Meal Plan: 5/8 – 5/14

I should be cautious when I say this, but I think this might actually be a normal week for us.  (BAHAHAHAHA!  Now that I’ve said it, we all know Murphy’s Law will go into full-force, and it will be anything but normal!)

I had some great success with newer recipes today (Saturday 5/7)… some of which will be posted to the blog soon (potatoes! health(ier) biscuits!).  I also tried a new homemade bread recipe that was SO.MUCH.EASIER.  Not to mention, I sliced the bread… and no crumbling.  If you’ve been making bread by hand for any length of time, you know that this can be quite a feat.

Anyway, without much further ado…

SUNDAY:
Breakfast:  cereal, eggs, bananas
Lunch: not sure yet.  We may come home and have our traditional pasta, but with it being Mother’s Day I don’t really know the plan.
Dinner: guacamole grilled cheese (or just by the spoonful for me!)
Snacks, Other: make blueberry muffins… probably this recipe from Holistic Squid
Packed for Daughter’s lunch tomorrow: PBJ, cucumber slices, yogurt, applesauce

MONDAY:
Breakfast: leftover biscuits (from this recipe from The Elliott Homestead), cottage bacon, pineapple beet carrot juice (homemade)
Lunch: salads with extra bacon or pan-fried chicken breast, applesauce, yogurt
Dinner: chicken broccoli alfredo 
Snacks, Other: homemade granola (recipe soon!)
Packed for Daughter’s lunch tomorrow: homemade lunchable, carrots + peanut butter, home-canned pears

TUESDAY:
Breakfast: leftover blueberry pancakes from Ditch The Wheat (I added blueberries), homemade breakfast sausage (I use this recipe from Prairie Homestead… make a batch, freeze smaller portions in baggies), applesauce
Lunch: quesadillas with grilled chicken, carrot sticks
Dinner: grilled salmon, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts + bacon
Snacks, Other: Overnight chocolate oatmeal (for tomorrow morning!)
Packed for Daughter’s lunch tomorrow: leftover quesadillas, cucumbers, apple slices, blueberry muffin

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast: Overnight chocolate oatmeal, salmon+scrambled eggs+cream cheese+chives (leftover salmon from last night!)
Lunch: ham + cheese rollups, salads
Dinner: Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots
Snacks, Other: make homemade yogurt (I use this method from the Prairie Homestead, but use a dehydrator to maintain temperature instead)
Packed for Daughter’s lunch tomorrow: PB & J, Apple +spinach squeezy pack, yogurt

THURSDAY:
Breakfast: blueberry muffins, bacon, bananas
Lunch: leftover chicken and carrots
Dinner: Italian sausage in red sauce and zucchini (pasta for those inclined)
Snacks, Other: smoky roasted almonds (recipe soon!)
Packed for Daughter’s lunch tomorrow: leftover spaghetti, peaches, slices of cheese, muffin

FRIDAY:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, leftover oatmeal, apple slices
Lunch: peaches, leftovers from the fridge!
Dinner: cabbage stir fry, Korean beef from The Elliott Homestead
Snacks, Other: start bread with this recipe from Nourished Kitchen

SATURDAY:
Breakfast: einkorn waffles, bacon, fresh fruit
Lunch: homemade coleslaw, homemade bread (I tried this new method and loved it!), hotdogs
Dinner: bacon + green beans, homemade stuffing, paleo coconut chicken (new recipe I’m trying!)
Snacks, Other: prep breakfast for tomorrow morning!

Meal Plan 5/1 – 5/7

This month I’m trying something new.  I am trying to make more of my “cheap” meals right form the get-go.

I love to cook, and try new things, but sometimes this gets the best of me (and my budget) when creating that meal plan for the first full week of a month.  In other words… I hate that I’ve used up most of my budget so early and then have the STRETCH later.  So, I’m trying to STRETCH now, so maybe buying some funky ingredients later, or treating the girls to a not-so-cheap-but-healthier-than-conventional snack later in the month.

Also, check out the links – some of them are mine, many are links to recipes for other bloggers.  You should know that NOTHING I have planned for this week is new, I have made it ALL before and enjoyed it enough to do it again.

SUNDAY:
Breakfast: cinnamon toast, bacon, applesauce
Lunch: ham sandwiches with this grain-free wrap
Dinner: ravioli (except for me!), chicken thighs cooked in red sauce
Packed for Daughter’s lunch tomorrow: peanut butter jelly sandwich, strawberries, cucumber, slices of cheese

MONDAY:
Breakfast: leftover oatmeal (for family), greek omelette (eggs, spinach, oregano, feta), pineapple + beet + carrot juice
Lunch: quesadillas made with this this grain-free wrap, side salads with bacon
Dinner: homemade pizzas (GF crusts)
Snacks, Other: soak flour for biscuits tomorrow morning,
Packed for Daughter’s lunch tomorrow: leftover pizza, fresh fruit, yogurt, carrots

TUESDAY:
Breakfast: homemade biscuits, fried eggs, fresh fruit of choice
Lunch: salads with broiled chicken breasts
Dinner:  sloppy joes, sweet potatoes, green beans
Snacks, Other: make this apple spice bread
Packed for Daughter’s lunch tomorrow: leftover quesadillas, apples and carrots + PB

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast:  leftover apple spice bread, bacon, almonds
Lunch:  leftover sloppy joes, cucumbers
Dinner:  scrambled eggs, apple slices (we have a busy night!), popcorn for snacking
Packed for Daughter’s lunch tomorrow: homemade lunchable, cucumbers, pears

THURSDAY:
Breakfast:  leftover waffles, scrambled eggs, fruit
Lunch: salads – probably this cobb salad
Dinner: chicken thighs cooked in red sauce with zucchini, pasta for those inclined :) (soak kidney beans for cooking tomorrow)
Packed for Daughter’s lunch tomorrow: leftover pasta, fresh fruit, yogurt

FRIDAY:
Breakfast:  start cooking kidney beans, leftover biscuits (biscuit egg sandwiches), mangos
Lunch:   leftovers – clean out the fridge :)
Dinner: beer braised beef (over potatoes for those who want it), broccoli, macaroni cheese
Snacks, Other: soak flour for bread tomorrow

SATURDAY:
Breakfast: pumpkin spice oatmeal, bacon (Extra for tomorrow morning), fresh fruit
Lunch:  fresh bread, cucumbers, fresh fruit, hardboiled eggs
Dinner: rice + beans (cajun style), tilapia, roasted carrots

Meal Plan: 4/24 – 4/30

First of all… MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF RELIEF.  Dear daughter #1 is out of school on Spring Break and 1) I have a break from prepping lunches 2) I don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn.

I kind of feel that my meal plan this week is a little more than I’d usually do.  However, I’m out of grocery money this money, which means I have to cook from scratch, pull out of the freezer, etc. for whatever we want to eat.

Which is REALLY not a bad thing.  Holding yourself to a budget on food really holds to using up what you have instead of letting it rot or go to waste.

SUNDAY:

Breakfast: cereal, eggs, fresh fruit, almonds

Lunch: ravioli, red sauce, chicken cooked in sauce. (THIS IS NOT A HEALTH FOOD! My ravioli comes straight out of the freezer section at the store. I’m in an Italian family that will not foresake their Sunday lunch tradition. :) )

Dinner:  sausage, white bean, kale soup.  Zucchini bread

MONDAY:

Breakfast: waffles + bacon, carrot + beet + pineapple juice (homemade)  (I make a big batch of waffles then freeze them off into gallon baggies to pull out)

Lunch: lunchmeat sandwiches (I just roll up the meat with lettuce and skip the bread), carrot sticks, pears

Dinner: italian sausages, pasta in olive oil/garlic, sun dried tomatoes, side roasted red peppers … soak and prep white beans for tomorrow

TUESDAY:

Breakfast:  leftover zucchini bread, eggs, fresh fruit,

Lunch: leftovers from last night’s dinner, cucumber slices, apple sauce

Dinner:  BBQ chicken, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrot sticks, brownies

WEDNESDAY:

Breakfast: toast, cottage bacon, pears

Lunch: leftover chicken/grilled cheese sandwiches, vanilla shakeology + spinach and berries

Dinner:  homemade pizza – using http://www.mommypotamus.com/grain-free-pizza-recipe/ this time :)

THURSDAY:

Breakfast: granola, yogurt, frozen berries

Lunch:  beet, carrot, pineapple juice + leftover pizza (if none leftover, will make macaroni cheese)

Dinner:  steaks, potatoes, carrots, green beans + bacon

FRIDAY:

Breakfast: overnight pumpkin oatmeal, bacon, fresh fruit

Lunch:  chili (I make a big batch then freeze into smaller containers to pull out when I need a filler!)

Dinner:  chicken wings, stuffed peppers (stuffed with rice), broccoli. Prepping flour for bread tomorrow

SATURDAY:

Breakfast: waffles , scrambled eggs

Lunch: pig dogs (from Ithaca’s The Piggery), fresh bread, cucumbers

Dinner: chicken cordon bleu, french potatoes, green beans

I’m not a chef for every dish.

We eat boiled broccoli, potatoes that were “baked” in the microwave and pan-fried chicken topped with a pre-bought BBQ sauce.  (I do make a great homemade one.  But I’m not making it all the time.)

Yes, you read that RIGHT.

Did you know we also eat cereal in this house?  And I, on occasion buy FRUIT SNACKS.

I know there are probably real gasps, real shudders, and real giggles.

The giggles come from other people that are pushing through the same kinds of things I am: an overabundance of information, often conflicting information on what’s good and what isn’t, a schedule that is stuffed full of LOTS of other things, and a food budget that is constrictive.

You can either have extra time and extra money, but you will sacrifice your health because you’re eating cheap stuff.  You’re to have “extra” health (a.k.a. good health) and extra time, but no extra money.  (In other words, you spend a lot of money on convenient healthier foods to maintain health and time.)  You could have extra great health, and extra money, but it will be at the expense of your time.  (Last example: you will have a healthy diet, and not use all your money on your healthy food, but it’s because you’re spending your TIME in the kitchen making stuff from scratch.)

So do you see this conundrum?  As my wise husband says, “You can have what you want, but you can’t have everything.”  This is this tricky balance of healthy foods, money, and time.  And I can’t win all the time on everything, and neither can you.

I L-O-V-E to cook.  Cooking is a hobby for me, but it’s not gourmet all the time every time.  Who can afford to spend all the time they want on their hobbies?  Yeah, me either.

You don’t have to eat all these meals that take hours to create in order to eat healthily.  And I know this because I DO THIS.  I have only so much time, only so much money.  And I intend to demonstrate it… I bringing back the meal plans, y’all.

This is just as much for me as it is for you.  Way back in the day, when I posted these weekly, I was held accountable.  I felt that I needed to keep my word.  And I need that kind of financial and health accountability back.

And it’s for you… because you need to know and believe that real food CAN be purchased, made and consumed with limited time and money.  This isn’t the sphere for just the rich and free-of-time.  It’s for the average-day people trying to do the best they can with what they have.

…..

And yes, sometimes that means fruit snacks.  (Ok, so they are the “healthy” ones, but really, y’all… fruit snacks will probably never be a health food.  Just sayin’.  Unless you make these.)

Much Love,

Sarah

Meal Ideas – 8/30/14

Hiya! Won’t call this a meal plan, because it sounds crazy regimented, and my schedule (as of late) has had to have much flexibility.  Add in a couple of CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture – where I get a share of the crop/harvest/butchering that week), and it just HAS to be flexible.  Summer is a bountiful season! But you don’t always know what you’re going to get or what you’re going to find.

As a refresher – the overarching concept is that the foods we choose are processed as little as possible, and that it agrees with our bodies – someone can’t do milk, gluten, etc., so please pay attention to what you can and can’t do! (We also avoid all GMOs.)

BREAKFAST:

Every meal will probably have one from each category –

Meats:

Summer Vegetable Frittata (will be subbing in traditional tomatoes)

Scrambled Eggs

Bacon

Homemade Breakfast Sausage (I make a big batch and then just pull it out as I need it!)

Fruits/Vegetables:

Smoothies

Fresh fruit of choice

Topping off eggs – I’ll throw onions, tomatoes, peppers, etc., on the morning eggs

Breads:

Soaked Biscuits

Toast with this Soaked Bread

Coconut Flour Pancakes

French toast sticks

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

A cleaned up version of Spiced Yogurt Muffins (plan to sub in sprouted wheat, rapadura for sugar, and full fat yogurt. Hoping it works!)

LUNCH:

Every meal will probably have one from each category –

Main:

Peanut butter jelly sandwiches with this Soaked Bread

Shredded chicken sandwiches with this BBQ sauce and this Soaked Bread

Ham, cheese, tomato wrap with this grain-free version

Scrambled Eggs

Apple with peanut butter slices

Garbage-free, Chic-Fil-A copy cat recipe (I make a bunch and reheat)

Chic-Fil-A Grilled Chicken and Zesty Vinaigrette Salad

ALWAYS leftovers from prior nights’ meals

Fruit/vegetable choice:

Chop Salad

Smoothies

Fresh fruit of choice

Pepper, cucumber or carrot slices with one of these dressings or this dip

Sides (optional):

GMO-free french fries (important because of the oils they use!)

Homemade yogurt with jam and maple syrup

Leftover bread product from breakfast (if there’s not already a carb in the meal)

DINNER:

Main Dish:

Summer Coq au Vin (remember real food conversions! Arrowroot works as a great sub for the often-over-processed and not-so-good for you all-purpose flour)

Steak with this spice rub (I made a batch of it and keep pulling from it – I subbed rapadura for brown sugar and it works well!)

Garbage-free, Chic-Fil-A copy cat recipe, probably with Potato Leek Soup

One pan sausage with rice and peppers

Steak with this spice rub (I made a batch of it and keep pulling from it – I subbed rapadura for brown sugar and it works well!)

Beef Stew

Fried Rice loaded up on chicken and shrimp

Fruit/Veggies:

Roasted garlic scapes with parmesan

Cabbage Stir-Fry

Roasted carrots

Small chop salad

Onion Peas

Sides (optional):

Bacon wrapped sweet potatoes

Coconut Flour Cheese Biscuits

Tri-Color Sage Potatoes

SNACKS:

Homemade beef jerky

Fruit chips – basically, dehydrated fruit – will be trying out some berries and bananas (bananas require a tiny bit of prep before throwing them on the dehydrator – will be trying this method)

Homemade caramel corn (junk free!)

Soaked whole grain crackers

Soaked pumpkin granola (I will be omitting the nuts this time around and adding more oats. Trying to convince my texture-averted kid this is an okay food, then I’ll start working in small amounts of nuts.)

Coconut flour zucchini bread