Bringing back the meal plannin

Alright alright... time to get this little household back onto a somewhat organized weekly plan!

This last year has taught me a great deal about balance, boundaries, and priorities.  If you happen to be a bit 'type A' like myself, and you don't religiously manage these, things can really get out of whack. You can stress, worry, and hey maybe even blow an eyeball out!

Is he flipping my zen plan off?

I now have a mental checklist of 'does this fit in my priorities'        before agreeing or disagreeing to a commitment, and a no-guilt policy for saying no!  That being said - Planning my week's meals helps alleviate some of that stress and daily overhead, as well as ensures we're not all eating cereal 5 nights a week :). Disclaimer: We all know what happens when you plan, (see picture at left). 

In the name of time management, when we were driving to Hood River for our annual buy too many apples trip, I went through and picked my recipes from a Cooking Light magazine.  Old school print can be quite handy, it's literally in your hands (hah, is that a pun?), and there's a boundary to it.  I triple <3 my Pinterest, but I can sometimes glaze with all the possibilities.  This one little magazine reigns in my attention and keeps me focused.  Yay for something in print that is still useful (ouch).

Sunday Soup night is firmly planted in our routine, and this year I want to break out the old crock more, while at the same time making sure that the crockpot meal isn't a gut bomb...Is it just me, or do a lot of crockpot recipes scream heartburn/5,000 calorie fest?

Final addition is 'Make Your Own'  night (I envision a large man in a dirty white undershirt yelling this out), which seems fitting for Friday nights, when you're just about to throw in the towel and order takeout, or possibly the 4 for $5 taco special at the drive-thru (no judging!).  My kids love having 'interactive meals', so I'm going to embrace this, and try to think of some good options to make this a weekly fave.  Feel free to post your favorite 'Make Your Own' meals!

Happy Juggling -
Meg


WEEK OF MEALS:

(If you see a link, click for the recipe... if not, scroll down for mine):

• Sunday Soup Night - Smoky Bean soup with ham & bacon
• Monday - Vietnamese Bbq Pork & Noodle Salad
• Tackle the Tuesday - Crockpot - Easiest Red Beans & Rice (ok, this may cause heartburn)
• Make it over the Hump Wednesday - Root Beer Sloppy Joes
• Thursday - Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (no recipe needed!)
• Friday- Make your own... Pizza night!

 

RECIPES/NOTES:

• FOOD UPGRADE - Kale Caesar Salad - Winco has a new bagged Caesar salad option that has kale. I think it's great, my kids could not be tricked.  However, this week I'm going to get 1 bag regular, 1 bag kale Caesar.  There should be enough romaine to perhaps distract my girls from the super food that will of course turn them into geniuses.
• Pizza Night - Ask everyone what toppings they want for their own pizzas... Next, buy these great small Naan breads (found at Freddy's, Winco & Costco), get some sauce and cheese.  Prep all ingredients, and let everyone build their own pizza

PREP DAY -
(My key sanity saver and essential to our family eating on the healthier side)

• Clean & Chop weekly veggie picks - Carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, Mushrooms - Chop for snacks and the no-whining before dinner bowl, as well as any other veggies needed for the week.  (Except onions... only chop your onions before making a meal)
• Grill Chicken (Olive Oil, sea salt, bbq until lovely) - Chop after cooled - Using for dinners during the week. *Seasoning some of the chicken for the Ancho chicken tacos
• Quinoa  - Cook 2 cups of  quinoa (bulk @ Winco) in chicken or veggie broth.   - Use it in jar salads, heat up for breakfast.. .eat with salsa & fried or hardboiled egg / or chop up an avocado with fried egg & quinoa... 
• Jar Salad- Nada -  
• Other -  Apple Pumpkin Butter... It's as easy as chopping a bunch of apples and throwing them in the crockpot.

GROCERY LIST -  
Just posting my standard non-recipe grocery items... because you can copy/paste the ingredients from the recipes - yes.. and I'm not sure what you may or may not have in your pantry/fridge/freezer!

Produce -

• Bag of avocados (4 or 5)
• Bag of carrots - 2lb bag
• Bag of onions 
• Broccoli
• Grape Tomatoes
• Mixed Greens
• Spinach/Kale
• 2 limes
• 2 lemons
• Cilantro
• 2 bunches Scallions
• 8oz of mushrooms
• Bell peppers 
• Garlic

 Bulk - 

• Walnuts
• Almonds

Breads -

• 2 loaves Dave's 
• SinDawg

Protein -

• Chicken breast halves w/skin on (Loving Freddy's organic poultry - sometimes find it on sale!)
• Turkey / Ham Lunchmeat - Applegate, or Hormel naturals.. nitrate free

Freezer -

Dried Goods -

• Almond Milk - Sweet & UnSweet
• Crackers - Goldfish (seriously there is something going to be uncovered about these having crack-like addiction properties, the way my family eats these).
• Cereal.. Winco has Organic/GMO free Panda Puffs etc.. 10g of sugar or less -works for me & the kids think they're getting a treat.  Ella is also currently hooked on Kashi blueberry clusters.
• Snacks from natural food section (Crackers/Veggie Chips), tortilla chips
• 1 28 ounce can tomatoes (not drained)
•  Black beans
• Chick peas
• 2 32oz containers Chicken broth
•  
  

Dairy -

• Small carton milk 
• Cheddar block