What's Cookin': 11/23

Yeah! It’s Thanksgiving week! What a wonderful time of year this is. I am truly blessed to be in such a beautiful city with my family and I plan on counting ALL my blessings as we celebrate Thanksgiving in a new home and a new city this year.

The menu plan isn’t too innovative this week as I’m trying to once again eat out of our freezer and our stockpile to prepare room for later in the week. While I plan on doing a post later on what our Thanksgiving dinner will consist of, I can tell you that as of my conversation with my husband last night, his wish list is as follows:
Turkey (I know, shocker…I can see you’re riveted to learn more!), gravy, dressing, baked corn, garlic green beans, mashed potatoes,  roasted parsnips & carrots, hash brown casserole, mac & cheese, cranberry salad, rolls, greens, deviled eggs, lima beans, pea salad and of course, lots of pie!

There are 2 major concerns I have with this “wish list”:
1. I don’t eat or know how to make half of those items
2. There are only 4 of us, with only 2 others who have confirmed that hey are joining us thus far, so I think I’d need to invite about 23 others if we hoped to eat all that food!
Stay tuned later in the week to find out what the final menu will be and I may even divulge some family recipes!

Week of 11/23 BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER
Monday Cereal & Craisins Cheese & Crackers with yogurt Pot roast with carrots, mashed potatoes & Cheesy Brussel sprouts
Tuesday Oatmeal with raisins & honey Chicken Salad sandwiches Ravioli with balsamic brown butter, crispy kale (kale recipe)
Wednesday Greek Yogurt with honey PB&J on rice cakes Beef Fajitas (with left over pot roast)
Thursday Fruit oatmeal appetizers for…. THANKSGIVING!
Friday Cereal & Fruit Turkey sandwiches Leftovers
Saturday Egg Sandwiches Crispy Chicken salad Dinner out after church
Sunday Waffles with strawberries Turkey noodle soup Chicken Parmesean over pasta


Monday's Menu Plan: August 10, 2009

I know many of you have kids that will be going back to school, us included! (Our daughter will be starting Kindergarten this year – I can hardly believe it!) So keep in mind that you may want to adapt your dinners so you can turn them into a lunch for the next day (like the Pot Roast on Saturday that I’ll be using to make BBQ beef sandwiches for lunch on Sunday). As the summer seems to get hotter instead of cooler as it nears its end, anytime you can cook once and eat off it twice is a big help!

UPDATE: I also just found this list of a month’s worth of No-Cook meals from Food Network in our continuing effort to keep our kitchen’s cool!

Week of 8/10 BREAKFAST   LUNCH   DINNER
Monday Cereal with blueberries   Salad trio: Egg salad, tuna salad and chicken salad on a bed of lettuce   Balsamic Chicken with baby spinach and couscous
Tuesday Fruit & Yogurt Smoothies   PB&J, chips & fruit   Chili with cornbread
Wednesday Oatmeal with raisins & honey   BLT sandwiches and grapes   Parmesean Crusted Baked Tilapia with rice pilaf and broccoli
Thursday Cereal and applesauce   Dill Chicken Salad on crackers, pears   Scrambled hamburgers, oven fries
Friday Eggs with toast & cheese grits   sandwiches, nuts and fruit snacks   Quick Chicken Enchiladas, yellow rice
Saturday Breakfast Sandwich   Pot roast, carrots, mashed potatoes   Leftovers
Sunday Fruit Oatmeal   BBQ Beef sandwiches & baked beans   Southern Chicken Tender Salad with fresh rolls

Monday's Menu Plan: July 5

I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend! If you don’t have a lot of leftovers, here are some ideas for what to eat this week. Don’t get stuck in a rut – let my family’s plan be a source of inspiration as opposed to something you need to follow word for word. A few reminders for those of you just starting to menu plan:
- Plan your meals according to what’s on sale at the grocery store this week & what you already have on hand at home

-Try alternating fruits, vegetables and proteins for good health and so your family doesn’t get bored: No one wants to eat chicken and carrots five days in a row! By rotating your foods (eating something different every other day), you aid your digestion and keep meal time interesting for your family.

-Add one vegetarian meal into your meal plan. By keeping one night meat free in your meal plan, you help both your wallet and your health!

If you have any other tips you’ve found helpful as you’ve started planning meals for your family, please share them below so we can all benefit. Happy planning!

BREAKFAST   LUNCH   DINNER
Cereal & Mango   Egg salad sandwiches   Stir Fry Chicken & veggies over rice
Pancakes & applesauce   Italian Bean Soup with rolls   Easy Pot Roast & mashed potatoes
Oatmeal with berries   PB&J with grapes   BBQ Chicken, corn, green salad & baked beans
Cereal & banana   Personal Pizzas   Taco Night
Fruit & Yogurt smoothies   Sandwiches & pretzels   Kielbasa & Pinto Beans
Eggs & grits   cheese quesadillas   Chili & cornbread
Strawberry Oatmeal   Fried Chicken & fixins(out)   leftovers

Monday's Meal Plan: 6/1/09

BREAKFAST   LUNCH   DINNER
Waffles and berries   Salad trio: Egg salad, tuna salad and chicken salad on a bed of lettuce   Chinese Chicken stir fry with vegetables and brown rice
Fruit Oatmeal   PB&J, chips & fruit   Italian bean soup, rustic bread
cereal, fruit and yogurt   BLT sandwiches and grapes   BBQ grilled chicken, corn, grilled zucchini and fried potatoes & onions
breakfast burrito (eggs, cheese & salsa in a tortilla)   Dill Chicken Salad on crackers, pears   Scrambled hamburgers, oven fries
Pancakes and strawberries   sandwiches, nuts and fruit snacks   Quick Chicken Enchiladas, yellow rice
Oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon & honey   Pot roast, carrots, mashed potatoes   (our lunch is our dinner today!)
Cereal and raisins   Grilled cheese and salad   Breakfast for dinner: eggs, grits, bacon & toast