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Menu | 3.25.2019

As I made my menu this week, I kept getting pulled towards salads. Fresh veggies. Crunchy things. So we are going with that.

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I didn’t get around to making this last week so I’ll keep it on the menu this week….Pesto Chicken. I may even make this ahead of time and serve it chilled, more like a salad with the tomatoes and mozzarella.

Italian Chopped Salad

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Beans and Rice

 

Menu | 8.1.2017

We’ve had some crazy high temps here lately. Like triple digit hot. I actually don’t mind it too much. I’d much rather be warm than cold. It does keep me from wanting to do a lot of cooking though or turning on the oven. This week my goal is to find recipes that are not only easy but summer friendly. And maybe the kiddos will even eat them too. One can hope.

Trader Joe’s fish nuggets with veggies

Have ya’ll tried any of TJ’s frozen foods? We visit maybe once a month and I usually stock up on 3 or 4 different things. They are nice to have in the freezer as back up meals. We tried their turkey corn dogs this past week and yum! We also like their Mandarin Orange Chicken and Fried Rice with chicken.

One Pot Ranch Chicken and Rice

Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Leftover Night!

Pizza Night – another yummy frozen option from Trader Joe’s

Looks like I am going Instant Pot heavy this week! If you haven’t added this tool to your kitchen yet, you are missing out!

And my menu went through a bit of a change on Monday night when I realized I forgot to pause Hello Fresh AND Blue Apron deliveries. So those will be our weekend meals and thankfully a friend is taking the Hello Fresh off my hands.

Took this photo a week ago when Oma was here for a visit.

Menu | 7.12.2017

I have not felt like cooking in forever. Our dinners have consisted of eggs, beans, frozen meals, pancakes, chicken salad or pizza. Maybe it’s just the busy summer days or the heat. Or maybe I am just lazy. Haha! I don’t want to make big messes or clean them up. I am trying to be ok with the current state of things too. My boys don’t complain and to be honest, they prefer the simple meals anyway.

One Pan Crispy Chicken

Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas

IP Beans with rice and toppings

Use leftover beans for Crunchy Bean and Cheese Tacos (like a quesadilla)

One Pot Zucchini Mushroom Pasta

Hot Dogs

Photo taken at Ivywild School in Colorado Springs. Gem of a spot for lunch or afternoon snack!

Menu | Week of 5.22.2017

When I sit down to put a menu together, I usually will look at my calendar to see what the week ahead looks like, how busy it will be, what things are going on in the evenings. These all factor into how “fancy” I will or will not make the menu. Budget is also a factor. How’s the grocery budget looking? Are we getting close to the max amount I want to spend this month? How can I create a menu to be more frugal or budget friendly?

This is the last full week of May so I may err on the side of frugal and keep things simple. It’s not too busy of a week but I find that I like to keep dinners simple anyway so I don’t have a ton of prep work or cleanup. That post nap/pre-dinner can be a little nuts around here.

Gluten Free Meatloaf Muffins

Avocado Pasta with chicken (make extra chicken for a leftovers meal)

Instant Pot Lemon Pepper Salmon

Breakfast Tacos

Leftovers

I am going to keep at the meal prep for my lunches. It’s been great having a salad ready to go that I can add extra toppings to. I will probably use leftover meatloaf muffins for lunches. For James’ lunches he takes a bowl sandwich – chopped lettuce, deli meat, tomatoes and a pickle. It’s a pretty easy thing to throw together in the morning or the night before if I am feeling productive.

I’ve gotten better at making snacks for the boys too which has cut back on having to buy snack bars and other pre-packaged items. I am still making the granola bars but may try something a little different when they run out. I also made a batch of these muffins yesterday which they love.

So, that’s the menu for this week! Now that it’s complete, I am going to create a grocery list and give HEB curbside pick up a try tomorrow.
 

Salmon, Avacado & Sweet Potato Kale Salad

I found this recipe on Pinterest but it comes from a Buzz Feed post for a GetFit Challenge. There were five salad recipes but I chose the salmon salad to make and it was amazing! It was so simple, so fresh but full of flavor. I thought I’d re-post the recipe here for others and for me to find again later on.

Makes 1 serving

For this recipe you need to roast a salmon fillet. If you want, you can roast several 6-ounce fillets at once, then eat leftover fillets for other lunches and dinners. Leftover roasted salmon will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS
1 6-ounce fillet salmon, skinless
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
2 ¼-inch slices of lemon
juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup kale leaves, stems removed, leaves sliced into ribbons ½-inch thick (I used baby kale)
½ cup roasted sweet potato cubes (recipe below)
⅓ avocado, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
½ English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped dill (optional, but recommended)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves

If you’re on the 1,400 or 1,700 calorie plan: Prepare this recipe as written. 519 calories, 23 g fat (3.8 g saturated fat), 29 g carbohydrate (9.7 g dietary fiber, 9.2 g sugars), 49 g protein
If you’re on the 2,000 or 2,300 calorie plan: increase to 1 ½ cups kale and ¾ cup roasted sweet potato. 595 calories, 23 g fat (3.8 g saturated fat), 46 g carbohydrate (12.4 g dietary fiber, 15.1 g sugars), 51 g protein

PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Season the salmon fillet with a little bit of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper on all sides. Lay the lemon slices next to each other on the baking sheet, then place the seasoned salmon fillet on top of the lemon slices. Roast in the preheated oven until the salmon is opaque on the outside and flakes easily with a fork, but still pink on the inside. A salmon fillet 1-inch thick will take about 8 minutes to cook; a thicker fillet will take about an additional 4 minutes per extra ½-inch of thickness. Let the salmon cool at least 5 minutes, then cut it into 1-inch cubes.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Whisk the mixture, then add the olive oil while continuing to whisk. Add the kale ribbons and use your hands to massage the vinaigrette into the kale until it starts to soften, about 30 seconds. Add avocado, roasted sweet potato cubes, cucumber, and herbs, and toss everything together.
Transfer to a bowl and top with the cubed salmon. If you cooked the salmon ahead of time, it’s fine to eat it cold in the salad.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Makes about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS
½ teaspoon olive oil
2 medium sweet potatoes
pinch of kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush the parchment with the olive oil.
Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, then cut them into ½-inch cubes. Spread the cubed sweet potatoes out over the baking sheet and season them with a little bit of salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven until they’re soft and lightly browned, 20-25 minutes.
Let the sweet potatoes cool slightly before eating; cool leftovers completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Menu | Week of 5.8.17

I have been seeing this Whole30 thing for a while now and want to give it a try this week. It’ll be a “light” version as I just want to dip my toes in a bit before committing to a full 15 or 30 days. I, of course, went to Pinterest to find ideas for meals and snacks.

The boys won’t really be doing it, I’ll add a carb or dairy to their meals as usual. James will go along with it except for his cereal needs. I am not sure I can completely give up my cheese either….

Sunday | Leftovers/Eggs (we are pretty low key with meals on the weekends)

Monday | Whole Roasted Chicken in the Instant Pot  
Will roast some veggies for a side and maybe try some cauliflower rice. 
– I can use the leftover chicken the rest of the week as well for lunches.

Tuesday | Jalapeno Turkey Burger with Sweet Potato Fries and Guacamole

Wednesday | Salmon, Avocado, Kale and Sweet Potato Salad

Thursday | Do something creative with leftover chicken…. 🙂

Friday | Date Night!

Breakfast Ideas | Hard Boiled Egg, Avocado, Grapefruit, Tomato

Menu | Week of 5.1.2017

If you are new here, you may not know that I blogged all my menus for a long time early on. It was a great place for me to link to the recipes I wanted to use and be able to access them easily. I thought I’d start doing that again. I’ll also be saving recipes to my “This Week” board on Pinterest.

I am totally in a rut this evening as I try to come up with ideas for the week. I don’t want to cook at all. Makes it hard to plan a menu. James suggested I go back into my menu archives and pull up some old favorites…..

Buttermilk Roast Chicken (easy and yum!!), mashed potatoes and peas

Chicken Carnitas Tacos

Meat sauce over pasta with fresh veggies on the side

Use leftover chicken carnitas for layered enchiladas

Pancakes and bacon

Cheesy Spinach Baked Egg Sandwiches

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This will take care of our Monday through Saturday!

Feel free to use this same menu for your week or if you need ideas!