Menu Planning is something (when I do it) that keeps me accountable for using the fresh fruits & vegetables we have on hand, makes sure I plan enough fruits & vegetables into each day, provides enough variety on the  menu from day to day, and helps me get supper on the table in a timely manner every evening.

That said. I think it’s high time I got back in that habit don’t you think? This week’s menu is centered largely around the produce that we received in last week’s organic produce co-op share, as well as the additional produce items I purchased at the store and the meats that I have on hand in the freezer.  This week we’ll be trying one new recipe (the ground turkey soup) and leaning heavily on many of our regular “safe” meals.

Monday

Breakfast – Bagels, cream cheese, fresh strawberries
Lunch – Nacho Supremes (from Sunday’s leftover chipotle burrito fixings.)
Snack – Sliced sweet peppers, broccoli & ranch
Supper- Spaghetti, salad, garlic toast

Tuesday

Breakfast – Scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh cantaloupe
Lunch – Sandwiches, chips, broccoli florets
Snack – Bananas, yogurt, granola
Supper – Ground Turkey Soup (w/potatoes, carrots & barley)

Wednesday

Breakfast – Bagels, cream cheese, oranges & apples
Lunch – Baked potatoes w/ cheese, turkey bacon, sour cream & green onions
Snack – Fruit Salad (apples, grapes, kiwi, bananas, oranges)
Supper – Salisbury Steaks, baked yams, salad

Thursday

Breakfast – Cereal, bananas
Lunch – Sandwiches, chips, apple wedges
Snack – Cauliflower & carrot sticks w/ranch
Supper – Mini Meatloaves, steamed broccoli, red potatoes

Friday

Breakfast – Pancakes, turkey bacon, orange wedges
Lunch – Sandwiches, chips, carrot sticks & ranch
Snack – Peanut butter & crackers, apples
Supper- Grilled chicken salads, garlic bread

Saturday

Breakfast – Biscuits, gravy, turkey bacon, fruit
Lunch – Leftovers
Snack – Jello & fruit
Supper – Tacos, fresh salsa

Sunday

Breakfast – Oatmeal, toast, fruit
Lunch – Chili, Cornbread Muffins, veggies
Snack – Popcorn
Supper- Leftovers

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Laura, the Organizing Junkie.

Boy, it feels so good to be coming out of week long sickies spell! I finally have some energy to get some things done instead of just trying to get the bare minimum done to keep the house going. One of the first things I did was make a menu and grocery shopping list and head to the store. We’d stretched our pantry and freezer as far as it would go and we were basically OUT of anything that would go together for a meal. Monday’s “menu” isn’t really worth repeating so I’m starting with Tuesday. ;0)

Tuesday

• B- Cereal
• L- Sandwiches, string cheese, fruit
• Sn- Cheese, crackers, fruit
• Su- Chili Cheese Baked Potatoes

Wednesday

• B- eggs, bacon, toast, oranges
• L- Mac N’ Wienies, raw veggies
• Sn- yogurt & fruit
• Su- Crockpot Lasagna, salad

Thursday

• B- oatmeal & fruit
• L- hot dogs, chips, raw veggies
• Sn- mock “lunchables” & raw vegetables
• Su- Pork Lo Mein w/bok choy

Friday

• B- breakfast burritos
• L- sandwiches, chips, fruit, string cheese
• Sn- raw veggies & light ranch
• Su- salisbury steaks, crockpot cabbage & potatoes

Saturday

• B- biscuits, gravy, turkey bacon, fruit
• L- leftovers, raw veggies
• Sn- fruit salad
• Su- “Chipotle” style burritos

I’m finally getting around to making the pork lo mein! I had forgotten an ingredient on the last grocery shopping trip so I put it off. I didn’t get to make the Chicken Breast A l’Orange (next week) or crockpot cabbage and potatoes either. Apparently I did a horrible job on that last shopping trip and forgot a couple of key ingredients. Oops! But not this time, I got EVERYTHING on my list!! =0) I actually made a menu for the next two weeks (and grocery shopped for it) so next week’s menu plan monday is going to be so easy. And it’s a really good feeling to be so prepared to!

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Laura @I’m An Organizing Junkie!

Sunday:

B- Philly Fruity Bagels

L- Spicy Bean Wraps

Sn- Veggie Tray & Lite Ranch

Su- Breakfast for Dinner: Eggs, Bacon, Toast & Fruit

Monday:

B- Ham & Egg Wraps, Orange Wedges

L- “Chef” Salads (spinach, green lettuce, mushroom, turkey, boiled egg, cheese, lite ranch.)

Sn- Fruit Kaboba & Yogurt Dip

Su- Beefy Lentil Vegetable Soup (Modified) & Cornbread

Tuesday:

B-  Breakfast Bruschetta

L-  5 Minute Southwest Layered Salad

Sn- Fruit Smoothies

Su- Smoked Sausage, Ranch Beans, Veggies

Wednesday:

B- Scrambled Eggs, Toast, Turkey Bacon & Fruit

L- Tuna & Wheat Crackers, Baby Carrots

Sn- Lemon-Lime Berry Crush Smoothie (subbed w/real lemon and lime juice)

Su- Crockpot Turkey & White Bean Chili

Thursday:

B- Berry Banana Splits (With graham crackers instead of Teddy Grahams)

L- Bean & Cheese Quesadillas, Salsa & Sour Cream

Sn- Homemade “Lunchables”

Su- Creamy Chicken, Bacon & Tomato Pasta; Salad

Friday:

B- Oatmeal & Fruit

L- Turkey Sandwiches with spinach and tomato

Sn- Fresh Veggies & Lite Ranch Dressing

Su- Pork Lo Mein

Saturday:

B- Biscuits, turkey bacon, gravy, fruit (for Hubs. I’ll have yogurt & fruit)

L- Tacos & Fresh Pico de Gallo

Sn- Yogurt & Fruit

Su- Zesty Chicken & Pasta

Note: After having bought all the groceries for this menu — this is a lot of food! I bet I end up moving a bunch of this stuff to next week – we’ll see!

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by the Organizing Junkie!

So I had all these big plans. Plans to spend some time with my calendar and my bookmarks folder, plans to pull out all my healthy recipes from the past and whip us this awesome menu that would make your belly fat shrink and your mouth water.

Maybe next week.

Here’s this week’s menu instead.

Sunday:

Breakfast – Cereal

Lunch – Super Nachos

Supper – Tacos

Monday:

Breakfast – Biscuits, Gravy, Turkey Bacon (I’ll be having yogurt and fruit)

Lunch – Sandwiches, Veggies & Ranch

Supper – Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo & Salad

Tuesday:

Breakfast – Cereal

Lunch – Sandwiches, Fruit, String Cheese

Supper – Bean Soup & Smoked Sausage

Wednesday:

Breakfast – French Toast, Turkey Bacon, Fruit

Lunch – Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Supper – Chili & Cornbread

Thursday:

Breakfast – Cereal

Lunch – Sandwiches, Veggies & Ranch

Supper -Spaghetti & Salad

Friday:

Breakfast – Eggs & Bacon & Fruit

Lunch – Mac N Cheese, Wienies, Baby Carrots

Supper -Hamburgers, Chips, Potato Salad

Saturday:

Breakfast -Biscuits & Gravy, Fruit

Lunch – Chicken Noodle Soup

Supper – Beef Enchiladas, Spanish Rice

For more, hopefully inspiring, menu ideas visit Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

You can also browse my Recipes category.

It’s been SOOOOO long since I have done this!! And not only is it so important for good meal planning, and for wise money budgeting but it’s also important for making sure that we eat right, too. So I’m hopping right back in and getting on the meal planning horse again.

As always, I’ll plan meals for each day, but we often switch things around a lot as our whims and daily activities desire. In the end all these meals will be stocked, prepared and consumed in a somewhat organized manner.

Sunday

1. B~ Cereal, so we’re not late to church. ; )
2. L~ Turkey sandwiches on 7 grain wheat, baby carrots, string cheese, chips
3. S~ Breakfast for dinner: Wheat Oat Flax Pancakes with Blueberries & Almonds, turkey bacon

Monday

1. B~ 7 Grain french toast, fruit, yogurt
2. L~ Homemade “Lunchables” – ritz, turkey, cheese, apple wedges
3. S~ “Super” Nachos with salsa fresca and guacamole (I leave out the meat, go light on the chips and go heavy on the fresh veggies for a healthier version)

Tuesday

1. B~ Cereal & fruit
2. L~ Chef salads w/egg & deli meat
3. S~ 15 Bean Soup w/ Smoked Sausage, brown rice

Wednesday

1. B~ Oatmeal & fruit
2. L~ Bean & Cheese Quesadillas, with salsa fresca
3. S~ Spaghetti w/ Ronzoni Extra Fiber Pasta & Salad (with carrots, cucumbers, spinach etc.)

Thursday

1. B~ Eggs & bacon, toast & OJ
2. L~ Turkey sandwiches, apple wedges, chips
3. S~ Grilled chicken, corn, steamed broccoli

Friday

1. B~ Cereal
2. L~ Fried egg sandwiches, fruit
3. S~ Porcupine meatballs, ranch beans, salad, bread

Saturday

1. B~ Bread machine bicuits, gravy, turkey bacon, fruit
2. L~ leftovers, etc.
3. S~ “Salisbury steaks,” veggies, rice.

We have several fresh and frozen fruits to choose from with breakfasts and lunches so we can choose what we are in the mood for each day. We also have a snack every day and we’ll try to incorporate either fruits or veggies depending on what the menu for the rest of the day looks like. For snacks we have things like peanut butter and crackers, string cheese, fruit smoothies, yogurt and fruit, etc.

My version of “healthy” is a combination of eating more whole foods, increasing grains and fibers, eating a variety of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, eating balanced meals, monitoring portion control and limiting the amounts of processed foods and high fat or high sugar items. My husband still has certain foods/menus he refuses to give on so we often compromise where we can. It keeps things.. interesting. ; ) I think, though, that exercising regularly will allow for a certain amount of compromising here and there. We shall see. =)

This week I had to menu plan from the food I already bought, but next week I’m going to do it the other way around, and I’m going to revisit some of my healtheir recipes from the past to see I can get our menu even healthier than it is now!

Cooking becomes slightly more complicated when you can’t use your oven…. Here’s our menu for this week. Just keeping it simple!

Sunday – Simple Shepherd’s Pie (made in the microwave this time.)

Monday – Meatloaf patties (I’m kinda making this up since I can’t use my oven at the moment)

Tuesday – Tacos, Salsa Fresca

Wednesday – Grilled Chicken Salads

Thursday – Sloppy Joes

Friday – Breakast for Supper: Homemade waffles

Saturday – Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

That’s my own recipe for the Shepherd’s Pie, hope you like it. USUALLY a family favorite around here, as long as you don’t do this:

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Laura @ I’m an Organizing Junkie!