I imitated Betty Crocker this week and I actually did a meal plan as well as a lot of fresh cooking. While I love the idea of meal planning, it is not something I do every week. Even when I do make a plan, I normally just focus on main dishes and then decide on side dishes based on what veggies I was able to get at the store or what needs to get used up in my fridge.
For a seven-day week, I normally plan for four dinner meals, two night of leftovers, and one night of “free-for-all.” Generally we have at least one night where we ate a late lunch or for whatever reason, don’t feel like a full dinner. On these nights we’ll have a non-dinner dinner like yogurt, more leftovers, or soup from the freezer. I also try to make at least one meal without any meat.
Hopefully this will give you some ideas for your week! Links are included and I've listed any changes made to the recipe.
Sunday:
Get Yo’ Man Chicken from the Neely’s (this chicken is always so moist and delicious!)
Steamed Broccoli
Quick Black Beans and Rice (I did not have any stewed tomatoes so I used 1 can Rotel which is only 11 oz, so I also added ¼ cup pizza sauce, as well as doubled the garlic powder)
Monday:
Winter Chili (I added 1 cup of pureed butternut squash to the broth, 1 lb of cooked ground meat, and did not use a cinnamon stick. Also, you may want to portion out the kids serving before adding jalapenos)
Corn Muffins (From the Jiffy box, with 1/4 cup applesauce substituted for the egg and 1/3 cup coconut milk for the dairy milk)
Tuesday:
Hearty Vegetable Pot Pie (I halved this recipe to make just one pie. I halved all ingredients except the spices, which I kept as listed. Also, Nutritional Yeast is an excellent supplement and can be found in most natural food sections in the store or in vitamin stores).
Corn (I forgot to put this in the Pot Pie, so we had it on the side!)
Leftover Rice from Sunday
Wednesday:
Leftovers
Thursday:
Roasted Chicken (Full chicken cooked in the crock pot)
Artichoke Fritters (I used canned, quartered artichokes. I only needed one cup of cornmeal, but I kept the other spice measurements the same. I couldn't really taste them, so I think the spices could be doubled. Also, they are not good re-heated, so make just enough for one meal. If you don't have garlic pepper, mix 4 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 1/4 teaspoons pepper, and 1/2 tablespoon parsley.)
Potato Soup (I made this way too thin. I should have drained some water before pureeing. To thicken it, I added one can of white beans, one bag of frozen carrot/onion/celery mix, and two carrots. It helped and didn't change the flavor significantly. It was thicker when reheated)
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (I didn't LOVE these the first time I had one, but they really grew on me and now I'm addicted! The recipe called for 2 cups of chocolate chips which was WAY too many. I used mini chocolate chips and 1 cup would be enough. Also, the batter is very thick and my hand blender couldn't handle it. Break out the stand mixer if you have one!)
Friday:
Leftovers
Saturday:
Yogurt (So Delicious Coconut for my son), Granola, and Raisens
Vegetable Smoothies (Thawed Squash and Spinach Cubes, Frozen Strawberries, and V8 Fusion Juice)
I had one recipe I didn’t get to this week which was Indian Spiced Lentils. I'm also hoping to make popcorn balls for the first time. They are on my list for next week!
For a seven-day week, I normally plan for four dinner meals, two night of leftovers, and one night of “free-for-all.” Generally we have at least one night where we ate a late lunch or for whatever reason, don’t feel like a full dinner. On these nights we’ll have a non-dinner dinner like yogurt, more leftovers, or soup from the freezer. I also try to make at least one meal without any meat.
Hopefully this will give you some ideas for your week! Links are included and I've listed any changes made to the recipe.
Sunday:
Get Yo’ Man Chicken from the Neely’s (this chicken is always so moist and delicious!)
Steamed Broccoli
Quick Black Beans and Rice (I did not have any stewed tomatoes so I used 1 can Rotel which is only 11 oz, so I also added ¼ cup pizza sauce, as well as doubled the garlic powder)
Monday:
Winter Chili (I added 1 cup of pureed butternut squash to the broth, 1 lb of cooked ground meat, and did not use a cinnamon stick. Also, you may want to portion out the kids serving before adding jalapenos)
Corn Muffins (From the Jiffy box, with 1/4 cup applesauce substituted for the egg and 1/3 cup coconut milk for the dairy milk)
Tuesday:
Hearty Vegetable Pot Pie (I halved this recipe to make just one pie. I halved all ingredients except the spices, which I kept as listed. Also, Nutritional Yeast is an excellent supplement and can be found in most natural food sections in the store or in vitamin stores).
Corn (I forgot to put this in the Pot Pie, so we had it on the side!)
Leftover Rice from Sunday
Wednesday:
Leftovers
Thursday:
Roasted Chicken (Full chicken cooked in the crock pot)
Artichoke Fritters (I used canned, quartered artichokes. I only needed one cup of cornmeal, but I kept the other spice measurements the same. I couldn't really taste them, so I think the spices could be doubled. Also, they are not good re-heated, so make just enough for one meal. If you don't have garlic pepper, mix 4 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 1/4 teaspoons pepper, and 1/2 tablespoon parsley.)
Potato Soup (I made this way too thin. I should have drained some water before pureeing. To thicken it, I added one can of white beans, one bag of frozen carrot/onion/celery mix, and two carrots. It helped and didn't change the flavor significantly. It was thicker when reheated)
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (I didn't LOVE these the first time I had one, but they really grew on me and now I'm addicted! The recipe called for 2 cups of chocolate chips which was WAY too many. I used mini chocolate chips and 1 cup would be enough. Also, the batter is very thick and my hand blender couldn't handle it. Break out the stand mixer if you have one!)
Friday:
Leftovers
Saturday:
Yogurt (So Delicious Coconut for my son), Granola, and Raisens
Vegetable Smoothies (Thawed Squash and Spinach Cubes, Frozen Strawberries, and V8 Fusion Juice)
I had one recipe I didn’t get to this week which was Indian Spiced Lentils. I'm also hoping to make popcorn balls for the first time. They are on my list for next week!