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Menu | 4.1.2019

This week I want to get better at meal prepping for myself. I fell off that wagon here recently and I definitely see and feel the effects of it. I am mostly focusing on breakfast and lunches because dinners I always have a plan.

For my breakfasts this week I am going to do 2 days of a Turmeric Chia Pudding and then two days of Protein Pancakes from the TIU Detox Plan. These are both things I can make the night before or quickly the day of and feel good about eating.

For lunches I am making a big pot of the TIU Slimming Soup which is basically a carrot soup with red lentils. It’s so good and I just love it. I’ll also make a bunch of their Beet the Bloat salad which is beets and carrots. You can add apple to it as well with a simple dressing. I may also add a simple tuna salad on the side or a hard boiled egg. But both of these I can make on Monday and have all week.

For snacks I will make these muffins. I like having something that is carb like in the afternoons with tea while the boys have their snack too. I’ll be making these for them.

For dinners this week I am pulling a few things from my Fresh20 meal plan and then adding a few extras.

Roast Chicken with Asparagus and a lemon zucchini brown rice

Ham Roll Ups (using tapioca wraps)

Chicken Lettuce Cups (I’ll use leftover chicken from the first meal)

Sweet Potato and Black Bean taco salad

Portobello Pizzas 

There is usually a breakfast or leftover meal in there somewhere too. If you want to follow along with my cooking, I typically post photos on my Instagram feed.

 

 

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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

 

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Menu |3.18.2019

I’ve been doing Fresh20 menus for a few weeks in a row now but decided to take a break this week and choose a few meals from my Pinterest boards. It’s also our “Spring Break” of sorts. Lucas is off school so we’ll be a bit more relaxed this week with our homeschool. I have plans for a few fun outings/field trips and plenty to do around the house to keep us busy.

Ginger Lime Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Pesto Chicken with Broccolini and tomato salad

Lemony Arugula Salad (my arugula in the garden is going nuts!) with leftover chicken

Pigs in a Blanket (William’s choice this week)

Cassava Waffles (I’ve wanted to try cassava flour for a while now and just ordered a bag from Amazon)

You can also jump to my “This Week” Pinterest board for all these recipes in one place.

Menu | 8.7.2017

My Blue Apron/Hello Fresh blunder last week was a blessing in disguise. I kept the Blue Apron one and oh my word, the meals have been so good. We have one more that I am saving for Monday evening. If you follow me on Instagram you saw the two we’ve already had, so good! I am still thinking about the beef.

Monday | Blue Apron/Salmon Meal

Tuesday | Cheeseburgers

Wednesday | Lasagna, salad, bread (with family)

Thursday | Beans, rice

Friday | Pancakes, bacon

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 5.15.2017

Since Sunday was Mother’s Day I goofed off and didn’t do any of my normal things to get ready for the week ahead. Well, I pretty much goofed off all weekend and it was great. So all this goofiness led to me not making a menu, grocery shopping or doing any meal prep. We were also out of milk this morning and oatmeal. Two things my boys can’t live without. Oops.

 Chicken Lettuce Wraps

 Spaghetti with Meatballs

 Leftovers

 Pancakes, eggs and bacon

Beans, Rice, Cornbread

It’s a very basic, simple menu this week and a little more budget friendly too. I did get my lunch meal prep in today so that was good. Trying to stay on track to being a bit healthier.

Here are some photos of last week’s meals from Instagram. The salmon salad was amazing and I’ll be posting that recipe this week!

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!

Menu | Week of 8.25.2014

Nesting is in full force around here! I am ready to get things cleaned out and reorganized before little man #2 arrives! Just 14 weeks and 5 days left! Unless he comes a bit early which is totally fine by me. Also, we are going to attempt some potty training with William…he’s already very interested and excited about using his potty. Fingers crossed!

Monday | We splurged on Smashburger – yay meat!

Tuesday | Baked Chicken with Skinny Cauliflower Mac n’ Cheese (will use GF noodles)

Wednesday | Salmon One Dish Dinner

Thursday | Burrito Bowl

Friday | Spaghetti Squash Lasagna (I’ll tweak recipe a bit and add ground beef or turkey)

Saturday | Leftovers

Sunday | Baked Chicken with Garlic Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Baking Wishlist (meaning, I hope to actually make these this week) | Puffed Quinoa Balls
Flourless Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Menu | Week of 06.18.2014

I am almost afraid to put this out there but I think the morning (all day) sickness is finally over! The past few days have been much better and my energy doesn’t seem as low. Fingers crossed I can resume normal eating habits.

Wednesday | Burrito Bowl with ground beef/turkey

Thursday | Salmon, rice and veggies

Friday | Chicken Pad Thai

Saturday | Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara

Sunday | Family Dinner

Monday | Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

Tuesday | Leftovers/Breakfast for dinner