Meal Plan

Feels so good to be over morning sickness! I like to plan out our menus and do the grocery shopping myself. I'm back to normal now but having pregnancy cravings here and there.

 Like smoothies! I got a Ninja Blender for Christmas and I've been making smoothies almost daily. It's a great way for me to eat my fruit & yogurt. Also gives me some energy in the afternoon! 

 We always buy Nathan's Hot dogs and these buns are the best! 

 Trying out this stuffed chicken recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up! Link down below. Looks so good.

Our Meal Plan

1. Hot dogs with fries.
2. Thai Tom Kha Soup...excited for this new recipe! My sister Jaley found me some lemongrass. 
3. Smokey Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Asparagus Rice Pilaf. (one of my favorite rice recipes!)
4. Cheeseburger Flat bread Melts

Breakfast- waffles, biscuits, sausage gravy

Lunch- turkey sandwiches, PBJ's or leftovers

Snacks- fruit, smoothies. Love Paula Deen's Pina Colada Smoothie recipe! I use soy coconut milk instead of canned. Makes it healthier I think.

What are you cooking this week? 

My Meal Plan

We still have one dinner left from last week to make, the Chicken Marsala with crispy potatoes. Feels good to be prepared & ready to grocery shop before the pantry is empty. This week I've planned 6 dinners. I usually eat leftovers for lunch or make something simple that I have on hand. The kids usually eat a PBJ or corn dog with fruit and chips.

Dinners-

Slow cooker Salsa Chicken with rice

Chicken & Dumplings. I made this recipe today for my mom since she has a cold. I had one taste before I dropped it off, very good!

Chicken Sausage Hot Dogs, baked beans and kettle chips

Parmesan Tilapia with angel hair pasta & green beans. My sister made this last week and it looks nice and cheesy :)

Turkey Sausage with cheese ravioli and alfredo sauce with salad. One of the easiest go-to meals ever! Just brown up turkey sausage then cook frozen cheese ravioli and mix with a jar of alfredo sauce.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Trying out these Cheesy Quinoa Cakes for lunch one day. Found on pinterest.

This weekend Violet & I will be making peanut butter eggs. Should be similar to Reece's!

Also, making French Toast & Bacon this weekend. Violet & Zander love french toast.

Thank you Organized Junkie for hosting! Lots of meal plans over there :)

Meal Plan for this week

Yes, meal plan is done! That always makes me happy. I'm such a mom :) I've been grocery shopping in the middle of the week lately. Beats the crowds that go on the weekend.


Dinners will be-

Chicken Marsala with crispy potatoes. I'm hoping this will taste similar to Olive Garden's.

Lettuce Wraps with ground turkey

French Dip Sandwiches with baked potato wedges

Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork with rice

Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Roll Ups with Garlic Parmesan Edamame

I'm also making a batch of sausage breakfast burritos. And making Avalanche Bars with Violet this weekend. We have been baking together consistently on weekends. She loves it!
This is making me hungry. I need to go to bed. I've tracked my calories with My Fitness Pal for the past 22 days. I've lost a couple pounds. I really believe you can eat good food, workout & lose weight. I'm sure I would lose more if I did harder & longer workouts. But that is hard to do with 2 little ones at home with me. I'll get there if I stay consistent :)

Have a good night blog world!

(all the photos above belong to the recipe owners)

Weekly Meal Plan

pic from Spiral Bakes.com

Dinners-

Cheese Tortellini, Chicken Smoked Sausage & Alfredo Sauce with rolls. (New family favorite! this is so easy. Just use frozen tortellini and a jar of Alfredo sauce. Slice & brown up the smoked sausage. Stir all together. Not much prep involved.)

Chicken Pillows with corn.

Lasagna Soup with ciabotta bread.

S.O.P.P. (Chicken Sausage, onions, peppers & potatoes.)Simple and delicious. Served with a side salad.

Steak, peirogies and salad.

Breakfast- french toast sticks or sausage roll-new freezer friendly recipe!

Lunches- Southwestern Egg Rolls (Freezing some for Christmas) leftovers, nuggets or sandwiches for the kiddos.

Sweets- Colorful Spiral Cookies from Spiral Bakes. these cookies are so festive. Hope mine turn out cute!

Go to Organized Junkie for more dinner ideas!

New Dinner Recipe-Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry

Last week I came across this recipe on food.com. I had boneless pork chops that needed to be cooked and this recipe had a short list of ingredients that I had on hand. Love when life works out like that. For even faster food prep try using already minced garlic and ginger. I found the jarred ginger at HEB. Don't you love the smell of ginger? I do! My husband and daughter said they would like to eat this for dinner again.

~Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry~

2/3 cup soy sauce. I will use low sodium next time.
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T. cornstarch
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes-optional. my 4 year old thought it was a little spicy.
1 pound of boneless pork cut into thin strips
1.5 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup minced onion
1 T. olive oil

optional- make a pot of rice

1. In a large bowl whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar & 1 T. cornstarch.
2. Add ginger, garlic & red pepper to the sauce.
3. Put pork in the sauce & marinate for 15 minutes.
4. Turn skillet on medium high heat. Add olive oil and then saute onions and broccoli. I added a splash of water to help soften the broccoli. Cook until onions are soft. Remove broccoli & onions and set aside.
5. Now cook the pork. Once the pork is browned. Add the rest of sauce and bring to a boil. Let cook until the sauce has thickened. At least one minute. Then combine the broccoli with pork.
Enjoy over rice.

Weekly Meal Plan

Now that I've made it a habit to do a weekly meal plan and grocery list. I want to start a Household Binder. I think that would help me to get organized and stay on top of chores. I get my cleaning inspiration from FlyLady, Organized Junkie and IHeartOrganizing. Time to start implementing those ideas!

Here's our meals for the week.

Zuppa Toscana Soup with bread. (roll over from last week)

Meat Pie with Glazed Carrots (trying a friend's recipe-her blog)

Crock Pot Italian Cream Cheese Chicken with rice, veggies & garlic bread

Skillet Pork Chops with Quinoa Broccoli Cheese Casserole (If this casserole is good I'll be making it for Thanksgiving)

Stuffed Zucchini with turkey sausage and Butter Rice

Lunches- leftovers or Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Breakfast- waffles, fruit or breakfast burritos

Visit Organized Junkie for more dinner ideas!

Weekly Meal Plan

(source:weightwatchers)

(source:kevinandamanda)

(my photo & recipe)

I took my time this week getting the meal plan ready. Still had 2 meals left over from last week to cook. Got my grocery shopping done today and now have a full fridge. That's always nice!

Dinners~
Crusted Honey Mustard Chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes

Calzones and side salad

Applebee's Cheese Chicken Tortilla Soup

Soft Beef Tacos with rice

My Zuppa Toscana Soup

Lunches will be leftovers, sandwiches or lean pockets.

Breakfast will be Savory Biscuits, fruit or waffles.

For more ideas go to Organized Junkie!

Weekly Meal Plan

Today was a busy day for our family. I did some more decorating in the new house. My husband worked on setting up the media room. Got the kids dressed up for Fall Fest and a little trick or treating. It was a great day! Ready to have a productive week. I'm trying to have my house look homey & "more us" by Zander's first birthday at the end of November. On to the meal plan!

Chicken fried steak, gravy, mashed potatoes & broccoli.~this will be a first for me. I've made chicken fried chicken before but not this.

Philly Cheesesteaks with homemade baked fries.

Spaghetti & Meatballs (frozen from Target. my 4yr old sampled them in the store & said they were awesome!), green beans and garlic bread.

Tator Tot Casserole with ground turkey & side salad.~family fave!

Heather's Quinoa with sauteed chicken tenders.~made this before with tofu and we didn't like it. But the flavor of the quinoa was excellent.

Breakfast will be waffles, fruit or Savory Breakfast Muffins which can be frozen.

Lunch- leftovers or sandwiches.

For more dinner ideas head over to Organized Junkie!

ps. I used ZIPLIST to save my recipes and compile a grocery list this week. It's awesome! Works a little like pinterest since you can "pin" a recipe and it moves all the ingredients to a grocery list for you.

Meal Plan for the Week

I'm very proud of myself for making a meal plan today! It's been about a month since the last one. We just moved into our new home a few weeks ago and I've been making short trips to the store without a planned list lately.

Breakfast- homemade breakfast burritos to freeze, waffles, fruit

Lunches- Leftovers, Pepperoni Roll Ups, Barbecue Meatballs

Dinners-

Weight Watcher's Broccoli & Sausage Casserole with a side salad~family fav!

Pineapple Chicken Curry over Jasmine Rice

My Grandma's Creole Pork Chops with Roasted Butternut Squash & Potatoes~we love this! I'll post my Grandma's recipe once I get a picture of the pork chops.

Beef Taco Soup with cheese, sour cream & tortilla chips

Sweets- Betty Crocker Brownies & Cowboy Oatmeal Cookies to take to playgroup

For more meal ideas go to Organized Junkie!

Meal Plan for September 19-25

Running a little behind this week. Matt was off work on monday so we went to eat at Chili's. Then I made curry on tuesday that I never got around to making last week. I do most of my shopping at HEB. I noticed this morning they were not making their fresh tortillas yet. I hunted down an employee to ask when they would start. Ha! They really are the best tortillas. She said the tortilla machine broke over the weekend. So, I had to buy prepackaged tortillas. Sadness!

Anyway. Here's my plan for the week!

1.Turkey Soft Tacos with chips n salsa ~my recipe

2.Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts with a simple salad. (pic from kevinandamanda)

3.Caramelized Honey Dijon Chicken, Pasta Salad & PW's Rosemary Rolls (mom made these rolls recently and they are absolutely wonderful)

4. My Mom's Chinese Chicken Salad

Lunches will be sandwiches, leftovers or this soup.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup- Panera Style for lunches. (pic from myblessedlife)

Goodie for the week- No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

Linking up to Organized Junkie!

Menu Plan for the Week

I really like posting my meal plans for the week. Makes me accountable for having a plan and sticking to the grocery list.

Dinners~

Creamy Chicken Florentine with a salad. (Recipe from Philly Cooking Creme)
Hashbrown Porkchop Casserole with green beans.
Mary's Meatloaf, roasted potatoes & salad.
Coconut Chicken Curry over rice.
Chicken Taco Soup with tortilla chips.

Lunches~

BLT Bites, Leftovers, Sandwiches & "Chickfila" nuggets

Snacks~

Dried Strawberries, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chips n Salsa, Veggies n Ranch

Linking up to Meal Plan Monday!

Meal Plan for the Week of July 25, 2011

Just finished creating my meal plan for the week. What a relief! Makes me feel so much better about how the week will go. Tonight I didn't have a plan and I thawed out some ground turkey. As I'm browning the turkey my 8 month old was in the jumperRoo. He was really fussy and was doing the "rescue me mommy" look. So, I was going back and forth entertaining the turkey and my baby ;) Then I noticed the turkey smelled funky and I threw it out. Was not gonna risk anyone getting sick! Was one of those days! Then I started over cooking a different meal.

1. Ham & Cheese Biscuits with hash browns and fruit.

2. Chicken Pesto French Bread Sandwich with side salad.

3. Caramel Apple Pork Chops, mashed potatoes and green beans.

4. Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos with black beans. I've been seeing these all over the interwebs, can't wait to try them!

5. Spicy Honey Chicken Thighs, corn on the cob and rolls.

Lunches will be leftovers or chicken salad with crackers. I'm also making a batch of babyfood for Zander..maybe summer squash with pasta.

I'm linking up with Organized Junkie!

Weekly Meal Plan for July 11-17

Slow Cooker Chicken Tostadas with Mexican Rice.

Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken over Pasta with Garlic Bread. *family fav*

Pineapple Pork Chops with Sesame Noodles. (rolling over from last week)

Ground Turkey Mushroom Soft Tacos with baked fries.

Chicken Cordon Blue, mashed potatoes and salad.

breakfast- granola bars or waffles.

lunch- chicken tenders or BLT's

I'm linking up with the Organized Junkie!

Weekly Meal Plan for July 4-10

Trying something new! I'm linking up with The Organizing Junkie to share my meal plan for the week. I've been meal planning for a while now. But this looks like a fun way to share my menu and get ideas from others.

I've planned out 5 dinners. This weekend is Violet's birthday party so I have a whole different menu for that as well. Then Sunday is our 2nd wedding anniversary. Thinking we will go out to eat or get take out.

I don't assign specific days to the meals because we just pick off the list what sounds good that day.

1. Giada's Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage Broccoli Rabe, side salad and rolls.

2. Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches with baked fries.

3. Tostadas made with leftover shredded beef with mexican rice.

4. Crock Pot Creamy Italian Chicken over rice with garlic bread.

5. Pineapple Pork Chops with Sesame Noodles.

Breakfast~ I made a large batch of breakfast burritos and froze in baggies to reheat. And bought a chocolate chip muffin mix to make.

Ready for this fun & busy week!

Jill

Grocery List and Budget

Thought I'd share my meal plan for the week. First, this is what I do before going to the grocery store. I pick out around 5 recipes for dinners for the week. I like to use the shopping list option on Allrecipes. I don't only use their recipes. You can customize your list and it's free! Makes getting through the store so much easier and quicker by grouping items into categories. Once I've done that. I then add random items to the list like milk or eggs.

Here's a close-up of my current list.

Today I went and did my produce/fruit shopping at the Mexican grocery store up the street. They usually have a better selection than Walmart. I spent 7.00 there. Then I went to Walmart and bought the rest that was on the list. When I have a shorter list I'll go to Albertson's or if I clip coupons. As you can see I spent 83.00 at Walmart. I'm not ecstatic about that. I like to spend 70 max for the week.

On this trip I needed cleaning supplies. So, that was another 6.00. I like to stick to the list. I do allow myself little splurges. This week it was Klondike bars and marinated olives!

My combined grocery total (after subtracting cleaning stuff) for the week was 84.00. Not too terrible.

Meal Plan

1. Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad
2. Stuffed Peppers and Mashed Potatoes
3. Island Shrimp & Rice with Bread
4. French Dip Sandwiches with Baked Fries
   

These are meals that I will for sure make. The rest I make up as I go by what's in the fridge.

I'd like to challenge myself and get more creative with my grocery bill. So, I'll try to blog about it more often!

Week 5 Meal Planning

It's almost week 5! The weight is coming off slowly but surely. Last week I did not work out. Well, lets say playing in the snow and rolling a huge snowball was a workout. But other than those two days, I got nothing!

I got a new cookbook that I'm really pumped to start using. It's by the same girl who does the Biggest Loser cookbooks. Everything in her book looks rich, savory and delicious! Very different from the pictures in the Eat Clean cookbook, lol. I think I will use recipes from The Most Decadent Diet Ever for week 6.



1. Italian Sausage Soup with bread (378 cal)

2. 15 min. Turkey Chili over Baked Potatoes.

3.Stuffed Chicken Breast with Citrus Marinade (172 cal) with Onion Rice (147 cal) and green beans. I'm most excited about this dish this week, yeeHAW!

4. Tator Tot Casserole with ground turkey (400 cal) I'm ashamed to admit I like this cheap-kid food. But it's good and healthy if done right.

5. Pan-Glazed Chicken and couscous with Tosca's EC Sesame Roasted Broccoli and Green Beans (111 cal)


Breakfast options will be granola bars or homemade egg mcmuffins. We are burnt out on breakfast burritos! For lunch I've been eating wraps made with low carb tortillas.

I'm down 7 pounds. My fourth weigh- in is this coming Tuesday. 9 pounds down on 4th weigh in. You can do this! Do cardio this week, no excuses :)

My Caterer

Yay! Another thing to check off THE LIST!

Here's her site- http://www.castyourbreadcatering.com/photo.asp#

Our Menu

Appetizers

Assorted Cheese with Brie
Fresh Fruit
Crackers

Dinner

Smoked Brisket
Fried Chicken with Peach Sauce
Creamed Corn
Rolls
Mandarin & Feta Spring Salad
Mashed Potato Bar

Matt's aunt used to cater weddings. She has offered to bring us a chocolate fountain. Yummy chocolate! My mom and I tried all the dinner food yesterday. The chicken was so moist and nicely seasoned. The caterers just loved my mom and think she needs to be a wedding planner! Lol, I think she should too.