After a week of being sick, I decided I needed to create a meal plan. Last week, I had a meal plan, but only one day was followed.
Even though I had the meal plan, I decided to change it for this week.
We are having 2 days of soups and 2 days of comfort foods.
Here are the plans for the week:
Broccoli and cheddar soup (I kept this from the meal plan from last week.)
Chicken noodle soup
Big Mac Meal – This is a favorite family meal. I have the hamburger in a freezer. It’s easy to put together. There are no leftovers when I make it. We will have roasted potatoes or waffle fries with the meal.
Hawaiian meatballs over rice – I also have stir-fry veggies as a side dish. Yum! I found gluten-free meatballs at Sam’s Club. I haven’t had this meal for a long time because I never found gluten-free meatballs.
My menu this week contains food I already have in the house. I don’t want to have to go shopping after my weekend away. A big grocery shopping trip was done last week. I may have to get some produce and/or bread/ milk. Other than that, we’ll be good to go.
I have not included any lunches in my menu. I don’t know what I’m going to eat just yet.
Sunday – My birthday! Whoop, whoop!
Breakfast – Granola bar with cheese
Lunch – Out to eat
Dinner – On the road
Monday
Breakfast – Cottage cheese with jam
Lunch –
Dinner – Steak, rice, and roasted veggies (I got a bag of frozen roasted veggies during my grocery shopping.)
Tuesday
Breakfast – Cottage cheese with jam
Lunch –
Dinner – Bacon and cheddar hamburger patties (freezer), Garlic Parmesan fries, and mixed veggies
Wednesday
Breakfast – Cottage cheese with jam
Lunch –
Dinner – Out to eat – It’s both food truck and farmer’s market Wednesday in my town.
Thursday
Breakfast – cottage cheese with jam
Lunch –
Dinner – Hot dogs, chips, and raw veggies
Friday
Breakfast – either cottage cheese with jam OR granola bar with cheese
Lunch –
Dinner – either of the frozen gluten-free pasta kits or out to eat – My town is doing a Friday the 13th party.
Dinner – Spaghetti with sausage, roasted broccoli (Ronzoni is the best gluten-free spaghetti in my opinion. I can get my gluten-eating family to eat it.)
Thursday
Breakfast – either cottage cheese with jam OR granola bar with cheese
Lunch – Left-overs
Dinner – Soy sauce pork chops, smashed potatoes, mixed veggies (The soy sauce is gluten-free.)
Friday
Breakfast – either cottage cheese with jam OR granola bar with cheese
Lunch – Left-overs or a salami and cheese wrap
Dinner – Dinner on the road – I have a black bean salad, peanut butter plate, and other snacky foods. It’s hard not knowing what options will be available to me when I travel. I am gluten-free, so I have to pack food with me.
Saturday
Breakfast – granola bar with cheese
Lunch – Out to eat with a high school classmate
Dinner – Out to eat – I will be packing my pho as a backup meal. I also have meat sticks already in my bag to eat if I also need something else.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a meal plan. My children will still ask me what’s for dinner. However now they are teenagers, they have started to cook for themselves. I just provide the ingredients for them. They’ll also eat what I’ve cooked.
Oldest has decided he wants to learn to cook before college which is soon. Mind you his first two years will be done at a local college, so he’ll be still at home. He wants to make sure he knows how to make basic recipes.
On Thursday, I got word that I was going to be at home for the next two months. I’ll have more time to make us dinners at home. (No commute to or from the school building.)
I was going to be home this week anyway because it is Thanksgiving break. However, our plans for Thanksgiving have changed due to the fact my youngest is in quarantine for possible exposure. I’m going to be making our Thanksgiving dinner. I’ll make a big meal that can be eaten at lunch time and then we’ll have a grazing dinner or leftovers later on in the day.
My Misfits box came in yesterday with a few surprises of veggies that I’m going to cook this week. One of which is celery root. I’ve never cooked one of those so that would be interesting to try. I also got eggplant so I’m going to have an Italian themed lunch on Monday and Tuesday. The third veggie I got is fennel. I’m going to have that with my fish on Monday.
If you click on the images, it’ll take you to a Google Slide presentation where you can click on the links to the recipes I’m using this week.
Two of the recipes are going to be made in the slow cooker which makes life easier. I already have the mashed potatoes in my fridge. I had bought some already cooked mashed potatoes for something else. We never used them so they are going to come in handy. The mac and cheese is a family favorite. The recipe makes a lot but I know the boys will eat it.
I decided on turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. It’s going to be a lot easier to make. Easy is my name this year for Thanksgiving.
I hope my meal plan helps you decide on what you are going to cook this week.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving! I know it looks different this year and that’s okay. For me, it’ll remind me of 25 years ago when I was in Walt Disney World. I made my own Thanksgiving dinner for the first time. Grandma sent me recipe cards with some of my favorites – white salad and sweet potato casserole. I made a chicken instead of turkey.
Look for the positives and be grateful. I know it’s hard in 2020 but there have been silver linings through all the hardships. For me, it’s the 3 trips I got to take this year. They looked different than what I typically do. However, I’m blessed I was able to create those memories.
My family has been healthy through this pandemic which is another blessing.
I took this photo on Thursday morning not realizing it was going to be my last morning commuting to work for a while. I took the photo through my rear view mirror. Behind me was the sunrise over the tornado damage from Memorial Day 2019. Something beautiful over something horrific. We need to find that sunrise in our lives right now. That something beautiful
This week is going to be a little different with my meal planning. I won’t be around for 3 maybe 4 of the meals so the gentlemen in my family are in charge.
Yesterday, I did shopping so they would have easy meals on 3 of those days.
On Wednesday, I have to go out to work so I can move classrooms. (I’m just moving across the hall so not hateful.) Anyway, I’m taking the Wee One to help me with the moving. I told him that I would get him McDonald’s for dinner. Hubby and the Imaginative One are on their own on Wednesday as a result.
I’ve got a class at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Tuesday. On Friday, I have the second part of the class at the Wilds. I’m going out to that area on Thursday morning/ afternoon and spending the night by myself. For my dinner, I bought a frozen dinner that I can warm up in the microwave in the hotel room.
I’ll get myself food on the way home on Tuesday and Friday.
Here’s the menu for the week:
Sunday – We had pizza with the family.
Monday – Grilled Cheese with Chips and Cucumber Slices and Celery
Saturday – Breakfast for Dinner
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday – The food they can choose from are:
Last week, my friend Molly was in town. The Imaginative One was happy when she left because that meant I would once again cook dinner for him. LOL!
A month ago, I signed up for Eat at Home’s first cookbook’s launch. I received the cookbook a few weeks ago. I immediately read the book from cover to cover and marked it up with recipes that the family might enjoy. I love the fact that Eat at Home Tonight uses real ingredients that are easily found at the grocery store.
Another feature of the cookbook is the freezer kits. She offers two freezer menus with shopping lists and recipes. I absolutely love having freezer kits.
The cookbook is going to be published on August 7th. Grab your copy then. You won’t regret it especially if you are a busy mom like me.
Here is my menu for the week. Some of the recipes are from the cookbook: Memphis Style BBQ Chicken Tacos, Power Chopped Salad, Ravioli with Summer Garden Vegetables, and Naan Pizza.
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