Sunday, March 11, 2012

Menu Plan Week of March 12th

(Please note, I will be on vacation beginning next week for 10 days, so there will be no new menu plans for the next two weeks!  There are lots of menu plans and recipes to choose from, I'd love to hear what you try (successes, fails, etc.) while I am out of town!)

A very busy weekend of house hunting, etc. for us so I'll get right to the point! Here is our menu plan for this week! 

Monday:  Rolled Flank Steak (no soy sauce) with roasted broccoli and rice

Tuesday:  Slow Cooker Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna (I use Food For Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas)

Wednesday:  Leftovers

Thursday:  Pasta and turkey meatballs with salad

Friday:  Whatever is left in the fridge!

Saturday:  Out

Sunday:  Headed to sunny Florida! :)


Sunday, March 4, 2012

Menu Plan Week of 3/5

After a whirlwind couple of weeks, I am back to menu planning.  We listed an sold our house in a matter of days and now we are on the hunt for our "dream home" - meaning the one with some of our "wish list" characteristics and one that we can see ourselves raising our kids in for the long haul.  It is a difficult and sometimes emotional process but we are so excited!

As you know, I am very disciplined with our menu planning.  When that went out the window the past two weeks, I learned three things.  First, it is very challenging to feed a child with food allergies well-rounded meals without a plan.  Two, I eat a LOT more junk food without a plan and three, I spend a LOT more money at the grocery store without a plan.  Overall, it reminded me just how critical a plan is for my family, and it also reminded me that this is why so many busy American parents feel so overwhelmed by the thought of feeding their families healthy meals at the dinner hour!  A plan makes things so much easier.  If you have not tried it yet, I encourage you to use my plans (or a version of my plans) for 4-5 weeks (it takes that long to get into the swing of things with it and to build the habit)!  I assure you, you will find yourself so much less stressed at mealtime... and with some extra cash in your pocket to save for a rainy day (bonus)!!

Here is my menu plan for this week:

Monday:  Bean burgers with kale chips and raw veggies

Tuesday:  Kid-friendly Jambalaya with a side of green beans

Wednesday:  Black Bean Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Thursday:  Quinoa with Chicken and Broccoli
(I found this recipe by signing up for the Cooking Traditional Foods' free newsletter here - she will send you a free sample of their budget menu mailer when you sign up.  I subscribed to her menu mailers when I was first learning traditional foods techniques, these are a wonderful resource!)

Friday:  Leftovers and/or whatever is in the fridge

Saturday:  Pork Tenderloin with Vegetable and Roasted Potatoes

Sunday:  Breakfast for dinner (pancakes/sausage/fruit)