 

So - with that said, this week we are having:

Monday: Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Tuesday: Ham (left over from Sunday) and Cheese Frittata w/ salad
Wednesday: Pasta with sauteed Broccoli Rabe
Thursday: Navy Bean Soup (made in crock pot overnight with ham bone from Tuesday)
Friday: Homemade pizza with prosciutto, ricotta, and asparagus

Linking to OrgJunkie where MPM lives

On a much happier note, I have continued to purge from our overcrowded/outdated closet.  I am happy to report that I have gotten rid of three large totes of clothes - about half were mine and half were things Reece has outgrown.  It feels great!  I have been trying to get Doug to do the same, but he is just not as willing.  He has managed to get rid of all of 3 articles of clothing.  That's it - even though there are things on his side of the closet he has not worn in over 5+ years.  He just won't part with them.  I fear it is his pack-rat gene kicking in.  I'm not sure what to do about it - but I am going to keep at it.  I am finding the process really liberating and I feel great getting rid of things I have been packing up/pulling out and not wearing for several seasons now.  I figure once I see what I have that I am actually wearing I will be ready to look at getting some new clothes - which is exciting, as I have been pregnant twice in the last 3.5 years - so my clothing options have been pretty limited!

Meal Planning Monday: March 12

I think we have finally returned to the land of the healthy in our house.  Woo Hoo!  After a bit of a disaster of a week last week where we went without a plan, which meant I shopped without a plan, which means I spent a ridiculous amount of money ($120!) on random food and we still had crappy meals - I hope we are back on track.  I made a plan and a list and made it out of the store for under $55.  Shocking the difference!

Here is our plan for the week:

Monday: Mac and Cheese w/ grilled chicken
Tuesday: Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Wednesday: Big Salad with lots of yummy stuff
Thursday: Loaded Baked Potatoes
Friday: Fritatta with salad

And on a random food related note... the boys helped make pancakes this morning.

Linking to OrgJunkie, where MPM lives.

Meal Planning Monday : Feb. 27, 2012

We are finally all starting to feel human again at our house so I feel a little more motivated to plan some real food.  Only Reece is still feeling yucky - complicated by teething, so he doesn't care what we have!  I made bread again on Sunday - kept one loaf plain and made another cinnamon raisin for breakfast toast.  I think we are slowly getting back on track!

Monday: Grilled Chicken
Tuesday: Taco Salad
Wednesday: Homemade Pizza - woo hoo!
Thursday: Frittata w/ veggies, salad, hot rolls
Friday: Pasta w/ freezer sauce (will depend on what mood I'm in)

Linking to Org Junkie where MPM lives

Meal Planning Monday : Feb 20

This is the first week since I started meal planning that I just don't feel like doing it.  I know a lot of it has to do with being sick and the fact we are all worn out and exhausted - but I also know that is even more reason that I SHOULD be planning.  Ugh.

The one exciting (?) thing is that yesterday I made my weekly batch of bread and decided to make one of the loaves cinnamon raisin.  I wasn't sure how much I should use, and now that I have sliced it I realize I could have used A LOT more, but it still smells heavenly in the toaster.  It even kind of looks like the fancy $4.00 a loaf bread in the store.  After almost sending Gabe to the hospital last week because I used a different brand of Nutella and didn't read the label (may contain traces of other tree nuts) I have decide the more control I have over our food the better.

So my half hearted attempt of meal planning for the week looks like this:

Monday: chicken / pasta something...
Tuesday:  Homemade Pizza that didn't happen last week
Wednesday: Beef and Barley Veggie soup with biscuits
Thursday:  Soft Tacos
Friday:  Crock Pot day - taking Grayson to Baltimore

Linking to Org Junkie, where MPM lives

Meal Planning Monday : Feb 13, 2012

I have noticed that simply planning the week out on 'paper' and shopping mindfully is really helping with the grocery bill.  We still have odds and ends that end up in the cart on occasion, but what I do buy tends to end up in a meal more often than not and the amount of stuff wasted has gone done a lot.  We are also not buying nearly as much junk as before. Things like chips and crackers that are tempting when you have no real plan feel wasteful when shopping with a purpose.  Who knew?  We have also not bought bread in a whole month!  That is 5-6 loaves a $3.00 a loaf.  I've found a recipe I like and we are making it at home.  No moldy bread, no mystery ingredients.  It's a win-win!

I'll add links to the recipes shortly.

So this week is looking like:

Monday: Gnocchi with blue cheese and walnuts  (not safe for Gabe, so this is grown ups only - it is one of our 'go to' dishes.  We don't have arugula right now, so I am using broccoli)
Tuesday:  Curried coconut soup with chicken (new recipe for the week)
Wednesday: Black bean burritos with homemade cooked salsa  (we have made this so many times we don't use a recipe anymore!)
Thursday: Artichoke ravioli (Costco) with side salad and garlic bread
Friday: Homemade Pizza (prosciutto and goat cheese)

Linking to OrgJunkie, where MPM lives.

Meal Planning Monday : Feb 6, 2012

This week "should" be a little less hectic than last, though I am feeling what seems to be a nasty cold coming on :(  We are finally done with the 'big stuff' in the apartment and are going to take a little breathing room before starting anything else.  Well, that is not exactly true, I am thinking of taking the 28 day challenge and getting my dining room/play room under control.  The mess is driving me crazy.  But at least the renovation push can take a breather.

I'm trying to keep the menu easy this week since I know I am feeling less than up to par. I am still making our bread, I am finding the "everyday" bread to be a big hit and it is saving us about $6 a week on buying store bread - and it is tastier and has no mystery ingredients!  (That's $24 a month - almost $300 a year!)

Monday: Polenta with mushrooms and steamed brussel sprouts
       * today I also made two loaves of 'everyday bread'
Tuesday: Pasta with Grilled Tuna
Wednesday: Chili - not sure if it will be traditional or 5-way yet. 
Thursday: ??
Friday: Grilled Steak and Potatoes (if the weather cooperates)

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives

Meal Planning a Day Late : Jan 31, 2012

What a nightmare of a weekend!  We just spent the entire weekend painting and cleaning like mad people to get our rental ready -- all this on the same weekend that I am "supposed" to be getting ready for the new semester.  The one where I am teaching a class I have never taught before - yeah, that semester.  Ugh.  So now it is Tuesday afternoon and I am just now even starting to think about cooking.  We got pizza Sunday night after a marathon day of painting, we didn't even bother to eat dinner last night (Mon.), as we were both just too tired!  How lame are we??  So with what is left of the week we are going to try:

Tuesday: Beef and Blue Cheese Gnocchi
Wednesday: Honey Sesame Chicken in the Crock Pot [our new recipe this week]
Thursday: Fish Tacos that never happened last week
Friday: Lemon Chicken Pasta

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives

Meal Planning Monday: Jan 23

We are continuing our quest to 'use what we have' and keep the grocery budget under control.  Last week we actually did not go shopping - well, almost, we did have to buy 3 gallons of milk ans some fresh fruit for the kids - so $17.  Everything else we had on hand.

This week we did go shopping ($42) and will have to do a mid week milk and banana run - but other than that, we might be able to make it on what we have on hand.  Right now we are keeping the kids food really bland because the youngest has been fighting a nasty stomach bug for going on 4 days now.  There has been a lot of rice consumed in our house in the past 72 hours!

Saturday we made bread for the week using An Oregon Cottage Blog recipe.  It came out really great and we are looking forward to making our bread from now on!

The plan for the week is looking like this:

Monday: Grits, Spinach, and Black Eyed Peas
Tuesday: Tuna Noodle Casserole
Wednesday: Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Sweet Potato Oven Fries
Thursday: Gnocchi w/ greens and white beans
Friday: Grilled Tuna Steaks to make fish tacos

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives

Meal Planning Monday (well, almost) : Jan 17, 2012

Yeah for long holiday weekends!  Of course, this meant that I did not get around to meal planning because I had an extra day.  Somehow more time often translates into less accomplished! Well, maybe not less - but different.  I did get a nice trip to Costco accomplished, as well as some serious deep cleaning to the upstairs wood floors, so maybe it all balances out :)

We are continuing our "use what you have" project.  We spent right at $50 last week.  I haven't done a regular shopping trip yet this week.  I did grab 6# of ground beef ($18), ravioli ($9 for a big bag), and a 3 pack of pizza ($11) and a gallon of milk ($4) at Costco.  So those $42 dollars will make at least 10 meals - just not all this week.


Plan for the remainder of the week:

Tuesday:  Soft Tacos / Taco Salad Choice
Wednesday: Asparagus Ravioli and Grilled Chicken
Thursday: Crock Pot BBQ Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes, and veggies
Friday: TBD...

Saturday: Polynesian Flank Steak w/rice and stir fry veggies and grilled pineapple  (never got made last week)

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives.

Meal Planning 1/2/2012

My first meal planning of 2012 - wow!  This week I decided to steal an idea I saw on someone's blog a few months ago and try to make a real effort to use what is in my house and keep purchasing to a minimum.  I know I'll have to buy about 4 gallons of milk and 2 loaves of bread along with bananas or other fruit - but I poked around in my cabinets for things I already had - things I bought for meals that never got made, etc. and made my menu from that.  On Sunday I spent $31 for bread, milk, hot dogs, bananas, and some produce.  We'll see how it goes!

Sunday:  Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Monday: Chicken w/ sausage dressing and asparagus
Tuesday: Bean Burritos w/ homemade tomato salsa
Wednesday: Stir Fry w/ Tofu and veggies
Thursday: Left Over Night (or omelets if there are no leftovers)
Friday: Pizza Night
Saturday: Baked ham, mac and cheese, and  veggies

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives.

UPDATE: We did pretty well this week.  I did have to take a Thursday milk and bananas run - so that was $10.  I also grabbed two big trays of chicken breasts to freeze since it was on sale for under $2 pound.  I spent  a total of $27 more, for a total of$58 for the week - and I have 6 bags of chicken in the freezer now. 

Meal Planning Monday: Dec 19, 2011

This week is going to be crazy, I can already tell.  The boys are out on Christmas break, but I still have school through Wednesday - and the nanny needs Tuesday off.  Yikes.  So we are expecting a bit of craziness and are mostly hoping just to make it to Friday in one piece.

We have decided to try something new this year, as we are working on creating our own family traditions now that we have kids.  We are going to go with making Christmas Eve dinner Lasagna.  The plan is that we will make it and then have left overs for Christmas evening, when we are all worn out from having done Santa in the morning, lunch with family friends, and arriving home worn out and in need of something warm and not in the cookie family.

So in progress we have:

Monday: Korean Lettuce Bundles (we never managed to have last week)
Tuesday: Eat out - all the kids will be together :)
Wednesday: Stir Fry - chicken w/ black bean sauce and broccoli
Thursday: Cheddar Grits with Black Eyed Peas and Spinach
Friday: Pizza night.  Homemade, of course!

Christmas Eve: Lasagna w/ a green veggie (asparagus, I think), salad and homemade bread
Christmas Day: Lunch with friends, left overs from last night

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives.

We recently purchased our first ever bread machine, so if any of you have advice or recipes for a bread machine - please, leave a message!