Menu Plan Monday - 2/22

It's another crazy busy week this week.  Part of it is that I'm starting my regular schedule with my new chiropractor and he wants to see me three times a week for the next four weeks.  Eek!  AND he's 30 miles away, but he's amazingly wonderful at what he does and after only two visits I'm seeing improvement!  So, those three appointments added to a MOPS event and a dental appointment already have me feeling a bit crazy about this week.

I've planned pretty simple meals for this week.

Breakfasts: lazy granola (either served as a cold cereal, with milk and bananas or in yogurt), cold cereal with bananas, pumpkin pancakes, eggs/toast/fruit

Lunches: mostly sandwiches and fruit/raw veggies on the go (as my chiropractor appointments are just before lunch time and we'll be packing lunches to eat on the way home)

Dinner:
Monday - pb&j, veggie sticks, fresh fruit or smoothies
Tuesday - Crockpot chicken with quinoa
Wednesday - Tacos, fruit smoothies
Thursday - Navy bean soup (recipe coming on Monday), bread w/butter
Friday - Pizza, fruit
Saturday - Out
Sunday - Chicken nachos (w/salsa, olives, sour cream), fruit smoothies

This post is linked to: Menu Plan Monday.

Menu Plan Monday - 2/15

Valentine's Day, 2010
We had a pretty nice Valentine's Day around here.  Admittedly, I was a bit grumpy this morning (had nothing to do with Valentine's Day...), but I managed to pull it together and we ended up enjoying our day.

The boys really enjoyed their heart shaped foods today.  I served heart shaped sandwiches for lunch and heart shaped pancakes (with strawberry topping) for dinner!  They thought it was fun!

Then we had a couple of friends over and after the kids were all in bed, we watched this week's Survivor.  (My DVR records it every week and I don't watch it until whatever evening they can come over to watch it with me).

I have another busy week ahead of me and I'm wondering when this will slow down.... hopefully once I get the bulk of the moving paperwork/appointments taken care of I'll get a few weeks of reprieve.

Here's what I'm planning for this busy week:
Breakfasts: Pumpkin pancakes, eggs & toast, oatmeal with fruit/honey, cereal with bananas

Lunches: Mostly leftovers, otherwise, pb&j, fruit/veggie tray, random assortments of odds-n-ends

Dinners:
Monday - Antelope steaks, brown rice, steamed veggies, bread w/butter
Tuesday - Philly steak sandwiches (w/green peppers, onions and cheese), fruit smoothies
Wednesday - Grilled cheese, fresh fruit, carrot sticks
Thursday - Tuna melts, carrot sticks, grapes
Friday - Pizza, fruit smoothies
Saturday - Take out
Sunday - Taco rice casserole (recipe later)

This post is linked to: Menu Plan Monday.

Note: I made that dress Rachael is wearing and I used this awesome tutorial.

I'm back from hiatus!

I'm back and feeling refreshed and so excited about the changes that will be taking place around here over the next few weeks!  I'll share more of that with you as the time approaches!!

Last month, I ended up completing the pantry challenge.  I did go over budget from my original goal, but still only spent half of my normal grocery budget.  And since I very much enjoyed having a monthly menu plan last month, I decided it's something I think I will keep up with so long as it doesn't become overwhelming.  I planned 3 weeks worth of menus for this month because in January, I planned the whole month out and ended up not making about 5 meals due to leftovers, etc.  This is already giving me some wiggle room for those occasions, since I already have one carry over meal from last week!

Here's what I have planned for this week.

Breakfasts: oatmeal/muesli, pancakes, cold cereal, eggs/toast

Lunches: Mostly leftovers, otherwise, pb&j, fruit/veggie tray, random assortments of odds-n-ends

Dinners:
Monday - Crockpot chicken, steamed veggies, buttery rolls
~ make chicken stock
Tuesday - Spaghetti, fresh fruit, leftover buttery rolls
Wednesday - Pan fried fish, steamed veggies, leftover buttery rolls, fruit
Thursday - Taco rice casserole (recipe later)
Friday - Deployed families dinner on base
Saturday - Dinner out
Sunday - Heart shaped pancakes with strawberry topping in celebration of Valentine's Day

This post is linked to: Menu Plan Monday

Pantry Challenge - week 3

GAH!  I only have $1.38 left in my projected budget (and there are some items that I still NEED).  But, it couldn't be helped - my honey needed some healthy snack foods - he sent me a "mayday" email because the only portable snack foods he could find at the BX and chow hall were things like poptarts, sugary granola bars, sugary cereal, etc.  So, I spent $20 on trail mix, mixed nuts, veggie chips, popcorn and dried fruit.  It was $20 well spent!  I feel so blessed to be able to take care of him!

Actually, I would be going over my projected $100 by the end of the month anyway, so I'm just going to wing it from here and see exactly how much I truly needed to spend.  I didn't know going in to this if I would be able to stick to the $100 and I am proving that it was a little low for me.

Here's what I have on the menu for this week:

Breakfasts:
Cold cereal, oatmeal, pumpkin pancakes

Lunches:
Mostly leftovers, otherwise, fruit/veggie tray, cheese & crackers

Dinner:
Monday - Chicken tortilla soup
Tuesday - Spaghetti, steamed veggies, buttery rolls
Wednesday - Broiled or grilled steak (will grill if weather permits), roasted potatoes, buttery rolls
Thursday - Dinner out
Friday - Pizza, smoothies
Saturday - Crockpot chicken, rice, steamed veggies
Sunday - Potato soup

Be sure to visit Menu Plan Monday for wonderful menu ideas for this week!

Pantry Challenge - part 4

It is the end of the first full week of January and I have to say, I've done pretty well!

Last week I shared with you my goal of only spending $100 on groceries/toiletries/paper goods, etc. for the month of January.  As of today, I have $65.95 left in my budget for the month.  I have to pick up some milk this week, but other than that, I don't think I need anything on my list for at least another week.  I planned my meals for the entire month and made sure the meals I knew I would need something to complete were near the end of the month.  On the 21st I have a babysitter coming to watch the children while I go shopping and take full advantage of my brain (and coupons, etc.) while I'm shopping!!!

I managed to stick with my meal plan and actually ended up not making two meals because we had so many leftovers to use up.

My plan for this week is:

Breakfasts: Pumpkin pancakes, oatmeal, cold cereal

Lunches: Mostly leftovers, otherwise, pb&j, fruit/veggie tray, odds-n-ends

Monday: Nachos (made with refried beans, cheese, homemade salsa, black olives, served on corn chips), fruit smoothies
Tuesday: Ordering pizza for Jacob's 6th birthday (this will count as our meal out for the week) - having a couple of friends over to share pizza and cake (which I ordered from Target and will come out of another part of my budget)
Wednesday: French toast, fruit smoothies
Thursday: Navy Bean Soup, bread w/butter
Friday: Sloppy joes, fruit smoothies and veggie sticks
Saturday: Veggie soup, bread w/butter, fresh fruit
Sunday: Baked marinated chicken, steamed veggies and rolls

You can catch up with my other Pantry Challenge posts here, here and here.

Be sure to head on over to Menu Plan Monday for more weekly menu inspiration!

Pantry Challenge - part 3

I really think this pantry challenge couldn't have come at a better time (and I probably wouldn't have thought to do it if someone hadn't thought it up for me!).  With our impending overseas move in July - but we're moving out of our house and going to stay with my family in Florida sometime in mid-May - I have been fretting a little about not being wasteful with all of the things I've been stocking up on for the last year.  I'm really excited to clean out my pantry, freezers and fridges this month and begin only buying what we NEED and will eat in a 2-3 week time period.  And there are some things (condiments, baking supplies) that once we use them up, I won't be purchasing more.

So, my goals for the pantry challenge are:
::  Eat mostly what is currently in my home
::  Purchase only necessary items such as milk, eggs, cheese, fresh fruit/veggies when they are actually needed.  No stocking up - except for Eli's milk (I purchase by the case at Costco because he has a milk allergy and drinks rice milk - unless I find almond milk for a cheaper price, then he drinks that).
::  Spend no more than $100 on grocery/toiletry items for January.  I've already spent $21.53, leaving me with $78.47 for the remainder of January.  I've already made a meal plan for the entire month and have a small grocery list of a few things I know I'll need the second half of the month (other than what I listed above).
::  Continue our regular once-weekly dining out - this comes from a different area of our budget.
::  Stick to the meal plan.

Here's my menu plan for January 1 through January 10:
1/1 - Pizza, veggie sticks with Ranch
1/2 - Ate out with a friend
1/3 - Chicken tortilla soup (recipe later this week), fruit
1/4 - Tacos with lots of trimmings, fruit
1/5 - Spaghetti, veggie sticks, bread w/butter
1/6 - Meatloaf, steamed veggies, rolls
1/7 - Veggie soup, bread w/butter
1/8 - Pizza, fruit or fruit smoothies
1/9 - Eat out, possibly with a friend
1/10 - Deer sausage, eggs, fruit, toast

Lunches are mostly made of leftovers because without Michael here we typically have enough for all four of us to eat the dinner meal for the next day's lunch.  If it doesn't work out to be enough, I'll add simple things like veggie sticks, fruit, cheese, crackers, etc.

If you have no clue what this pantry challenge is, be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Menu Plan Monday - 11/23

This week is a short menu for me. We will be leaving Thursday morning (yes, we're driving on Thanksgiving Day) and heading to Oklahoma for the weekend. We originally planned to leave Wednesday afternoon, but decided since we'll be staying in a hotel, we didn't want to have to figure out what to do for food for a Thanksgiving meal. Most restaurants that are open require a reservation and have higher costs for that meal, so we opted to avoid that dilemma by traveling on the day and packing our travel food (as we always do).

So, here's what I have planned:

Breakfasts:
Cold cereals and ::gasp:: poptarts on travel day, the hotel has an omelet bar for the other mornings!

Lunches:
Leftovers, sandwiches, snack foods, fresh fruit

Dinners:
Monday: Sloppy joes, corn, fruit smoothies
Tuesday: Baked chicken, steamed veggies, bread/rolls
Wednesday: Grilled cheese, tomato soup, fruit smoothies
Thursday: packing sandwiches, fruit and snacks for our trip
Friday: Dinner out with Michael's mom
Saturday: No idea.
Sunday: packing sandwiches, fruit and snacks for our trip home

For more weekly menu plans (including Thanksgiving meals) hop on over to Menu Plan Monday.

Menu Plan Monday - 11/16

What a crazy couple of weeks it has been around here. Whew! But, I don't foresee the busy-ness slowing down until after Christmas. I am so happy that I participated in baking day, it is saving me loads of time in my meal planning and preparations!!

Here's what we are planning for meals for this week:

Breakfasts
~ pumpkin pancakes (from the pre-made mix I made on baking day) and cold cereal (we are very overstocked on cereal from a recent deal)

Lunches
~ leftovers, simple thrown together things of varying assortments, fresh fruits and veggies

Dinners
~ Monday: Chicken tortilla soup (from freezer)
~ Tuesday: Tacos (with lots of trimmings) served with fresh fruit
~ Wednesday: Pan seared Tilapia (seared in coconut oil), steamed veggies and bread or rolls
~ Thursday: Ziti (from freezer), steamed veggies and bread or rolls
~ Friday: Pizza night with fruit smoothies
~ Saturday: No idea because we may spend the day in Denver, if not we'll probably have burritos from the freezer
~ Sunday: Date night - Michael and I have an inside date after the kids go to bed - we choose somewhere simple to order takeout and then watch a favorite show or movie together!!

Be sure to visit Menu Planning Monday for more inspiration and weekly menu plans.

Menu Plan Monday - 11/2

Michael is TDY at a training course this week and next, so while he's out "playing war", sleeping in a tent and probably eating MRE's I'm keeping it pretty kid-friendly around here.

Monday:
Baked fish, steamed veggies and brown rice
~Thaw pumpkin

Tuesday:
BAKING DAY, day #1 (There will be a separate post about my accomplishments (or lack thereof) at the end of the day on Wednesday) - However, I doubt much baking/cooking ahead will be happening for me on Tuesday b/c of prior commitments.
Chicken enchiladas

Wednesday:
BAKING DAY, day #2 Hoping to accomplish TONS since I have no need to leave the house.
Spaghetti, corn, bread w/butter or rolls

Thursday:
Grilled cheese, fresh fruit

Friday:
Pizza night

Saturday:
Meatloaf, roasted potatoes, bread or rolls, fresh fruit

Sunday:
French toast, fruit smoothies

Be sure to head on over to Menu Plan Monday for a look at 300+ menu plans for the week!

Menu Plan Monday - 10/12

Well, this is how we're starting our week here in Colorado. It has snowed/iced off and on since Friday evening. This is what my grass looked like after we returned from church this morning. If Michael hadn't been here, there is NO WAY I would have braved the icy roads with the kids by myself to get to church, it was quite slick.

We had about 3 weeks of actual fall-ish weather and now we've skipped straight on to winter. Boo :-(

Here's what I'm planning for our meals this week:

Breakfasts will consist of cold cereal, oatmeal with honey/maple syrup and fruit and pancakes.

Lunches: Michael typically eats the leftovers from dinner the night before and the kids and I have quick fixes like, pasta, baked chicken nuggets, fresh fruit, veggie trays, cheese and crackers, sandwich wraps and any straggling left overs.

Dinners:
Monday - Crockpot chili, topped with cheese and crackers, and a side of fresh fruit
Tuesday - Meatloaf, oven roasted potatoes, green beans and bread with butter
Wednesday - Baked lemon pepper fish, steamed veggies, fresh fruit and rolls
Thursday - Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and fruit smoothies
Friday - Pizza night
Saturday - Baked chicken, steamed veggies, rice and rolls.
Sunday - The kids eat whatever I can scrounge up and Michael and I have a special take out dinner later in the evening.

Other goodies on the list for the week include apple crisp, gingerbread muffins and honey pumpkin muffins which will serve as our snacks and desserts through the week.

Menu Plan Monday - 9/21

I didn't go back to my archives to check, but I think it has been several months since I've posted a menu plan.... I have a menu plan every week because we would never eat otherwise, but I just never seem to remember to post them.

We are having lovely fall-ish weather around here (today's high is 50) so I feel comfortable cooking warm meals every day and actually using my oven to start baking again since I don't have to worry about my house being a zillion degrees.

Monday:
Dinner out with friends then back to our place for the season premiere of HOUSE!!

Tuesday:
baking: Zucchini bread and dinner rolls
Shepherd's pie, rolls with butter

Wednesday:
preserving: apple butter
prep: thaw ground beef
Tuna salad sandwiches, veggie tray

Thursday:
Taco salad served with corn chips and homemade salsa

Friday:
Homemade pizza, veggie tray

Saturday:
baking: applesauce spice cake
Grilled cheese, tomato soup

Sunday:
Michael and I will get something from a restaurant (it's our new weekly tradition) in the late evening after the kids go to bed. The children will eat leftovers.

Also, at some point during this week or the weekend I'd like to get the preserving of my pumpkins done so I can start using the puree in my baking.

Be sure to visit I'm An Organizing Junkie for more wonderful menu plans!

Menu Plan Monday - June 1

I do believe it's been forever since I've posted a meal plan. I always have them written out, just never seem to get around to posting them!

Michael is on a TDY this week and won't return until after dinner Saturday, so most of my meals this week are super easy and very quick.

Monday: Tortilla pizzas (flour tortillas spread with pizza sauce and toppings), fresh fruit

Tuesday: Lasagna (of the frozen variety...), corn on the cob and fruit smoothies

Wednesday: Chicken enchiladas, salad and strawberry shortcake (making double of everything so I can take it to a MOPS friend who just had a baby)

Thursday: Leftovers, fruit smoothies

~ soak beans, thaw meat

Friday: Burritos (meat & bean with lettuce, cheese, homemade salsa, sour cream) fruit smoothies

Saturday: grilled sausages in bbq sauce, corn on the cob, fruit

~ thaw chicken breasts

Sunday: grilled chicken breasts, steamed veggies, fruit

Lunches will be leftovers and snacks will be fresh veggies/fruit

Be sure to head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie to see all of the other wonderful menu plans for this week.

Menu Plan Monday - 1/26

Wow! I've been away from the blogosphere too long. The kids and I enjoyed our time visiting my family in FL, but it's always good to be back home in familiar surroundings and your own bed!

I'll have some posts up in the next couple of weeks of some things we did on our trip with some photos, but today it's back to the grind.

I'm not quite sure what Michael ate while I was away. I really didn't leave him much to choose from and there is absolutely NO food in this house today (he assures me he did go to the store a couple times...). This morning I took some time to write out my menu plan and hefty grocery list for the next 2 weeks.

Week of 1/26.

Monday - no clue. We'll scrape together whatever bits and pieces are in the freezer and pantry and just nibble on those things. MUST go grocery shopping.
Tuesday - Tacos with homemade salsa
Wednesday - Crockpot chicken, steamed broccoli, yeast rolls
* Make yeast rolls
* Soak beans
Thursday - Crockpot navy bean soup with homemade bread
* Make bread
Friday - Grilled cheese, tomato soup
Saturday - Salad (with whatever fresh veggies I can find in the grocery store) with baked chicken nuggets
Sunday - I'm going to a Pampered Chef party at a friend's in the morning and Michael is going back to the same place in the afternoon for the Super Bowl (kind of a girls morning out and a guys afternoon out - sans kids)

Week of 2/2

Monday- Chicken nachos (leftover chicken from the crockpot chicken), steamed corn
* Thaw elk steaks
* Soak brown rice
Tuesday - Elk steaks with gravy, brown rice, yeast rolls
* Make yeast rolls
* Thaw ground beef
Wednesday - Spaghetti, steamed veggies
* Make pigs-in-blankets for freezer
Thursday - Veggie soup with homemade bread
* Make bread
Friday thru Monday we may be out of town in Oklahoma for Rachael's dedication - if it doesn't work out I'll figure out a menu for those days also.

Be sure to check out Laura's site for all the other wonderful menu plans for this week.

Menu Plan Monday - 10/20

Whew! It's been a hectic 6 weeks.... I'm finally getting my ducks in a row and getting back to menu planning since Rachael was born!

We were so very blessed to have meals provided from the time I got out of the hospital, nearly every day for TWO weeks! We have some amazing church friends and some wonderful co-workers of Michael! After that we had the freezer meals I had prepared and those lasted us almost 3 weeks. I think, until this past week, I only prepared 3 meals!! It was absolutely a blessing to not have to worry about what I was going to feed the clan when I felt like I was barely keeping my head above water as it was.

I'm finally feeling like my old self again and spent about an hour making my meal plan on Thursday because I knew I had to get to the grocery store before Michael left for 2 weeks - he left today.

Oh, and let me just say once I took stock of my fridge and pantry, I was absolutely appalled at how much junk and processed food we had - including WHITE sugar..... where did that come from? And poptarts - GAH!

One more thing - I'm off dairy for the time being because Rachael seems to have lots of tummy trouble when I have dairy - so anywhere you see dairy listed, I am either skipping that item or if it's something Eli already eats, I already use rice milk as a replacement because of his dairy issues.

So, it's back to the good stuff now (except some fun stuff for the kids on Monday and Tuesday):

Monday:

~ Grilled cheese, fruit

Tuesday:

~ Chicken nuggets, baked tater tots, fruit

Wednesday:

* Thaw meat for Thursday

~ Not sure - driving to Denver to pick up my grandmother from airport and won't be back until right at dinner time

Thursday:

~ Tacos with all the trimmings

Friday:

* Prep chicken and get into crockpot

* Make bread

* Make shortcake

* Thaw meat for Saturday - trying bison

~ Roast chicken, steamed broccoli, bread

Saturday:

* Make chicken broth

* Soak pinto beans

~ Meatloaf (bison), potatoes, corn, bread

Sunday:

* Make refried beans

* Thaw fish for Monday

~ Chicken nachos (using leftover roast chicken), refried beans, cheese, homemade salsa, sour cream

Be sure to visit our host for more wonderful weekly meal plans!

Menu Plan Monday - 9/1

I'm quite late in posting my menu plan for this week but that's because today is a holiday and hubby is off and it's thrown me off.... Does this happen to anyone else?

My menu plan for this week is based on using what we have so I don't have to go to the grocery store until this weekend. I'll be stocking up for at least 2 weeks when I go this weekend since we'll be having a baby next Friday. I also don't want to have to go next week because Michael's mom will be coming in on Wednesday and I want to go ahead and have all my freezer meals prepared so I don't have to take time away from spending with her and the kids.

*Monday: Salad with lettuce, tomatoes and peppers from my garden and whatever other veggies are in the fridge.
*Tuesday: Breakfast burritos (fresh tomatoes and jalapeno's from my garden) and cheese.
* Wednesday: Baked Tilapia, steamed corn on the cob and yeast rolls
* Thursday: Whole wheat pasta with stewed tomatoes
* Friday: Philly steak sandwiches
* Saturday: NO IDEA. I'll probably go to the grocery store on Friday night, so I'll plan the next few weeks before I go shopping.
* Sunday: Michael's 29th birthday - I'll prepare him a special birthday meal of his choice. The kids will also pick out a cake for him at the bakery (I'm not in the mood to actually make him a cake .... sigh)

Be sure to visit I'm and Organizing Junkie for more weekly menus.

Menu plan Monday - 8/25

I hope everyone had a wonderful weeked!

I have to say that I'm glad I wrote out my menu plan a few hours ago because I have a terrible headache and Michael had to go back to work this evening - it's end of year crunch (end of fiscal year for the military) and he's (along with everyone else) putting in lots of extra hours, thankfully he doesn't usually put in his extra hours until the late evening, but he will go in most nights from around 8-11 for the next several weeks..... It seems like I never see that man! But I'm planning on him being home for dinner every night, so I'm planning regular meals (at least for this week!).

* Monday: Spaghetti with yeast rolls

* Tuesday: Crockpot whole chicken with steamed veggies and mashed potatoes - I'll freeze the extra chicken and we should get at least 2 more meals out of it

* Wednesday: Breakfast burritos (scrambled eggs, salsa, jalapenos, tomatoes and cheese) for the adults and pancakes for the kids

- Take meat out to thaw for Thursday

* Thursday: Meatloaf with green beans and leftover mashed potatoes

* Friday: Homemade pizza night (philly cheesesteak!!)

- Take meat out to thaw for Saturday

* Saturday: Sloppy joes

* Sunday: Zucchini parmesean (carry over from last week)

Must go now, the headache is getting the better of me and the kids still have 20 minutes before bedtime...

Be sure to check out Laura's site for more wonderful menus for the coming week.

Menu Plan Monday - August 17

Ahh, I think I might see the light at the end of my tunnel of life overwhelming me! Since Michael only has softball now (he's taking this term off school since we're having a baby in under 4 weeks!) I feel a smidge better about being able to get myself back to normal - just read the post linked above and you'll understand!


Since our lives have been totally chaotic and Michael was only eating at home a few nights a week, I was just making quick meals for the kids and I so now I'm getting back to making regular meals so he can have leftovers for work rather than scrounging around for something each morning..... I know, I'm a slacker!


Tonight we had navy bean soup (I would have made cornbread to go with it but Michael doesn't eat it....) We've had much cooler weather the last few days (in the 60's) and I thought a nice hearty soup would be just the ticket. And oh my, how wonderful this was! It was incredibly yummy and sooooo easy. I didn't have an onion, so I just added extra carrot and celery, and it was very tasty!! I had enough left to freeze some for when the baby arrives and one lunch for Michael and one lunch for me.

*Monday - Baked tilapia with rice and yeast rolls. I'm also going to try out this recipe for homemade soft pretzels.
*Tuesday - Salad (lettuce, tomatoes and jalapeno's from our garden and whatever other veggies I have on hand to add in) topped with baked chicken
*Wednesday - Zucchini parmesean (if I can get some nice zucchini at the Farmer's Market on Tuesday evening)
*Thursday - I won't be home, so Michael and the kids will have leftovers or something dad-friendly to prepare
*Friday - Shrimp pasta (this is a prepackaged thing, I know - shoot me now!)
* Saturday - Bean and cheese nachos over yellow corn tortilla chips - served with tomatoes/salsa and jalapeno's
* Sunday - More salad, maybe with tuna or more baked chicken


Lunches will be leftovers for Michael, and there's enough navy bean soup to provide one lunch for me, as well. We'll fill in the rest of the days with grilled cheese sandwiches, salad, eggs and turkey sandwiches.

Menu Plan Monday - July 28

It's been a few weeks since I've actually posted my menu plan. Due to the heat and horrendously, crazy, busy schedule we had for July, I just had to jot it down and hope I could manage to stick to it....

We are now starting our first week of being back to a normal routine and schedule (t-ball and swim lessons are now finished), so I've had a chance this evening to sit down and come up with a hot weather friendly menu - w/o a grill :-(

Also, I don't usually plan lunches because Michael takes the leftovers and then I just whip up something simple and kid-friendly for the boys and I, BUT I went a little crazy back in May when I planted my lettuce and now I have an overabundance of the stuff!!! So, I'm going to list some of my lunches - for accountability purposes - so I make sure to take full advantage of my 'free' and organic lettuce and the health benefits of eating leafy greens.

*Monday:

Lunch - egg salad sandwiches (using up some eggs)

Dinner - Chicken nachos with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese and salsa

*Tuesday:

Lunch - Veggie wraps with a variation of this cream cheese spread

Dinner - Baked tilapia, quinoa and steamed veggies (then off to the Farmer's Market!)

*Wednesday:

Lunch - leftovers from dinner Tuesday if there are enough, otherwise, probably a basic salad

Dinner - Pasta with easy meat sauce

*Thursday:

Lunch - winging it here - maybe I'll get something yummy at the farmer's market to inspire me

Dinner - Philly steak sandwiches (grilled steak and grilled peppers/onions with mozzarella cheese)

*Friday:

Lunch - again, I'm going to wing it

Dinner - Chicken enchiladas (making extra to have for lunch on Saturday)

*Saturday:

Lunch - leftover chicken enchiladas

Dinner - Tacos with seasoned ground beef, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheese

*Sunday:

Lunch - Salad with chicken

Dinner - Whole wheat pasta with stewed tomatoes

Be sure to visit Laura's site to see more wonderful menus for this week!

Menu Plan Monday - 7/14/08

Ahhhh, it's so hot (you can read my post from yesterday about that), that I just haven't been up to cooking much at all in the last few weeks. Mind you, we've not been eating out, but we have been eating lots of foods that can be eaten cold. We've eaten tons of salad, a couple crock pot meals (less heat involved), smoothies, sandwiches and anything else that doesn't require heating the house or standing over a hot stove. On a few cooler days I've made pizzas (on french bread), spaghetti and some other similarly simple dishes.

Menu planning eludes me at this point (which is really not good for the budget or my daily sanity) but I really just haven't felt up to planning anything because the weather is really dictating what we're eating (and the fact that hubby will NOT eat anything hot if he's hot). Salads are a great go-to meal for us right now and I have an abundance of lettuce ready (I'm finishing up a store bought spring mix and have already given some of our fresh lettuce to our neighbor) and we're having fresh tomatoes every few days, also!

This week also starts a new schedule for us with Michael going to school two evenings and playing softball one evening (softball will be finished in two weeks, thankfully) and he typically has to leave the house a little after 5. Jacob has swim lessons from 4:30-5:00 on the same days Michael goes to school so I'm not home to get Michael's dinner ready and usually just leave him a salad or sandwich in the fridge.....

I'm going to the farmer's market tomorrow to load up on tons more fresh produce and we'll just wing it for this week.

Here's what I can prepare if I need to make a hot meal:
* Whole chicken for the crock pot with veggies
* Spaghetti
* Ham with veggies or rice
* Chicken enchiladas

Be sure to hop on over to Laura's site for more weekly meal plans

Menu Plan Monday - 6/23/08

I'm a bit late in posting my menu plan for this week. We had a rough day yesterday (a church picnic at 1:00 threw the rest of the day off for the kids) and I went to bed early - shortly after the kids. Then this morning we had to run an errand to Walmart and that place turns my kids into beings from other planets..... So, I've just now had a few minutes to put a menu together and get it typed out here!

*Monday - fresh garden salad with grilled chicken breast. I'm also going to be trying Tammy's recipe for shortcake to go with some fresh strawberries I got this weekend. It looks so yummy!

*Tuesday - We will be at a friend's house in the late afternoon, Michael will be at school and then Jacob has t-ball practice at 6:00, so, the kids and I will probably go to Taco Bell and eat very inexpensively off the 'cheap' menu!

*Wednesday - Grilled cheese with fruit or yogurt (rice/soy cheese and soy yogurt for Eli)

*Thursday - I have a dentist appt. at 4 and Michael has a softball game after that, so I have no idea what we'll be eating, I guess I'll just wing it.

*Friday - Spaghetti with yeast rolls and fruit smoothies

*Saturday - Cheeseburgers with lettuce and tomato, homemade fries (rice/soy cheese for Eli)

*Sunday - pancakes with real maple syrup for the kids and breakfast burritos for Michael and I (scrambled eggs with cheese, tomato and jalapeno in flour tortillas).

Remember to visit Laura's site to check out all the other great menus for this week.