{Meal Planning: Back to it!}

Yep, I'm back to my meal planning ways!

I didn't really take January off, but as a part of the 30 day fitness challenge I did, I had my meals planned out for me, so I didn't really have much I could post about with meal planning.

But now, I'm back to my old ways, and I'm trying to really incorporate more whole foods into my plans.  But lemme tell ya, it's a hard, hard thing to change old eating habits.  Especially in winter when all those yummy colorful veggies are in shorter supply than during the summer.  And when it's cold outside, creamy comfortable soup and bread sounds so much more appealing than a cold, heartless salad!

So here's my February plan!!

Week 1:

February 1:  Chicken Enchiladas
February 2: Leftovers
February 3: Out~Red Robin, I had a yummy salad.  :)
February 4: Snacks... not super healthy choices, I'm afraid.
February 5: Souper Bowl Sunday!: Potato Soup and then appetizers at the game.
February 6: Spaghetti
February 7: Tacos

Week 2:

February 8:  Grilled Chicken w/veggies
February 9: Yellow Soup
February 10:  Pork Stir Fry
February 11: Leftovers
February 12:  Cheesy Chicken Rollups (with Corn tortillas instead of flour)
February 13: Tilapia and veggies
February 14:  BBQ Chicken, fresh grilled veggies and baked potatoes

Week 3:

February 15: Lettuce Wraps
February 16: Beef Stew
February 17: Chicken Piccata
February 18: Leftovers
February 19: Nachos
February 20: Turkey burgers
February 21: ???  Meetings this night, so I'm not sure yet.

Week 4:

February 22:  Grilled chicken & veggies
February 23: Crockpot chicken soup
February 24: Gyros
February 25: Homemade Pizza with Black Olives (per special request for my son's birthday dinner)
February 26: Leftovers
February 27: Shepherd's Pie
February 28: Beef in Stout

Yum, yum.  I'm hungry now.  Lot's of comfort food, but also lots of opportunities to alter some of these recipes and make them with as many whole foods as possible, instead of mixes and processed food.  There are some sauces, or things with bread crumbs, etc, but the main ingredients for many of these are not from a mix or a box.  Little changes at a time equals success in my book!

Happy planning!

xo,
Becca

{Meal planning fail}

It's November 4th, and I don't have my menu plan done yet for the month.  I feel like I'm flying blind.  So those of you who tell me that I inspire you... Well, I don't always have it all together.  Hopefully that will inspire someone.  We all fail at times, which is actually pretty encouraging, if you stop to think about it.

You've heard of writer's block?  I feel like I have menu planners block.  My last two months were great, and we mostly stayed on track, but leading into November, I am just at a loss.  I've added in a few things here and there, but mostly the month is blank.  Sometimes, even when we are good at something, we still have moments where we fail.

Here's what I do when my own brain capacity begins to fail me.  I reach out and ask for help.  I text my family and ask them to send me menu ideas.  Usually I hesitate to do this, because the responses I usually get are all the comfort foods they love... Which makes for quite the fattening month!  With the holidays coming up, I try to make an effort to eat mostly healthy during the "normal" days, but then my family sends back things like this:

They're so helpful.

My main goal for the weekend?  Finish planning the month.  Otherwise, Red Robin and Papa Murphy's are going to take all my money.  I'll be spending some time on Pinterest, reviewing what we've had recently (last 2 months), and filling in the gaps.  And, planning our Thanksgiving holiday, which will be no small feat.

Wish me luck!!

xo,
Becca

{October Meal Plan}

Wow, time sometimes gets away from me.  The start to this school year has been very busy, with new schedules and lots of cross-country meets.  When I have weeks like last week and this week, my menu planning saves the day!

Here is my October plan! (Links provided where I have them, if you'd like recipe that's not linked, comment or shoot me an email, and I'll get it to you!)

October 1: Leftover day, usually, but we had guests, so I did a pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn on the cob!
October 2:  Leftover day for reals.
October 3: Cheap Chicken Monday (our local Safeway has deals on fried chicken, and Jon was "cooking").
October 4:  Baked Potato Soup
October 5:  Leftover soup
October 6:  Irish Pastie Pot Pie
October 7: Pizza Nite!
October 8: Leftovers
October 9: Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls
October 10: Chicken Tikka Masala
October 11:  Homemade Gyros *Here is how I season the meat, but I cook it differently than their directions.  I make the meat into large patties and we grill it, then cut the patties into strips for our gyros. I also just use lean ground beef, but you could do ground turkey, lamb, or a mixture of your preference.
October 12: Chicken Fried Rice
October 13: Crispy Chicken Tortilla Rollups
October 14:  Homemade Pizza
October 15:  Leftovers
October 16:  Lasagna
October 17:  Moroccan Chicken Stew
October 18: Beef Stroganoff
October 19:  Creamy Chicken Picatta
October 20:  Leftovers
October 21:  Taco Bar
October 22:  Chicken with rice pilaf and roasted asparagus
October 23: Roast with Mashed Potatoes
October 24: Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Stew
October 25:  Leftovers
October 26:  Shepherd's Pie
October 27:  Baked Potato Soup
October 28: Leftovers
October 29: Pizza night
October 30: Paninis
October 31: Halloween... who knows?

{September Meal Plan}

It was only August 23rd, and my September meal plan was all good to go.  Now I'm finally getting around to posting it for you all!

 I've left room for myself to make some changes along the way, since we will be adjusting to being back to school, having a college student with a different schedule from the rest of us, and balancing the running and XC meet schedules as well.

Recipe links are included if I have them, but much of this month is planned from tried and true standard fare from my kitchen.  Give me a comment if you are wondering about a recipe with no link.  Here you go!

September 1:  Eating out, on our way to Gabe's XC meet in Moscow, ID.
September 2: Teriyaki chicken stir fry and rice
September 3:  Beef in Stout with Dumplings (from my Irish pub cookbook, can't wait to try this!)
September 4: Leftovers
September 5: Creamy Chicken Penne
September 6: Beef Stew
September 7: Fried Tilapia and Rice
September 8: Taco Soup
September 9:  Chicken Enchiladas
September 10: Leftovers
September 11: Paninis
September 12: Yellow Soup
September 13: Sausage & Ramnoodla (a family recipe!)
September 14: Chicken with Angel Hair and Bearnaise sauce
September 15: Dublin Coddle (also from my pub cookbook!!)
September 16: Steak Burritos
September 17: Leftovers
September 18:  ??
September 19: Chili
September 20: Enchilada Casserole
September 21: Leftovers
September 22: Chicken Fried Rice
September 23-25: Travel to Missoula, so we will eat out or with parents
September 26: Lettuce Wraps
September 27: Spaghetti
September 28: Teriyaki Chicken stir fry with rice
September 29: Leftovers
September 30: Homemade Pizza

We are trying a couple of new things, but they are from an old school cookbook, so no link!  I'm hoping to try some more new things in October!

Cheers!

{Meal Plan~ August}

After a long hiatus, I'm back.
I've been asked to share a meal plan, so here we go.  Just a few words up front about my meal planning process:

First, I started by revamping my Master Meals list for the upcoming school year.  I get creative in the kitchen during the summer because I actually have time and energy to experiment in the kitchen and create tasty meals for my family (which I LOVE!).  In August, I always like to update the Master Meals list with additions from things we tried over the summer (and possibly since the previous August) that we want to make regular menu appearances.

Second, I take a look at what we might have going on each week.  For example, I know that on Mondays, I teach Oula at 6pm.  During the summer, this is no big deal, because we can just eat early, but during the school year, things change and we get busier, I work later, etc, so I usually try to plan an easy, quick meal, or a crock pot meal on those days.

Third, I usually only plan 4-5 dinners each week.  I know my family well enough to know that we often have days where we say, "Hey, *THIS* sounds super good tonight!" and we go with it.  You can already see from this picture and what I have below that meals got shifted around because of the movie night my kids planned. I also plan at least one leftover day during the week because we end up with a large amount of food sitting in the fridge if I don't. 

The last thing I do is take a look at what I have planned and upcoming for the next week to determine my grocery list.  If I need to do a Costco run, I will try to make sure I buy anything on my list that will keep (I don't usually buy produce at Costco) to get me through the month so that I don't have to make another trip.

All that said... Here is the menu plan for the rest of August (links to recipes included where sources are known):

Thursday 8/11:  Teen Movie night at our house, Papa Murphy's Pizza (starting out easy!!!)
Friday 8/12:  Chicken Penne  *New recipe, might be adding to the master list*
Saturday 8/13: Leftovers (if there's enough), Tacos if not
Sunday 8/14: Pork and asparagus Stir Fry
Monday 8/15: Panini sandwiches and salad
Tuesday 8/16: Chicken Enchiladas (chicken mixture prep in crockpot, then assemble and bake)
Wednesday 8/17: Leftover or Free day
Thursday 8/18: Red Thai Curry
Friday 8/19: Homemade Pizza
Saturday 8/20:
Sunday 8/21:  Both of these days are free days because of company in town, and I'm not sure of the plan at this point.  :)
Monday 8/22:  Chicken Tikka Masala (I usually use this recipe, but I'm trying this recipe to see how it is.)  I'll be back in my classroom this day making sure all is ready, and teaching Oula in the evening, so it's the crock pot to the rescue!
Tuesday 8/23:  Ginger Beef & Veggies *New recipe!!*
Wednesday 8/24: Staff Back to School BBQ... I'll probably bring a pasta salad.
Thursday 8/25: Baked Potato Soup (My youngest has been begging for this even though it's summertime!)
Friday 8/26: Creamy Chicken Picatta
Saturday 8/27: Leftover or Free day
Sunday 8/28: Burgers on the grill and roasted veggies
Monday 8/29: Leftover or free day... It's the last day of summer!!
Tuesday 8/30:  Beef stroganoff... First day of school
Wednesday 8/31:  Pork steak on the grill and grilled zucchini & onions

There you go!  I'll try to let you know how the new recipes turn out, and post September as soon as I get it done!!

{Menu Monday}

Track season has begun, Spring is just around the corner, and March is a fun time at the Meek household.  This week, we have St. Patrick's day performances and track practices, Oula classes, and Daylight Savings.  It should be a good week, except for losing that one hour...

Here's the plan for the week:

Monday:  Jon cooks  :)

Tuesday:  Chicken on the grill with Pesto Penne (with sauteed portobello, sun dried tomatoes, and goat cheese), roasted sweet potatoes

Wednesday:  Spaghetti, caesar salad, garlic bread

Thursday:  Italian Wedding Soup (Jon's mom's recipe)

Friday:  "Tammy's Chicken," (chicken with a spicy paprika rub and mustard/tarragon sauce), roasted potatoes, pear gorgonzola salad

Saturday:  Leftover Day! (Set those clocks ahead before you go to bed!!)

Sunday:  Roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, Cheesy veggies

Next week will be busier.  It's times like this when I am thankful that I took the time to make my plan earlier, because then it's done!  There are lots of ways to meal plan, and my approach works for me.  I've tried shopping and planning based on weekly sales, I've tried a basic monthly/weekly plan, I've tried theme nights (Meatless Monday, Chicken Wednesday, etc.), but this more low key approach is what works for me.  What have you tried with menu planning that has worked for you?  What have you tried that hasn't worked?  Meal planning is all about adaptation and finding a system that works for you!!

Have a great week!!

{Menu Monday... Or not.}

With my attempt to rejoin the blogosphere, one goal that I have made for myself is to begin posting my weekly menus again.  I enjoy menu posts, because I always get inspiration from reading those posts from other bloggers.  Today isn't Monday, but I'd like to post this week's menu anyway, so that anyone interested can see the whole month and follow my family's progress and see how we do in our goals to eat at home more frequently.  So, without further ado, here we go:

Monday: Jon cooks: Spaghetti {Jon and I made an agreement a few months ago that he would plan and cook for Mondays, to give me one day a week to relax.}

Tuesday:  Rahmnudeln, Polska Kielbasa, and Cabbage

Wednesday:  Lettuce Wraps

Thursday:  Grilled cheese and tomato soup + Salad for those of us who want some green

Friday:  Homemade pizza with all the fixins

Saturday: is usually leftover day, but we are doing a quick overnighter away and will eat with family

Sunday: We travel home this day, so lunch after church will be out with family, and then we will scavenge the leftovers in the fridge for dinner when we get home.

So there you have it!!  Enjoy!

{Menu: Week of October 6, 2013}

Wow, I haven't done a menu post in awhile...

True confessions of a full-time music teacher, pastor's wife, and mom? Well, if you must know, I haven't actually been following a menu PLAN super well for the last couple of months either.  My pocket book is noticing so its high time to reign it back in and enjoy some good old-fashioned home cooking!

So here are the tasty dishes I have planned for this week:

Monday: Meatloaf, bachelor buttons and baked potatoes

Tuesday: Homemade chicken noodle soup

Wednesday: Stew (I love my crock pot!)

Thursday: Tilapia and rice

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Leftover day

Sunday: Paninis!

Yum! I'm excited for the coming week!

{Menu} Week of January 7, 2013

Well, the holidays and the New Year have come and gone and we are now a week into 2013.  Of course I made some resolutions, which I will probably end up breaking, but in the meantime here's a menu for the week!

Monday:  Grilled rib-eye steak, Balsamic roasted brussels sprouts, baked potatoes (the kids are having green salad because they don't like the brussels sprouts)
Tuesday:  Something I call Pastie Pie because I don't really know what else it is.  I have leftover meat and potato filling from making "Cornish" pasties and I'm going to throw it in a pie crust with some beef gravy and bake it til its done.  I'll let you know how it turns out.  Update 1/8/12:  I ended up not feeling like making a pie crust, so I took some leftover frozen hashbrowns and put those in the bottom of my baking dish, spread the meat mixture and gravy over the top and generously added onion powder and garlic salt...Wow...It was so good!  We're calling it "Pastie Casserole."  As in, would you please "Pastie casserole?"  :)
Wednesday:  Steak and mashed cauliflower (I will link the recipe when I find it again).
Thursday:  Baked Tilapia with cilantro lime rice and fresh veggies (I think I have some asparagus and zucchini in the fridge).
Friday:  Usually we do a potluck for our church small group, but this week we are doing something a little different, so dinner might be on the fly.
Saturday:  Leftover day--->Eat whatever there is.  We might also have paninis if we don't have enough leftovers.
Sunday:  Beef and Broccoli (Crock pot dish) with steamed rice

So there you have it!  I hope you have a healthy week!

{Menu} Week of 10/15/12

I am a couple of days late this week in posting this.  Here's my disclaimer:  Usually I plan out my menus for the entire month, and then make small adjustments from week to week, depending on what comes up, what leftovers we might still have on hand, etc.  For some reason, I've never gotten around to it for October.  Which means that I'm planning my weeks on the fly, instead of on purpose.  Luckily, we've had enough time for me to do so, which means that we haven't completely blown the food budget.  In fact, we are right on track.  But it does mean that I feel more stressed and as a result, my home is not as harmonious as it could be.  Here's to getting back on track in November!!

This week:

Monday:  Baked Potato Soup
Tuesday:  Tilapia, rice and asparagus
Wednesday:  Papa Murphy's Pizza, to support the Cure for Cat
Thursday:  Pork Chops, Rice Pilaf, and roasted Brussels Sprouts
Friday:  Discipleship group potluck (Baked Potato Bar, I'm providing the toppings.  I also have to provide a main dish for Gabe's All-City XC Dinner, so I'm planning to make homemade mac 'n' cheese).
Saturday:  Leftovers-->Eat whatever you can find!
Sunday:  Pork Tenderloin, Mashed potatoes and spinach salad

{Menu} Week of 10/8/12

So I never got around to posting last week's menu, and for that I apologize.  I do have some good excuses, though.  For starters, I was sick and feeling terrible on Monday and Tuesday, so Jon handled dinner both nights.  I'm pretty sure that I ate crescent rolls and homemade chicken noodle soup for one of those nights, but I honestly have no idea what the kids and Jon ate.  Hot dogs possibly comes to mind.  On Wednesday, Jon left town for four days, so the kids and I were on our own.  And at that point, it was too late in the week to post.  I know we had fried rice one night, pizza another and baked spaghetti with our home group another night.  Now that I've finally kicked the crud, I'm feeling up to meal planning again.  Here's the down low for this week:

Monday:  Zucchini Casserole  I didn't have any chicken breast, so I just upped the amount of zucchini this time.  I usually make it with chicken.
*My kids are not real big on zucchini or stuffing, so I'm giving them the option to eat the leftover baked spaghetti if they want.
Tuesday:  Pork Chops with Rice Pilaf and Spinach Salad
Wednesday:  Homemade Pizza
Thursday:  Spaghetti
Friday:  Discipleship Group Potluck
Saturday:  Leftover day-->Eat whatever you can find!

So there's the plan!  Should be pretty easy to stick with it this week, because I know it's going to be a busy one!

{Menu} Week of 9/24/12

As I mentioned in my previous post, the weekend was a super busy one.  So busy, in fact, that by the time we made it home Sunday night, I didn't even want to look at my menu plan for Monday, even though it was planned a long time ago.  So come Monday morning, I improvised.

Here's the plan for the week:
Monday:  Party Pizzas
Tuesday:  Tilapia with rice
Wednesday:  Chicken Divan in the crock pot
Thursday:  Unplanned right now, probably leftovers  BBQ at Micci's school (just remembered)
Friday:  Discipleship group potluck--Chili feed
Saturday:  Leftovers--> eat whatever you can find
Sunday:  Ham and potatoes  (I have soup plans for the leftovers that I'm uber excited for!!)

So there you have it.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it.  (The fish cooking on the stove probably isn't helping either).  What's on your menu this week?  I'm always in need of fresh ideas.

{Menu} Week of 9/17/12

This week will be a little different than most...  We are headed back to Zootown (Missoula) for the weekend, so there will be only four meals to plan this week!

Monday:  Homemade Pizza (I cheat on my crust and use the Jiffy mix...but it's cheap and the kids LOVE it!!)
Tuesday:  Chicken in the crockpot with potatoes and veggies
Wednesday:  Boneless Ribs (in the crock pot again); summer squash
Thursday:  Leftover day...eat up all the stuff in the fridge before we leave town!

Can I just say that I'm super excited for our first trip back "home"?  I put home in quotes because I really believe that home is where you make it.  It happens to be Homecoming weekend, which thrills me!  Homecoming has always been a great tradition in our family, and the prospect of missing it this year had me a little bummed.  So I am happy that we will be able to go to the parade.  More on all that later.

{Recipe} Curry Fried Rice

This recipe used to be a major player at our dinner table when the kids were all little... It's quick, it's easy, toddlers can eat rice with their fingers and sweeps up easily after they drop half of it on the floor... 

Then, at some point, all the stores in Zootown stopped carrying one of the most important ingredients.  At least, all the stores I frequented did.  The kids were getting older, I had some new and more exciting recipes in my toolbelt, and it just wasn't a priority to try to track it down.  Now that we live in the big city, I decided to try again, and lo and behold, I found it at my ever faithful WinCo!!  Happy, happy day.  Curry fried rice has once again been making it's appearance at my table, much to the delight of all involved.

Here's what you need:
1 T Taste of Thai Red Curry Paste (THIS IS IMPORTANT!! This is the ingredient that went missing for so many years.)
2 T olive oil
2 C cooked rice
3 eggs, beaten

That is it for the basic, meatless recipe.  I make things a little more interesting by adding some cooked chicken, and whatever leftover veggies that are lying around that need to be used up (frequently it's frozen green beans, fresh summer squash, and sliced cabbage).

Heat your oil over medium heat until you can begin to smell it, then add your curry paste and mix it in well with the oil. 

(If I am adding chicken, I often add it at this point, uncooked, and cook it up in the oil mixture.) Or, use cooked chicken and just let it simmer with the rest...

Once that's nice and bubbly, add any veggies...  If you are cooking chicken, don't add your veggies until the chicken is THOROUGHLY cooked.

A great example of using whatcha got...  These squashes needed to be used and I had some leftover cabbage, too.

  Let your veggies cook down a bit, then add your rice.

 I love my rice cooker.  It has saved my bacon on more than one occasion!

 
Mix it all together until your rice is pretty well coated with the oil mixture...  You'll be able to tell because it's not all white anymore.
  Once you've done that, add your eggs and stir well.

 I like to put a lid on it at this point and walk away.

 

Don't ya just love how the handle on my frying pan lid looks like it's been digitized in there? 

      I come back occasionally to give it a good stir, and I like a bit of crunchiness on the bottom, so I let it fry away.  Once your eggs are cooked, though, it's done and ready to eat. 

We like to squeeze fresh lime juice over the rice, or add some plum or hoisin sauce.  Top it off with some green onions and you're all set!

Yum, yum!!

{Recipe} Creamy Roast Beef

Creamy Roast Beef
1 2-3lb Beef Roast (I always use chuck!)
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion Soup
Fresh crimini or button mushrooms, optional

Place roast in crock pot.  Mix Mushroom and Beefy Onion Soup together, pour over roast.  Cook on low until roast is done.  Remove roast beef from gravy and slice.  Stir gravy and return meat to crock pot.  Stir in sliced fresh mushrooms if desired and cook another 15-20 minutes (long enough to heat the mushrooms).  Serve over rice or mashed potatoes, with your favorite fresh green veggie as a side.

Yum!  I hope you enjoy it!

This is the recipe I have in the crock pot for dinner tonight, sans fresh mushrooms.  I also layered my potatoes at the bottom of the crock pot so that dinner is basically ready when I get home.  So easy and tasty!!

{Menu} Week of 9/3/12

I slacked off the last week or so in posting my menus...  Sorry about that.  Now that school will be back in full swing, having a plan in place for weekly dinner menus is essential to me keeping my sanity.  I'll be back to work, the kids will be in school, Jon will be busy with his new adventure in Guitar Club and with all that encompasses a church plant.  So here's the plan for the week:

Monday (yesterday): Baby Back Ribs (recipe can be found on my friend Jess's blog)
Tuesday:  Leftover ribs... there were three racks in the package I bought, so we have yummy leftovers!  Hooray!
Wednesday:  Grilled hamburgers and hot dogs; green salad
Thursday:  Grilled chicken; rotini with pesto sauce, sauteed mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese
Friday:  Discipleship group potluck
Saturday:  Leftover day...Eat whatever you can find.  :o)
Sunday:  Sunday roast with mashed potatoes

So there's the plan!  It will keep me sane for this week, at least!

No eating out? Update

We are almost halfway through the month with our no eating out challenge.  As you may recall, we are trying to not eat out this month with a couple of exceptions, mainly due to having to restock a lot of supplies, both food and otherwise, due to our move.  So far it's going really well.  Jon's parents were in town over the weekend, and we took the kids to Silverwood on Friday.  This was one of our planned exceptions to the no eating out rule.  We bought lunch in the park, and then Jon's parents blessed us by buying our dinner that night, and then our lunch again the next day! 

Saturday evening was low key, we had eaten so much the previous two days that we didn't need much, so we mostly just snacked on whatever was around.
Sunday was our first meeting of Grace Church Spokane, so we provided sub sandwiches for lunch (think deli meat, cheese, hoagie rolls, not Subway), and chilled again for dinner...lots of leftovers to clean up.

Here's how it's going this week so far.
Monday:  Fried Rice with Taste of Thai Red Curry Sauce, green beans, and zucchini
(I broke down and bought myself Panda Express for lunch, since I was returning girls from a sleepover and taking Gabe for a sports physical during the time when I would have had lunch).
Tuesday:  Pan-fried tilapia, roasted red potatoes, funnel cakes for dessert

The plan for the rest of the week:
Wednesday:  Leftover day (again) We have Chicken Tikka Masala, chili, and fried rice.
Thursday:  Chicken with Pasta and Pesto sauce
Friday:  Discipleship group potluck:  lasagna, green salad, garlic bread
Saturday:  Some sort of chicken (artfully done, I'm sure) with red potatoes of some kind (probably roasted again, they are so yummy that way!)
Sunday:  ???  Probably potluck or sandwiches again after church, and then snacks/popcorn/leftovers for dinner (if we still have any leftovers by then)

I love having a plan.  It makes it that much easier to stick to it.  What's your menu plan for the week?