Dinner ideas for the week

My hubbie has basically sworn off all meat other than chicken. He is going strong with this being week #3. He is trying to cut out all ground beef after he saw the news show about the pink slime. So, old news! lol! He has also cut out pork completely. This these are some ideas for the week for the remaining meat eaters in the family (Tata and Mimi). :)

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings for the hubbie & Eggplant Sliders with a Sweet Potato (These were AWESOME...I'll post the recipe later)

Grilled Chicken Skewers and a grilled Salad for me
Roasted Chicken on Barley Risotto- I LOVE Barley and what could be better than a Barley Risotto mix..plus I get something I love while making the carnivores equally happy. A win win in my book!

Creamy Chicken Peperonata - Great idea for everyone....Versatile. Sounds like a nice easy red pepper sauce that I could use on a yummy veggie dish for myself (I am thinking roasted root veggies) over Quinoa
Another great idea for our meatless night is Tomato Basil Creme Ravioli

Also, a Cobb Salad is on the menu for another meatless night

Dinner Ideas for the week

Baked Penne with Italian Sausage (2days)
**I am craving pene and italian sausage...I don't care if my hubbies doesn't really care for italian sausage. He can have chops that night!

Beef Stew with challah poppers (2 days)

Veggie stir fry with soba noodles
***with sugar snapped peas

Eggplants Croquettes

Crunchy Chicken and Pasta- something along these lines

A healthy version of These yummy Taquitos

Meal Plan Monday...on Tuesday..AGAIN!

Happy New Years! I can't believe another year has passed and oh so quickly! Things have been exceptionally busy lately...even for the holidays. I haven't had much time to think more than a day or so ahead so a meal plan rather low on my list of things to do...even though I find it exceptionally helpful. I also haven't really thought about resolutions because I don't think much of them! I will say one thing I have been focused on at the end of this year that I will continue to focus on with this new year and that is spending!

I have worked really hard to decrease my weekly grocery bill. My first goal was to increase the amount of groceries I was able to purchase with my weekly budget of $100. Then, the goal became to reduce my weekly grocery budget to $75. I have successfully accomplished both. I spend on average $75 a week and purchase between $150-$200+ worth of groceries. I have really struggled to lower my weekly bill below $75, but my goal over the next few months is to reduce it by another $15. Ultimately, I would love to spend about $50 a week on groceries. This is truly a challenge for me (esp. when my husband comes shopping with me), but it can be done! I know I can do it! So, that is my challenge/resolution for this year!

Monday and Tuesday: Bean Soup with Cornbread
Wednesday and Thursday: Sarma (Stuffed Cabbage...I can't wait!)
Friday: Chicken Chipolte Style burritos
Saturday: Marinated Chicken over Tortellini
Sunday: Homemade Pizza

Baking for the Week: Blueberry Streusel and a Birthday cake

The Sarma will be a lot of work..ok...not really a lot of work, but time consuming. Yet, it is SO WORTH THE EFFORT!!! The rest of the week will be really simple stuff! Should make for a really easy cooking week!

Meal Plan Monday

We are going on week 2 of not going shopping for anything other than the staples (milk, cheese, lunchmeat, bread, etc...). I ended up spending about $30 on groceries last week. I will probably spend a bit more this week because I will be stocking up on chicken. Hopefully by then Publix will have some better sales on because it will be time to re-stock the pantry.

Monday: Smoked Sausage and Lentil soup with a Proscuitto and Peppers Sammie
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Bacon and Peas in a Cream Sauce
Thursday: Fried Pork chops (for hubbie) Stuffed Zucchini (for me)
Friday: Beef Stew
Saturday: Left over soup with a Mozzerella and Red Pepper Roulade
Sunday:Chicken Tacos

Meal Plan Sunday...lol

I just realized that although I created last weeks meal plan post, I totally forgot to post it. Geesh! Sorry about that. Thus, I decided to start early this week and get my mela plan posted ASAP...before I forget!

This week is pretty easy. We are playing pantry clean up! We have done such an amazing job stocking up with all our awesome Publix shopping trips that we now need to get down to the business of eatting it! Kind of the point right! So, here ya go...


Sunday- Roasted Vegetable Minestrone
Monday- Pork Roast with glazed carrots
Tuesday- BBQ Sliders with Rosemary Parm Fries
Wednesday- Cream cheese Chicken over noodles with fresh green bean
Thursday- LO
Friday-Chicken Tortilla Soup with Spicy Island cheese Quesadilla
Saturday- LO soup with Ham and swiss panini
 
The minestrone recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman. Ree Drumond is an amazing cook and photographer. If you check out some oif her pics you will also see her house/kitchen is to die for!!! If you need some new ideas check out her blog for some new versions of your fav ol' recipes!

Post Thanksgiving Meal Plan

I hope everyone had an outstanding Thanksgiving! We had a small dinner at home with the boys. We are so thankful to be together and definitely spent the day counting our blessings. But, now it is time to jump right back on the meal plan train. So, here is what I have planned thus far...








Thursday: Spaghetti Dinner with all my hubbies High School friends

Friday: Braised Short Ribs
Saturday:Shepards Pie (using up leftover mashed potatoes)

Sunday: Left overs
Monday: Stove Top Pork chops with Sweet potatoes
Tuesday:Chicken and Yellow Rice with a salad
Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Hanukkah Dinner with family


Friday: Stuffed Pork Loin with Pierogies
Saturday: Chili with Jiffy pudding
Sunday: Leftovers

Meal Plan...on Tuesday

Well, things have been super busy in our household. Our 2nd son was born on October 25th and after a few complications, I was released from the hospital on Oct 30th. Luckily my mom flew in just in time to help my hubbie take care of our 30 mo old and newborn son. Unfortunately, my mom had to fly home and I am on my own again. Thus, the meal plans are starting back up! I also finally cleaned out my freezer. Now, I have a very clear picture of what I have to clean/use up! So, here is what I have planned for this week!

Monday: Spaghetti Dinner (delivering dinner to a sick friend)
Tuesday: Leftover spaghetti
Wednesday: Marinated Pork Chops with Pad Thai noodles
Thursday: Cube Steaks with Triple Corn Casserole and fresh sliced tomato
Friday: Bean and Cheese Enchiladas with Spanish Rice and Salad
Saturday: LO
Sunday:Bacon Wrapped BBQ Chicken with Squash
Monday: Chicken and Rice

I also plan on using up my brown bananas this week. I will be making a Cranberry Banana Bread. This is a easy quick bread recipe. I merged 2 recipes to create this yummy creation. So, here you go...


Cranberry Banana Bread
2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/4 c light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
4 T butter, melted
1 c dried cranberries, or 12 oz fresh cranberries
4 brown bananas, mashed

Spray your loaf pan with PAM and lightly sprinkle with flour (or use a nonstick pan). Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a seperate bowl, combine egg, milk, butter, and mashed banana.

Pour the banan mix into the flour mix and stir to combine. Add cranberries. Pour into pan and bake 1 hour 15 minutes if using fresh cranberries, or 45 minutes if using dried cranberries. Remove and allow to cool. Then smear warm bread with fresh butter and endulge!

Meal Plan Monday...on Sunday (AGAIN...lol!)

So, maybe I need to change the name again...but at least this gives me an extra day for those weeks I fall behind. This week when I asked my hubbie what he wanted for dinner he said potatoes, rice and country fried ham. Usually I listen to what he says, do my own things and try to accomodate at least 1 of his requests. If it were up for him we would eat pork chops and potatoes every night...to mix it up he might mix in some baked beans or Rice-A-Roni...hence why I do my own thing. Yet, I did try to take his requests to hear this week.


Sunday- Pot Roast with root veggies (from last weeks menu)
Monday-Cube Steaks with boiled/butter/parsley potatoes (I will have a sweet potato or zucchini) and green beans
Tuesday-Chinese Pork Stir Fry with noodles
Wednesday- LO
Thursday-BBQ Pork Slopy Joes with Latkes and a salad
Friday-Mojo Pork Burritos with Red beans/Rice and Plaintains
Saturday-Country Fried Ham with Squash and salad

Meal Plan Monday...on Sunday!

Well, I have had a crazy 2 weeks between guests in town, family in the hospital and a sick son. So, I apologize for the meal plan hiatus! I should officially be off bedrest sometime this week, so, I look forward to picking back up on cooking! I can't wait. Since this is in the works, I am planning on making a great Sicilian Eggplant Parmesan this week! It sounds so delicious...I can't wait!


Sunday: Chicken Philly Subs with spinach salad
Monday: Potroast with lots of Veggies
Tuesday: Sicilian Eggplant Parm (and Chicken Parm for the hubbie)
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Croatian Goulash
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Grilled Terriyaki Chicken and Fried Rice
Sunday: Asian Chicken Salad (with LO chicken Terriyaki)

Meal Plan Monday

Well, I am still on bed rest and feeling really tried and quite poopy lately. I spent much of the weekend in bed to be honest. I was hoping by now to be feeling a bit better, but it comes and goes! I have been able to cook at least 1 night a week lately, but it is always super quick and easy!

This week I am excited about our mealtime plans...I even had to get an early start!!! Hubbie and I  love Shepard's Pie...it is out ultimate comfort food! Plus, who doesn't love manicotti! Should be fun to watch my hubbie dig into making this one! I am also planning on a simple peach crisp since peaches are still in season! I love peach cobble and apple crisp, so, I decided to combine them into one delicious dessert! Now to send my hubbie to the store from some ice cream.

Sunday- Shepard's Pie
Monday- LO Pie and a salad
Tuesday- Pork chops, boxed potatoes (sweet potato for me) and a salad
Wednesday- Manicotti
Thursday-Ricotta Chicken and LO Manicotti
Friday- Dinner out/ Take out
Saturday- Grilled Pizza

Meal Plan Monday!!

I love the sound of that..Meal Plan Monday! I wish I was on top of things enough to make sure to have my meal plan posted every Monday. Hey...nothing like a new goal right!!!!!

Here is what we are thinking for this week:

Sunday- My Birthday...no cooking here!
Monday-Sloppy Joes (homemade)
Tuesday-Cheese Ravioli Bake with Garlic Cheese Bread
Wednesday-LO
Thursday-Red Chile Chicken and rice with plantains and salad
Friday-LO
Saturday-Grilled pizzas
 
I know many of these meals (like the sloppy joes) could also have a left over day, but I am going to start freezing some of the leftovers now so when baby does decided to come we have some frozen meals ready. I know my hubbie is doing great learning to cook, but I cannot guarantee that I will have it all together ahead of time to put my meal plan and cooking directions together when the new little one gets here. AND, I certainly don't think he will have it all together to be preparing meals every night in addition to taking care of our 2.5 year old, me and a newborn. We are all great multi-taskers, but we all have limits...lol!!

This week's Cooking from the Couch Menu...

I was really drawing a blank this week on what I wanted to eat..go figure the pregnant girl with no cravings. Since it is coming towards the end of the month, I figured this would be a good week to work on cleaning out our pantry and freezer. So, we will make some classic dishes with a few alterations to accomodate what is available on hand. We have a lot of pork and chicken in the freezer along with a few other random things, so, let's see what we come up with.

Sunday: Carnitas with Cornbread mash
Monday: (LO meat) Pork Tacos with white beans
Tuesday: Grilled Pork chops with green bean soup
Wednesday: L.O soup with Ham and Cheese stuffed Biscuits
Thursday: A friend is bringing Cuban food
Friday: Southwest style Burgers with campfire potatoes
Saturday: Frito Pie

Again I will work to post recipes as we go along!

Cooking from the Couch

Since I have been on bed rest for the last week in a half, I had had to come up with meal ideas that will be suitable to my husbands cooking expertise. (Which I might add is very limited). So, I figured I would start this series of meal ideas called "Cooking from the Couch: Meal Ideas for a Non-Cook". The concept is simple...

So, here is what I have come up with thus far:

Sunday: Non- Creole Jambalya with salad
Monday: Left overs
Tuesday: Grilled Pork chops with baked beans and pickles
Wednesday: Grilled pizza (cheese, ham/cheese, grilled veggie)
Thursday: Pork Roast with green beans and a salad
Friday: Left over Pork- BBQ Pork Sammies with coleslaw
Saturday: Take out
Sunday: Pork and Sauerkraut Bake with Salad
Monday: Potato Soup with Rubens
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Meatloaf with baby carrots and village salad
Thursday: Leftovers with premade mashed potatoes
Friday: Tex- Mex Enchilada Bake
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Teriyaki Chicken over brown rice with frozen veggie mix

I am pretty confident that my hubbie can do these meals. Some of the recipes have been changed a bit to accommodate his cooking style. For example, the chicken and sausage for the Jambalaya was grilled instead on sauted or boiled.

My Menu for the Week

This week I thought I would not only clean up some of the meat in our freezer and food in our pantry, but I would do it while throwing together a few new recipes. So, here is what I have come up with so far...

Sunday- Spaghetti and Meatballs with a Salad and homemade Pull Apart Garlic Bread
Monday- Left overs
Tuesday- Pork Roast with greek Seasoning, Roasted Potatoes and a Village Greek Salad
Wednesday- Cube steaks with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and Fresh Green Beans
Thursday- Potato Soup and Monte Cristos
Friday- Asian BBQ Thighs over rice or with Lo-Mein
Saturday- Left overs or go out to dinner?
Sunday- Chicken Paprika with Egg noodles and a salad

In addition to this weeks menu, I look forward to making Blueberry Crumb Bars. I can't get enough of the blueberries while they are still in season. Lately my attempts at Blueberry muffins have come up...powdery. I think i can taste the baking powder in the muffins and it is totally a turn off. I am blaming it on my super pregnancy taste buds obviously it is not my cooking!

I will post some recipes for this week as we get to them...so keep checking back!

Recipe update

I have been in a real funk with cooking lately and usual I am behind on my meal plan menu! So, I thought I would link you over to a few of the recipes I am going to be making the rest of this week and next week.

I am going to make a homemade bolgnese tonight. I saved this one because I am taping to cooking process to teach my students about the different methods of heat transfer.

On Saturday, I am making Jambalya (the non- Creole style). This is a really simple recipe I love. I make a bunch of rice and mix in a can (or two) of Petite Dices Tomoatoes. Then, I cook up some sliced Italian Sausage and chopped boneless chicken breast. Then, I throw in a can of green chilies (sometime some adobo sauce) and a few dashes of hot sauce. Warm it all up in a nice pan and serve with a beautiful salad and warm bread. There are always leftovers for lunch the next day! Simple and delish!

On Sunday, it will be my mom's last day in ton before flying home, so I have to make Beef Stew. (a true creature comfort) I found a new recipe I can't wait to try!

Tuesday is Frito Pie. I will post that simple recipe as soon as I get my computer back. It decided to crash!


Another outstanding recipe I found recently I had to squeeze in this week was this Lentils and Chicken recipe. I can't wait for Wednesday! It looks dashing, plus I still have some Amish Lentils leftovers. I am super excited!

Friday  we will finish out the week with a Pinto Bean soup...have I said we are big on beans? This is a simple recipe. Soak beans overnight (or just use the cans) and boil beans with some ham (I will use the ham bone I have been saving). Boil in 3 cups of water until beans are soft. Then, add 1 cup drained sauerkraut and 1/2 cup uncooked rice. Boil until rice is soft.  Now,make a roux from bacon fat and flour. Add to the soup slowly. Serve with cornbread.

February Meal Calendar

I planned in more leftovers this month because I know we will go out to dinner at least once this month. Plus, I over planned last month's menu plan, so, we iwll see how we do this month. I will work to add the recipes as we go through the month. If there is a specific recipe you would like, just let me know and I will get it posted ASAP! Bon Appetit!

January's Menu

I love meal planning and I do it virtually every week. On the weeks where I don't have a concrete menu or during the holidays, I feel completed disorganized and struggle with menu ideas from night to night. I also tend to go to the store and buy a bunch of stuff...which ends up costing more than when I do a prescribed menu.

The other complication I find with weekly menu planning is time. Sunday should be a nice relaxed day, the perfect day for menu planning..right!?! By the time everyone get's up...namely my late rising husband -Sunday is his sleep in day...and I make a big, yummy breakfast, it is usually 11 or so. By this time Ante is ready for some real entertainment... playing by himself is no longer cutting it! So, this is usually when we take a walk up to the newspaper box. That's the easy part...then the charade usually begins.

When we get back, my husband gets ready while I try to quickly finish up the menu for the week, clip the coupons and match them to the sale items at the store. This usally takes me about an hour...between looking up new recipes, getting a list together, looking up ads and combing through coupons...the time can quickly get away from me! Oh, and I still have to get myself and the baby ready!

Now, don't think I do not enjoy doing this because I do probably too much. When mu hubbie sees me on the computer he always chuckles and asks...are you working or looking at food porn again! I can get consumed and before I know it the day can easily slip by...and I still have to get to the store...before naptime. You think we would have learned by now that taking a hungry, cranky 1 yo to the grocery store is not a good plan!

So, long story short, I decided to try a monthly plan. Now, I know this is adventurous for several reasons. 1. I am on vacation from work right now, so, I had plenty of time to work on it THIS month. 2. My weekly plan is pretty fluid, so it will be interetsing to see how fluid a month is, but it can't hurt...are ya with me! 3. I usually plan my meals based on the sales, so, a monthly plan might impede on that. Yet, I also think by having a monthly plan I can stock up on things as they go on sale. I am not limited to buying only this weeks necessities. I like being able to plan ahead although my weekly budget will not change. I stay firm on spending between $60-80 a week depending on what needs stocking.

Drum roll please...

***I will add some of the recipes from this meal plan as we go through the month, but I can't promise anything!