menu plan monday: 07.30.12

This Sunday, my husband officially becomes the pastor of two congregations.

The kids go back to school here in two and a half weeks.

If everything works out, I go back to school the week after that to pursue a degree in nutrition.

And I can’t figure out where the heck summer has disappeared to.

This week’s menu plan is a little bit all over the place. It’s the end of what seems like a really long month when it comes to budget. It’s going to be busy and we’re going to be out of town a few days. Some of these meals might be dependent on when I can sneak in Costco and grocery trips.

So…this is probably more of a loose goal than an actual menu plan. As in the past, our meals are predominantly paleo or primal in nature (come back tomorrow if you want to know a bit more about what I’m eating now and why). We do, on occassion, enjoy sweet or red potatoes, sometimes white rice in small amounts and corn when it’s fresh and extra yummy. And I generally double the amount of meat I cook for each dinner in order to have leftovers for lunches.

Monday
Grilled Chicken
Corn on the cob
Zucchini
Watermelon

Tuesday
Mushroom Gravy Slow Cooker Roast
Mashed Cauliflower
Roasted Potatoes (for the kids)
Kale

Wednesday
Lemon Herb Rubbed Chicken
Cucumber Salad
Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Thursday
Doctor’s appointment an hour away – either eating out or all beef hotdogs

Friday
Red Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers
Roasted Cauliflower (drizzling with coconut oil and my favorite vadouvan spice mix )
White Rice (for the kiddos)

Saturday
Lime and Basil Beef Kabobs
Salad
Whatever fruit we have on hand

Sunday
Mom’s Night Off/Leftovers

What’s on your meal plan for this week?

menu plan monday: 07.16.22

It’s been over a month since I’ve committed to a menu plan, and – amazingly – the world hasn’t stopped spinning.

And we’ve eaten pretty well and usually at home.

It’s the time of year I can do that. We picked up a new grill a few months ago and, as long as we have some veggies for the side, it’s been okay. We’re finally to a week that’s going to be a little bit quieter, and I have a feeling a bit more structure will help.

As in the past, our meals are predominantly paleo or primal in nature (come back tomorrow if you want to know a bit more about what I’m eating now and why). We do, on occassion, enjoy sweet or red potatoes and sometimes white rice in small amounts. And I generally double the amount of meat I cook for each dinner in order to have leftovers for lunches.

Monday
Grilled Chicken, seasoned with Magic Mushroom powder from the Nom Nom Paleo app
Grilled Veggies (squash, onions and maybe an eggplant – all gifted from a friend’s garden)
Mushroom skewers (marinated in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and a dash of balsamic)

Tuesday
Skirt Steak with Chive Butter (from Make It Paleo)
Steamed Broccoli
Green Salad

Wednesday
Red Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers
Roasted Cauliflower (drizzling with coconut oil and my favorite vadouvan spice mix )
White Rice (for the kiddos)

Thursday
Rosemary Pot Roast with Cauliflower Butter Rice
Green Salad

Friday
Lemon Herb Rubbed Chicken
Cucumber Salad
Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Saturday
Pineapple Bacon Burgers
Whatever vegetables are left in the fridge

Sunday
Mom’s night off/leftovers

I’m excited – there are a few new recipes in there for the week. Anything new in your kitchen?

menu plan monday: 02.06.12

Just had to share one of my new favorite breakfast sides or snacks – fresh blueberries, coconut flakes, roasted pecans and a splash of coconut milk. And you know what would make it even yummier? A dash of cinnamon. I use cinnamon on a pretty much daily basis in something – my paleo muffin tops, in my mashed butternut squash and I’m working on a spiced coconut milk drinking chocolate that I’m hoping to share soon.

I love the first menu plan of the month – it’s when I’ve done my big Costco trip, we’ve usually hit the big city for Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, and I find I’m always up to trying some new recipes.

This week, I’ve got a fridge full of produce – including a flowering broccoli-ish something I need to do a little more research on, a great big bag of baby bok choy, several pounds of mushrooms and three heads of napa cabbage.

I see lots of veggies in our future and some stir-fry’s coming for lunch! And, as usual, everything is gluten-free and paleo friendly.

Here’s our dinner plan:

Monday
Marinated Tri Tip Steaks and Roasted Veggies (mushrooms, asparagus, onions)
Zucchini Alfredo
Still working on perfecting the marinade for the tri-tip and veggies – hoping to share next week!

Tuesday
Creamy Chicken and Tomato Soup
Tossed Greens
Paleo Muffin Tops – but a little more savory

Wednesday
Beef with Broccoli (from the Make It Paleo cookbook)
Cauliflower Rice (using the roasted technique in this recipe, and pulsed a little less in the food pro so it’s more riced and less mashed. I’m finding roasting as opposed to steaming to be the way to go for non-mushy cauliflower rice)

Thursday
Red Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers (from Make It Paleo, but doubling the red curry paste for more flavor)
Grilled Veggies – whatever needs to be eaten most!

Friday
Smothered Pork Chops
Roasted Kabocha Squash
Mixed Greens Salad

Saturday
no idea – probably breakfast for supper? maybe paleo waffles?

Sunday
Paleo Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein

Shared at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday and the Gluten Free Menu Swap at Celiac Family!.

menu plan monday: 01.15.12

Lots of meals pushed from last week to this week and another recipe I want to try again and adjust seasonings on. I honestly can’t figure out what happened to last week’s meal plan – I don’t always follow it perfectly, but we actually only ate one of the meals on it and we didn’t eat out more than planned. It’s a mystery…

For the gluten-free menu swap, I’m sharing a smoothie I’m looking forward to trying. I’m trying to stay away from too much fruit while I’m on my Whole30…but as soon as I’m done I’m making this blueberry coconut one from Paleo Parents.

This week’s menu plan:

Monday
Chipotle Beef Chili
Savory Almond Muffins

Tuesday
Quick and Easy Crock Pot Brisket
Roasted Broccoli

Wednesday
Pineapple Glazed Chicken Skewers (Make It Paleo)
Chipotle Lime Roasted Delicata Squash

Thursday
Southwestern Flank Steak
Guacamole (mashed avocado, diced onion, lime juice, salt, pepper, a bit of garlic, maybe some tomatoes – super easy!)
Baby Mixed Greens

Friday
Red Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers (from Make It Paleo, but double the red curry paste)
Cauliflower Rice

Saturday
Grilled Chicken
Paleo Zucchini Alfredo-ish (dairy free, grain free and super yummy! recipe coming to the blog tomorrow – my absolute new favorite…we ate it two days in a row this past week)

Sunday
Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Soup (sooo good! made it as directed the first time, but this time I’ll replace the cream with coconut milk)

Shared at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday and the Gluten Free Menu Swap at Celiac Family.

menu plan monday: 01.09.12

Long time, no plan!

With the holidays and an extra long Christmas break, we’ve been eating out more than usual (never good) and I’ve been doing a lot of day to day planning (also never good). We’ve still got one more week of vacation, but meal planning is back in progress.

I’ll probably add in some salads with most of these meals – I’m craving mixed greens right now. Lunches tend to be leftovers. I’m starting to feel a bit desperate for new grain and dairy free breakfast ideas…eggs are starting to get a bit old. Any ideas?

Monday
Red Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers (from Make It Paleo)
Cauliflower Rice

Tuesday
Hanna’s birthday – dinner out with her friends

Wednesday
Quick and Easy Crock Pot Brisket
Roasted Broccoli

Thursday
Southwestern Flank Steak
Guacamole (mashed avocado, diced onion, lime juice, salt, pepper, a bit of garlic, maybe some tomatoes – super easy!)
Baby Mixed Greens

Friday
Pineapple Glazed Chicken Skewers (Make It Paleo, again)
Sauteed Kale with Bacon

Saturday
Bacon, Red Pepper and Onion Frittata
Elana’s Pantry Pancakes (replacing the agave with half the amount of maple syrup and cooking in coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil)

Sunday
Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Soup (sooo good! made it as directed the first time, but this time I’ll replace the cream with coconut milk)

A few new recipes and a few old favorites – my favorite sort of week.

menu plan monday: it’s Christmas!

I  have one goal for this week’s meals:

easy!

We’re still in school until the 22nd (seriously nuts). Tom’s heading to San Francisco on Tuesday for a check-in with his cardiologist. We’re heading to Grandma’s house Thursday to celebrate with his side of the family and it’s just going to get crazier after that. I’m thinking soups, crock pot and maybe even soups mader earlier in the day staying warm in the crock pot. Anything to bring a little sanity to this week.

Also, this week’s plan isn’t strictly paleo – more primal. I’ll probably end up adapting the mushroom soup to be dairy free, but this cold, foggy weather has me craving broccoli cheese soup.

Here’s my plan:

Monday
Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Soup (just discovered this blog – stunning and yummy all at the same time! If I can’t find organic cream – always a possibility in my small town – I’ll use coconut milk instead. either way, I’ll halve the amount called for)
Savory Almond Flour Muffins (love these!)

Tuesday
Roast, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Onions and Mushrooms in the crockpot

Wednesday
Roasted Broccoli Cheddar Soup (same on the cream and I’ll probably halve the cheese as well)
Herbed Almond Crackers (if I get crazy)

Thursday
Christmas Dinner out with family

Friday
No idea. I’ll be helping get ready for Christmas Eve at my grandparent’s, so I’m thinking fast and easy like brinner or tomato soup.

Saturday
Christmas Eve – my grandmother assigned me a vegetable. I’m thinking roasted carrots since they’re easy and will be quick to reheat after church.

Sunday
Breakfast:  Paleo Monkey Bread, Scrambled Eggs and Bacon
Dinner: Prime Rib at my parent’s – I’m bringing roasted cauliflower and I think the carrot cake from Make It Paleo.

Have a great holiday week and a very Merry Christmas!

Oh, and if you have any favorite soup recipes – especially if they’re paleo or primal friendly – please share =)

menu plan monday: 12.12.11

Better late than never, right?

I’ve got a lot of new recipes this week – I discovered Health-Bent last week, and just happened to have lots of the needed ingredients for several of their recipes in the freezer. I’m struggling with some serious lack of wanting to cook anything at the moment, and new recipes usually get me excited again.

And I’m kind of bummed I don’t have anything planned with citrus on the menu for this week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap, but I do keep a great big bowl on the kitchen table during this time of the season. My mother-in-law grows amazing mandarin oranges and I’m anxious for my grandfather to decide it’s been cold enough for his navel oranges to taste good. I’m also looking forward to experimenting with some citrus vinaigrettes for my salads.

Here’s this week’s paleo-ish dinner plan:

Monday
Primal Philly Cheesesteak in a Bowl (lighter on the cheese)
Tossed Salad

Tuesday
Smothered Pork Chops
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Purple Cauliflower (olive oil, salt and pepper in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes)

Wednesday
Seriously Tasty Meatloaf
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Sauteed Kale (probably with a little bacon and some beef stock)

Thursday
Balsamic and Rosemary Chicken (from the Make It Paleo cookbook)
Roasted Baby Carrots (also from Make It Paleo)
Roasted Broccoli (same as the cauliflower)

Friday
out of town for the evening to see Christmas lights – not sure what we’re eating yet

Saturday
Grandy Ky’s Chicken Soup (yep, Make It Paleo strikes again!)

Sunday
Paleo Chipotle Beef Chili
served with cheese for the kiddos and chopped avocado

Shared at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday and the Gluten Free Menu Swap at Glutenfree Goodness.

menu plan monday: 11.28.11

Last weeks main menu goal was simple: clean out the fridge before 30 people came over for Thanksgiving dinner.

It was a success, but it was also a great reminder of how much better we eat when there’s a plan in place. We also ended up eating out a bit more than I’d intended with all the holiday craziness, and I’m looking forward to a more regular schedule for the next few weeks.

In addition to the dinner plans, I also need to replenish my chicken stock and I want to try some beef stock. I’m also hoping to make a batch of the Paleo Parent’s Cinnamon Apple Creamed Cereal and am pondering if I can turn this Paleo Pumpkin Gingerbread cake into a lebkucken-spiced cake somehow. The spices are already fairly similar – the biggest difference I see right now is the lack of molasses and addition of pumpkin. A little experimenting might be in order.

This week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap theme is pizza…something I haven’t quite figured out how to do on a paleo diet. If I were to go off plan, though, it would be for this polenta pizza I came up with a few months ago. It’s soooo good!

Monday
Steak Tips and Roasted Veggies (still trying to get this recipe posted)
Roasted Kabocha Squash

Tuesday
Beef with Broccoli (from Make It Paleo)
Roasted Curry Cauliflower

Wednesday
Balsamic and Rosemary Chicken (another Make It Paleo recipe)
Roased Baby Carrots (30 minutes at 400 degrees, drizzled with olive oil and simply salt and peppered)

Thursday
Roasted Tomato and Meat Sauce (in the freezer from some of summer’s great tomatoes)
Zucchini Noodles
Green Salad

Friday
Herbed Chicken Skewers (yet another Make It Paleo – I really do love that cookbook!)
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Chipotle Cranberry Sauce
Stir Fried Napa Cabbage

Saturday
not sure yet – we’re going to help decorate my grandparent’s house for Christmas sometime, and it might be a good night to eat out…or do something simple like omelettes

Sunday
Paleo Beef Chipotle Chili

Shared at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday and the Gluten Free Menu Swap hosted at Our Frugal Happy Life this week.

menu plan monday: 10.31.11

Happy Halloween! I’m so excited to take my kids trick or treating tonight in the neighborhoods I grew up going to – a first for us – and Tom will be passing out candy out front of the church. We’re looking forward to a fun night. Still deciding what to do about the candy – I think my young Scrooge McDucks might actually be willing to sell it to me and then I’ll donate it somewhere.

We’ll see.

For this week’s Gluten-Free Menu swap theme of soups and chilis, I’m sharing my cream of tomato soup (it’s yummy and I shared a few adaptations I’m working on down below). I’ll also be sharing my new version of my Chipotle Chili tomorrow – we like it better than the orginal!

This week’s menu plan:

Monday
Spaghetti with Roasted Tomato Sauce – I’m basing the sauce on this recipe (minus the jalapeno)
Zucchini Noodles
Tossed Salad

Tuesday
Steak Tips with Roasted Veggies – a marinade I’ve been working on. I’ll share it once I get it just right.

Wednesday
Garlic Beef Stew – using this recipe as a guideline

Thursday
Southwestern Flanksteak – served on butter lettuce for the adults and corn tortillas for the kids
Avocado
Roasted Cauliflower

Friday
Cream of Tomato Soup – replacing the milk with coconut milk and skipping the cream cheese and possibly using fresh tomatoes (we were given two large bags recently)
Grilled Chicken Skewers (probably in a basic garlic, rosemary and olive oil marinade)

Saturday
Something easy since we’ll be at a holiday bazaar most of the day – I’m thinking a frittata of some sort – I like the looks of this one

Sunday
I have no idea. At all.

Shared at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday and Celiac Family’s Gluten-Free Menu Swap

menu plan monday: 08.29.11

I know there are other months with 31 days, but August always seems the longest to me. I’m so anxious for Fall to get here – after six years in Florida, I am chomping at the bit to start making soups and stews, to pull out my pumpkin collection, to see trees that actually lose their leaves again.

We’re finally getting back into the school groove and used to new schedules, and I’m trying a new meal planning schedule of my own (courtesy of Women Living Well):

With all of my favorite and must-try recipes in Plan to Eat and this plan, it’s taking me just a few minutes to pull together a meal plan and shopping lists. Love it!

And a request…I am in need of something new to do with veggies. Any suggestions?

Monday
Tex Mex Lasagna (with corn tortillas and homemade gluten-free condensed cream of chicken soup)
Salad
Cantaloupe (the cantaloupe fairy dropped by again-yes!)

Tuesday
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Sauteed Cauliflower (steam a chopped up head of cauliflower then throw in a saute pan with a bit of olive oil, butter and garlic and let it get a little caramelized and yummy)
Artisan Bread

Wednesday
Grilled Chicken
Baked Brown Rice
Broccoli

Thursday
Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken
Corn Tortillas
Corn

Friday
Southwestern Chicken with Spinach and Mashed Potatoes
Tossed Salad

Saturday
Sub sandwiches (on a lettuce leaf for me)
Cantaloupe

Sunday
Potluck lunch at church – need to plan something…maybe potluck mushrooms?
Grandma Andy’s birthday dinner – artisan bread and hosting are my responsibility

This post will be linked to Organizing Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday. Looking for meal inspiration? It’s a great place to visit!