Feb 10-17

Thursday-Oscar Meyer Angus dogs, to be exact. Chips and fruit.
Friday-Chicken tacos/fajitas with avocado
Saturday-Fettucine alfredo with asparagus
Sunday-Mediterranean chicken skewers with zucchini and saffron rice. For the chicken I'll just marinate it in lemon juice, olive oil and mediterranean spices. Then skewer them with sliced zucchini and broil.
Monday-out? I shouldn't have to cook on Valentine's Day, right? :0)
Tuesday-Homemade mac and cheese, broccoli and smoothies
Wednesday-Chow mein

Feb 1-6

Monday-chicken alfredo with cheesy garlic biscuits
Tuesday-meatloaf, mashed potatoes and salad
Wednesday-stir fry and rice
Thursday-sandwiches and smoothies
Friday-chicken fajitas. I recently discovered Gourmet Garden herbs and I love them. They make cooking so much easier.
Saturday-pizza or something out
Sunday-crockpot chili and cornbread

Back to It

Now that the holidays are officially over it's time to get back to meal planning. Yay. No better time to start than the middle of the week, right?

Wednesday: Sesame noodles with chicken and broccoli
Thursday: Raviolis and salad
Friday: Chop chop chow mein. This recipe has become a favorite.
Saturday: Pasta primavera and garlic bread
Sunday: Chicken tacos

Meals, Schmeals...

I'm so not into making a meal plan lately. I'm tired and there's just too much going on in life to care about cooking anymore. With picky eaters and a husband who rarely eats dinner at home, how could you blame me?

So here is my really lame and really late meal plan for the next few days. Thank goodness Thanksgiving is coming up. It means I don't have to worry about a meal plan for awhile!

Friday: Von's $5 meal- garlic herb shrimp with rice
Saturday: tortilla soup/chili with cornbread
Sunday: salmon cakes and rice pilaf
Monday: spaghetti and garlic bread
Tuesday: omelettes
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday:Thanksgiving fun!

Menu plan: Thurs-wed

I'm going to try to do my menus Thursday to Wednesday because new ads come out Wednesday and that way I can make the most of supermarket savings and freshness.

Thursday: Mongolian BBQ (treated the missionaries to dinner)

Friday: My awesome Lamb, Yam, Yummy salad trifecta

Saturday: It is wet and cold, so I'm stewing up some super duper easy Mexican tortilla soup (recipe to follow)

Sunday: Grilled Halibut fillets with this warm Brussels Sprout salad and rice

Monday: Hmmm, it's FHE, so something good. How about a family favorite? Brinner. And, to make it even more favored, we'll make that Eggs Benedict, thanks. I think I'll make mine with bacon and fresh tomato and avocado, but do the traditional for Jacob if he wants it. Served with Asparagus, of course.

I'm not entirely sure what I want to do yet for the remaining two days. Probably something with beef or pork, and maybe something Asian. Stay tuned.

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Next Week's Meal Plan

I've been a total slacker with the meal planning the past few weeks. Of course everyone being sick didn't help. So here is my attempt at a plan for next week.

My goal this week is to eat more veggies. And to get Nathan and Christopher to at least try some!

Monday: Sandwiches. Tuna or veggie.
Tuesday: Homemade mac and cheese and broccoli
Wednesday: Chicken. Probably asian sesame with rice and veggies
Thursday: Brinner. Maybe I'll try the best waffles ever recipe!
Friday: $5 Vons meal
Saturday: Salmon burgers. Made from canned salmon, egg, minced onion and bread crumbs. It's pretty yummy and the kids will actually eat it.

The Week's Meals, Reluctantly

Am I alone in sometimes longing for the pre-marriage and childless days of yore, being able to get away with cereal and ice cream for dinner nearly every night just because I could and it was easy?

Jacob still will go through phases where that's all he feels like eating--and I can't blame the man. After working with food all day, I'm not sure I could stomach (literally) the smell of another item by the time I got home. It does put a hamper on my meal planning, though. It is NO FUN to go through all the pain of meal preparation, cooking, and clean up just to be the only one to really eat it. Yasmeen always eats what I have, but considering that her stomach is the size of her fist, and some days she is far more ornery about what she'll put in her mouth than others, she doesn't really quite count.

And, yet, she does...because if she didn't need to eat that nutritious fist size of food I would be joining Jacob in the cereal glutton.

We've been eating out ALL summer-and we live in a small little town with very few food options, so it's not like we've even been enthusiastically eating out. We've just been far too lazy. But, it is really eating a hole in our pockets, doing absolutely nothing whatsoever that is kind to my waistline, cementing some pretty awful eating habits in the little one, and we've been subjected to some pretty questionable quality control, if you know what I mean....sooooooo, the binge is over. And I'm back at this. Ugh.

It's difficult to think of easy meals that aren't terribly time consuming or expensive and are kid AND hubby friendly.

Monday: Slowcooker pulled pork with Kaiser buns and KFC coleslaw and fruit or veggie side

Tuesday: Fish tacos (thank you Jenny)

Wednesday:These Waffles of Insane Greatness (found at Annie's Eats). I have everything on hand except for the cornstarch, which I really should have in my cupboard anyway. I'll serve with fruit (likely strawberries and blackberries) and maybe Jacob will grace us with his perfect scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and a side of grits. Yumm.

Thursday: This Greek Panzanella salad with a cut of beef, probably tri tip or filet mignon

Friday: Maybe shrimp ceviche, but if I'm feeling too lazy I'm not above a run to Costco for $1.50 pizza and frozen yogurt. Just sayin'....

Saturday/Sunday: I dislike planning for weekends as we often are out and about or at the in-laws. So we'll eat what and where the wind takes us.

The Goal: Spend $10 or Less

In an attempt to save as much money on meals as possible this coming week, I've made my shopping list and menu plan early. Weekly ads come out on Wednesdays, which makes it easy to get things done on the weekend. This week my goal is to spend <$10 to complete weeknight dinners and <$5 to complete lunches. (Lunch is only eaten by Alex, Nathan and myself since Josh and Chris eat at school.)

Here we go:

Monday
Lunch: Chicken quesadillas. Chicken is $6/bag (about 24 pieces per bag and I'll probably use about 5 for this meal) and I already have diced fire-roasted chiles, cheese and tortillas. This meal is <$5.
Dinner: Spaghetti, salad and french bread. I already have spaghetti noodles, salad is about $2 (bagged) and I have a coupon for free french bread. This meal is <$5

Tuesday:
Lunch: Tuna sandwiches. I'll have to buy some tuna, which is on sale for $1/can this week and we'll probably use at least 3 cans. Also celery ($1) and mayonnaise ($3). This meal is about $7.
Dinner: Fish tacos. Tilapia is on sale ($4/lb), salsa ($1), avocado (2/$1), coleslaw (bagged, $2). This meal will be about $10.

Wednesday:
Lunch: Roast beef sandwiches. Roast beef from Trader Joe's is $5/package for about 10 slices. This meal is <$5.
Dinner: Chicken tenders and twice baked potatoes. potatoes are $.88/5 lb bag this week and green onions $1. This meal is <$10.

Thursday:
Lunch: Roast beef or pb&j sandwiches.
Dinner: Chili and cornbread. I already have all the ingredients for this meal in the pantry.

Friday:
Lunch: Leftover chili and cornbread.
Dinner: My day off! $5 Friday at Von's. I might buy a second meal to use for Saturday.

Saturday:
Lunch: The extra $5 meal I got from Von's. Josh has a soccer game that morning.
Dinner: I'll let Alex decide!

Sunday:
Lunch: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, some kind of veggie. Ground beef is about $3/lb. The veggie won't cost more than $2. This meal will be about $5.
Dinner: Leftovers/fend for yourselves.

Other foods:
strawberries ($3)
bananas ($3)
bottled water ($3)

Another Week You Gotta Eat

I am so tired of planning and making dinner now that school and soccer have started. I'm also bored with the regular meals we've been having. I wish I could just order out every single day.

So I'm making a dinner plan because I should and not because I'm excited about it:

Monday: Omelettes. The boys have decided that cheese omelettes are delicious and they must eat them as often as possible. Luckily they are super easy to make.
Tuesday: Some kind of soup. Chicken tortilla, broccoli cheddar or something else.
Wednesday: Some kind of salad. Taco, maybe?
Thursday: Barbecue chicken. Oven baked.
Friday: I'm taking the day off and it's $5 Friday's from Von's. Roasted chicken, salad and rolls.

Though dinner might be boring, I'm excited to try this delicious and easy recipe for mini cheesecakes from Bakerella. There's actually a lot of things I'd like to try on this website. But only the really easy stuff.

Back At It? I think...

So it is very definitely the middle of the week-and I very definitely have not cooked one meal yet. But no time like the present to start, right?

My motto for the time being is keep it simple sister! So tonight, we will have sloppy joes and a salad, mainly because they are easy, cheap, good, and the little one likes them so she'll actually eat some red meat. Tomorrow, we will do taco salads.

Friday we are in the city with Gramme, so we'll probably do clam chowder. Saturday will probably be family date night out and Sunday we'll likely go to the in-laws.

Lunch and Dinner Menu Plan

Dinner for this week comes with help from the Everyday Food website.

Monday: Chicken pot pie
Tuesday: Tortilla soup
Wednesday: Shepherd's pie
Thursday: Veggie chili and corn bread
Friday: Sesame noodles


Also, I am now in charge of making Alex's lunch every day (otherwise he spends an arm and a leg at school), so here is his lunch menu:

Monday: Tuna sandwich
Tuesday: Left over pot pie
Wednesday: roast beef sandwich
Thursday: Left over shepherd's pie
Friday: Left over chili

Back to School Meals

Okay, so school starts again this week, which means I'll have more time to plan meals but less time to cook them. So I'm coming back full force this week. Hopefully.

Dinner menu (in no particular order):

Open-faced tuna melts and blt sandwiches. On some good crusty, toasted bread.

Steak and eggs w/grits. We bought a value pack of steak and it's waiting in our freezer. I'll scramble the eggs for the kids, but Alex and I like our eggs sunny side up on top of the meat. With swizzle sauce, of course.

Skewered orange-glazed chicken and rice. I found a recipe that used orange marmalade so I'm going to give it a try. I'll skewer some chicken tenders and baste them with the marmalade under the broiler. It only takes a few minutes to cook. Fast and easy.

Bean and cheese burrito. But I have to get it as close to Taco Bell as I can, otherwise Christopher won't eat it.

This week I also want to:

Make my own pre-made pancake mix. I got the idea from Everyday Food. That will make breakfast quicker and easier.

Make a fondant cake. I've never really been into cake decorating, but it looks simple and fun.

Try perfecting my hummus again. It's hit or miss for me. But my whole family loves hummus, even my picky eater! So I've got to figure it out!

Small Mommy: Next Week's Dinner Menu

Okay, so here's a list of dinners for this week, in no particular order (I just know that I have the ingredients!):

chicken and white bean chili
chicken and rice soup
mac and cheese w/broccoli
spaghetti and garlic bread
loaded baked potato soup
quesadillas

sides:

cornbread
salad
smoothies
jello

desserts:

key lime pie!
snickerdoodles

Summer Cuisine, by Tall Mommy

This week was hopeless: I have been SWAMPED with church obligations and the idea of even stepping foot in the kitchen was almost too much to bear...as a result, we have (and most likely will continue to) eaten dinners out. But next week, I'm getting my mojo back :)

I'm not set on an order, but here is what I'd like to have:

Monday: My take on a Chicken fajita tex-mex salad with this salad dressing by Sunny Anderson of Food Network:
Creamy Lime Dressing:
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: blender
Blend all the ingredients except the olive oil until smooth. While machine is running, slowly drizzle in the oil until incorporated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Tuesday: Chicken Pesto Sandwich with Roma tomatoes and mozzarella

Wednesday: These fish tacos with chipotle sauce

Thursday: A bug juicy burger with fries and a summer salad of some sort

Friday: Family Date night

Saturday: Maybe shrimp ceviche (the only menu item we didn't get to last week)

Sunday: I'm thinking homemade mac and cheese with bacon served with a veggie platter with chipotle ranch dip

Week Who Knows, But Here It Goes...

It is HOT HOT HOT here! Hot weather makes me want either anything grilled or anything meat free and light. Oh, and EASY.

Monday: pizza and salad ordered out

Tuesday: maple baked beans with cheddar cheese, quattro leoni salad (this time with Granny Smith apples in it), and spinach dip (snack for the evening) with oranges and berries for dessert

Wednesday: eggplant parmesan lasagna with quattro leoni salad (yes, we have that A LOT around here, it's been a staple for us for 3 1/2 years now); grapes to snack on

Thursday: I have a meeting with a Primary leader in the middle of dinner, so something crazy fast and easy, I'm thinking Sloppy Joes or cheesy hamburger pasta (easiest thing EVER). Maybe a banana split for dessert (that counts as getting our fruit in, right??)

Friday: Oh, I'm guessing it may be an In-and-Out night :) Can't beat the price and the quick service for some pretty tasty food

Saturday: mexican caesar salad and shrimp ceviche tacos. I also may try my hand at some home made shaved ice with pureed fruit as the "syrup"...we'll see how (un)motivated I get as the day goes on!

Sunday: July 4th! Family BBQ at the in-laws....yummmm

Week #17 Small Mommy's Meal Plan

Summers are very meager times for us and I feel like it's kind of ridiculous to even plan a menu anymore. But here is what I've got on hand this week.

Chicken: Tenders, barbecued (on the Foreman grill), stir fry

Ground beef: Tacos, nachos

Sides: Pasta (lots of pasta!!!)-spaghetti, garlic/butter, Rice (pilaf, white, fried), Potatoes-fried, mashed, herbed, scalloped

Canned veggies or frozen-brussel sprouts, okra, corn, green beans

Cheese and eggs-Quesadillas, sandwiches, omelettes

And lots of Star Wars pancakes! ;0)

Week#15 Small Mommy's Meal Plan

Wow, the days just get away from me! I figure that it's still good to post my weekly menus even if they are late, just to stay in the groove of it. So here goes.

Monday: Memorial Day-Steak, corn on the cob, macaroni salad, key lime pie

Tuesday: Chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, oranges, smores

Wednesday: Probably pizza since Josh has a school play at 6pm

Thursday: Hamburgers. Ground beef is on sale $1/lb. With chips and salsa and fruit.

Friday: That last day of school!!! Maybe we'll celebrate with some Costco food.

I'm going to have to incorporate some salad into the menu next week!

Remember me...??? Week 14: Tall Mommy's *kind of* Menu Plan

Yes, I'm back. Yes, I realize it's been *ahem* several weeks; and, yes, my goal of meal planning for my family has fallen, well, shall we say, somewhat short in recent weeks (err...months??). But, here I am. Not exactly rearing to go, but here nonetheless.

I FINALLY started receiving Cooking Light again (I re-subscribed 6 months ago! And my first issue just came! The nerve!! If it weren't a magazine I think I'd die without I'd tell them just where to shove that subscription. Hint, it would be somewhere the sun don't shine!).

Anyway, with Cooking Light came new inspiration and desire to cook.

I'm not sure the order of my menu for the week, but here is what I have planned:

Monday: tonight we had Kifta (sp??) from my mother-in-law. It is an Arabic meal that is super tasty, and pretty easy I think. It's basically just grilled small beef patties mixed with finely chopped parsley and onion. Yummy! I made a simple arugula salad and served with fresh fruit on the side.

Other nights this week: Whole wheat linguine with slightly charred heirloom cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and goat cheese; eggplant bake; cracked wheat salad with nectarines, parsley, and pistachio (here); spring risotto; arugula salad with prosciutto wrapped melon and goat cheese in a light citrus vinaigrette; fresh fruit salad.

I realize there is very little meat in this menu...and for that reason I will probably throw in a Sloppy Joe night. I also figure I will be eating many of these solo or splitting it with the baby while Jacob (my resident carnivore) makes a mad dash for the nearest Micky D's. But hey, my kitchen, my cooking, my menus, my rules, right! (right?)...

Week #14 Small Mommy's Meal Plan

And...I'm back. Last week kind of got away from me.

Monday: Fish tacos-Alex went fishing with a friend and caught a bunch of mackeral that we need to use up. Serve with shredded cabbage, lime, herdez salsa (canned, because it's the best) and spanish rice for me.

Tuesday: $5 pizzas. Josh has a dentist appointment at 4pm so no home cooking.

Wednesday: Mexican stuffed Shells-Something new to try. I've had a box of pasta shells in the pantry forever and figured I'd finally use them. I think Christopher might actually eat these. I'm going to tweak this recipe.

Thursday: Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. Christopher has a school play at 6pm, so keep it simple.

Friday: Asian Orange Chicken. With rice and stir fry veggies.

Week#12 Small Mommy's Meal Plan

Better late than never...

Monday-Raviolis (frozen) and Alex's brussel sprout recipe. Cook chopped onions in olive oil and a bit of butter. Add brussel sprouts (we use the frozen bag, defrosted) and saute until cooked through and slightly charred. Sprinkle with parmesan. Yum!

Tuesday-pot roast, cornbread and corn

Wednesday-soft tacos

Thursday-chili cheese dogs, fruit and chips

Friday-some kind of pasta, don't know what yet. Spaghetti, tuna noodle casserole, chicken spaghetti, one of these.

Other snacks-strawberries, crackers, oranges, popcorn