Meal Plan

So, I went shopping a day early this week and cut off one meal from my last meal plan. Since it was pancakes and eggs I can get away with that. :) So having a meal plan doesn't necessarily box you into eating that during that particular night, its just helpful. I will switch things around as suited.  I didn't really fill out the breakfast area too differently this week, though I usually do try and switch things up a bit/add new things. I did 10 hours of homework straight on Sunday, so I really didn't want to look at the computer any longer than necessary this week.

This week I'm planning on highlighting three recipes and showing how easy one other process is. I'll be giving the recipes for my pastries (though I stole the recipe from my other friend named Melissa, thank you by the way!) they're similar to a toaster strudel, but they're (mostly) homemade and come out of the oven. You can make them entirely homemade, but having two kids I don't always have time to make my own dough. These cheats save over an hour of time, so they're definitely worth it.

I'll also be giving the recipe for my pork chops, but I'm not quite sure which ones I'm going to make yet. So I'll post more details about that after they're made.

I also want to highlight a food option (meatless, how cool is that?) that I don't feel people make enough in their own homes. Falafel. Its seriously easy to make, extremely delicious, and if you cheat and buy the box mix a quick option too. I'm planning on take some pictures of the making process (no fryer required, just a fry pan and some veggie oil) and also some serving options. Since a lot of people don't  make it, some people are really stumped with what to do with it. I can also include my tzatiki sauce, which is delicious with it.

So here's my meal plan for the week.

Some other tips for  meal planning:

*Know your schedule and plan accordingly. My husband has a doctors appointment in Richmond today, so I'm keeping it simple. While I can cook with my two kids stuck to my legs like barnacles, its nice just to  keep it simple. So I'm having sandwiches and salad for dinner. Higher in sodium than I like, but its only one meal. The rest of the weak balances that out.

*Holes in the schedule are okay. Saturday and Sunday I'm not sure what I'm making for breakfast. I have a box of pancake mix in the cabinet for mornings like this. Or if I'm tired, cereal and fruit it is.

*Breakfast can be any meal. Egg in a hole sandwich (ignore my spelling on my spreadsheet, I didn't spell chick it) is delicious, and the kids think its cool. I just use whatever cookie cutter shape they like at the moment, and put cook the egg in the hole. I'll post some pictures this week.

*Do baking all at once if possible. On Thursday I'm planning on  making french bread pizza (it says pockets, but the dough wasn't on sale this week) So while I'm baking my pizzas for lunch, I can be preparing my pastries and just throw them in right after the pizza is done. Breakfast for the next morning: done. All I need to do in the morning is reheat and serve.

*Some times I don't know my side dishes. It depends whats in the cabinet, what we have laying around, or what I feel like cooking. Ergo Monday's question mark.

*Ask your families input. My brain was seriously fried when I did this (ergo misspellings) and I had a hole on Thursday night and I did NOT want to shop until I filled it. So I asked my husband and he jumped on the chance to beg for the enchiladas again (they're his favorite of the moment)

*Ready made meal options are okay every once and awhile. So I'm not totally proud of it, but some mornings handing my kids pop tarts is all I can really muster. I  just try and make sure the majority of their week has less sugar than that.

Monkey Wrench in the Plans

So, David wasn't able to ship out this time. This changed my entire food list. I've had to go back and re-work everything. So, here's my first week plan. Things are a little crazy with a tight budget, and I've got a fussy toddler who only eats certain things now, so there isn't a large variety, especially with breakfast and lunch. This will change over the next few weeks. I like to think of this as an evolving work in progress. These are some really simple dishes, making my oven work over time this week. None of these involve anything special or complicated. Next week, when things settle down I'm planning on putting a few of my favorites, such as homemade baked potato soup. This is also really simple, and sooo much better than from a can, so please check me out again next week.

Some tips for making your own food plan:

1. Start on the day you go shopping. I shop on Wednesdays or Thursdays, so my list will always start there.
2. Use the freshest food first. This applies to meats AND veggies. My chicken and beef dishes are in the beginning of the week, and my fish toward the end, as I'm using a frozen variety this week. For the veggies, I use the salad first, then my root veggies, before going to the frozen veggies at the end of the week.
3. Give yourself a no cooking day. Mine is Friday this week. Cereal for breakfast, Peanut Butter and Jelly for lunch, and then ordering out for dinner. Mom's work 24/7, I like having a day out of the kitchen once and awhile.
4. Waffles are my quick go to for a hot breakfast for mornings after I've been up doing homework late (or watching Grey's Anatomy, hence Friday being no cooking day!)
5. Normally I don't do so many pre-made lunch meals in a row, but its been a crazy few weeks, and sometimes we just need a break!
6. When you put something on the list, you can type out a shopping list at the same time. Mine are usually on the same spreadsheet.
7. If you want to save paper and ink, you can skip printing it, and keep your food list in a folder or save it as your background picture.
8. If you run out of ideas, breakfast for dinner is ALWAYS a hit!

Here's a quick idea of how I do mine without further ado.

Any questions or suggestions please email me at Melissa.Brook@hotmail.com

If anyone wants the recipes for how I prepare things please feel free to email me! Eventually I'll work up to adding them all on here as a database sort of thing. (For examples, my pop tarts are homemade, and easily done! as are my mashed potatoes, and baked carrots.