Back to basics…

 

For ages and ages and ages (okay fine, the better part of a year) I tried to post a menu plan for us each week. Lots has happened since my last menu plan…two and a half years ago…eeeep….

 

So after riding the roller coaster of life for a while, Alex and I have decided we’d like life to slow down a bit. Meal times are a bit hectic what with four competing schedules and two very tired kids at dinner time…I’m only going to plan dinner this week, but once we’re back into the swing of things, I think I’m going to try to plan our lunches too…all too often my lunch ends up being tossed together at the last minute and as I’m already not the biggest lunch fan, it doesn’t make me happy…

Monday: Chicken Wings with rice, carrots and peas

Tuesday: Macaroni and cheese (with hidden cauliflower) and broccoli

Wednesday: Meatloaf with chick peas served with mashed potatoes, cauliflower and peas

Thursday: Teriyaki chicken with rice and stir fried broccoli

Friday: Chicken and dumplings

Saturday: Homemade Pizza

Sunday: Carrot and lentil soup with Kari’s bread

Nothing fancy here and nothing new to us…the first two recipes are courtesy of my mom and I don’t even use a recipe anymore, the pizza dough recipe is my dad’s and while I used to make it from memory, my memory isn’t that good now that I have a toddler and we haven’t made pizza for a long time. The meatloaf is packaged up in the freezer and we’re all excited about it! Yummy!!!

Of course, being the Organizing Junkie, Laura is still posting meal plans…if you need ideas (or more likely when I need ideas for next week), there are links to many meal plans over there.

Two in a row?

We did it! We stuck to the plan last week...Can we do it again???





Monday: Leftover spaghetti with bacon meatballs

Tuesday: Salmon Cakes

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Beef Barley Soup

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Cracking Burgers

Sunday: Burritos (plus more for the freezer)

Check out Menu Plan Monday over at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more meal ideas.

Quick Meals

We have discovered that we really need to make sure our weekday meals are quick. Leftovers and the slow cooker are both great for that and we're building a book of faster, simpler recipes in hopes that soon Alex will be able to take over some of the week night cooking so that we can have other meals too. That means I've been making some old favourites and writing down the recipe and the method. Because I cook a lot from memory and Alex is just learning to cook...It also means we won't be experimenting with new recipes very often during the week. But that doesn't mean it can't taste good!




Monday: Homemade Chicken Soup

Tuesday: Leftover Soup

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Beef with this sauce

Thursday: Leftover beef

Friday: Black Bean Chili minus the salsa only because avocados have been suspect lately (we love them normally)

Saturday: More leftovers

Sunday: Pasta - maybe spaghetti and meatballs

There are more menu ideas at OrgJunkie. Does anyone have a quick and easy recipe I could share with Alex?

Spooky Nights

Happy Hallowe'en! Are you eating "gross" food tonight? We're not...we're keeping it simple. We were going to take J trick or treating yesterday at a local Hallowe'en event, but life had other plans for us.

So, J and I are meeting up with Fiona tonight to do a block or so of Fiona's street. J was SOOOOOOOO excited to wear her costume today!




Usually we have macaroni and cheese for dinner on Hallowe'en, but due to the changes in plans and all the other "life" that is happening in our world right now, we're not having it tonight. But it will make an appearance soon. J has asked for it!

Monday: Tortellini Soup

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Spaghetti with Bacon Meatballs

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Salmon Cakes

Saturday: Visit with Alex's parents

Sunday: Chicken and Dumplings

Hmmm...does that look suspiciously like last week's menu or is it just me? No, the last half is the same as last week. Last week was nuts and some things got moved around and some things had more leftovers than expected and other things didn't get made and then there was life kicking us in the pants so we ordered takeout and ate leftovers forever. But it's all good.

For more menus, including some that are Hallowe'en inspired, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Comfort Food

It's getting cold and I'm seeing a definite change in our meals - heavier, less raw, not sure the last time I saw a salad. Good thing we all seem to enjoy broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and other winter vegetables.



Monday: Black beans and grilled shrimp

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Channa masala (yup, we love it!)

Thursday: Spaghetti and Bacon Meatballs

Friday: Salmon Cakes

Saturday: Visit with Alex's parents?

Sunday: Chicken and Dumplings

Head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more meal ideas.

Is it Monday somewhere?

I didn't get this up on Monday. Or yesterday. So here it is today. Partly because I need to be able to refer to it when I'm not at home.




Monday: Leftover slow cooker pulled pork that was actually beef

Tuesday: Chicken and white bean chili (recipe to come) with homemade bread

Wednesday: Leftover chili with cornmeal muffins

Thursday: Something special for Alex - Tater Tot Casserole, Shannon-style

Friday: Dinner out for the grownups. J will either have leftovers with the babysitter or she has asked to make pizza

Saturday: Take out (probably Italian)

Sunday: Alex's choice (and he'll be cooking) - he hasn't decided yet but my guess is either fish or a hearty soup or stew...

This week is a funny food week partly because it's our anniversary - that's why we're having tater tot casserole and going out AND ordering in. I linked up to I'm an Organizing Junkie and I hope that next week I'll my life together enough to get my menu up before it's half cooked and eaten!

A week of turkey

I cooked a ten pound turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. That's a heck of a lot of turkey for two grown ups and a three year old...I'm going to try to not overdose on turkey leftovers this week. Our freezer is going to be happy!



Monday: Turkey Soup

Tuesday: Turkey Pot Pie

Wednesday: Channa Masala

Thursday: Pasta with sausage

Friday: Salmon and rice

Saturday: I'm out, so J and Alex (who are both excited already) are ordering pizza

Sunday: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

I've linked to I'm an Organizing Junkie...who seems to have managed not to have any turkey leftovers on her menu (and yes, she's Canadian too)

Bountiful Harvest

Yesterday J and I met up with Rebecca and went to the Kitsilano Farmer's Market. I hadn't done any meal planning yet - I wanted to see what I came home with and then I was going to build my menu around that.

We stopped and god a bunch of yummy carrots, J picked out her own cucumber and then we decided to get some plums. We were just going to get a container of the purple plums, but the woman at the booth gave us a sample of the smaller, reddish plums.

So good! They were sweet and juicy and I immediately added a basket of those to our haul. I've spent the last 24 hours trying to keep J from eating more of them! The woman told me what they were called, but I've forgotten. Does anyone know?

Not long after we got home, I got a message from Kelsey who had been up in Kelowna over the weeks - she had a bunch of fruit and vegetables for me, could I please come pick them up? We returned home with two boxes of home canned stuff, apples, more carrots, more cucumbers, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and green beans. I had dumps dinner in the slow cooked before we left yesterday morning, but we did add a side of fresh green beans to our dinner. I am pretty sure the beans, tomatoes and cucumbers all come out of my parents' garden. They also send some canned pears, peaches, tomatoes with basil and peach marmalade.

I was soooooooooo glad I didn't plan anything and even more happy that I hadn't gone grocery shopping. I have to pick up a bit of protein and a few staples on the way home tonight, but we're actually pretty much set for the week with all the goodies yesterday brought. I love fall.




This week's menu (I am so happy to once again have a functioning slow cooker, can you tell?)

Monday: Quesadillas with carrot sticks and cucumbers

Tuesday: Slow-Cooked Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

Wednesday: Beef Stew

Thursday: Leftover Stew

Friday: Calzones with homemade tomato sauce [I'm on a Martha Stewart kick this week, hey? The calzones are premade and already in the freezer]

Saturday: Turkey dinner - early because I have a whole day to make dinner

Sunday: Leftovers or soup or something light because we're going for Thanksgiving brunch with Alex's family

Happy Thanksgiving week! I've linked to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie where I'm sure you'll find that not all the menus are Martha Stewart-heavy!

Let's start at the very beginning

of the week, that is...I think I'm back...we'll see. I thought I'd start with getting our kitchen back in order (okay, truthfully, the kitchen wasn't really ever out of order, but I certainly wasn't using it...much)



We have a busy week ahead of us, but I think I'll be able to swing meals heathly meals without too much stress (meals I made ages ago and froze are coming in handy!).

Monday: Macaroni and Cheese

Tuesday: Tacos (freezer food!)

Wednesday Shrimp Linguine - OH YUM. It's one of my 50 recipes for the 101 challenge, but I haven't blogged about it yet (I'm a bit behind...I did cook in August, really...)

Thursday: Quesadillas

Friday: Channa Masala (more freezer food)

Saturday: Salmon and Green Rice (from the Rebar Cookbook)

Sunday: Mom's Meatloaf

I'm linking this post to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Food, Glorious Food

After a week of no plan and a couple of weeks with half-hearted plans, I'm so happy to have my menu ready to go this week...



We're back into the fall swing of things and even though no one at our house is currently in school, things definitely all started again last week. We're trying to make things that work as leftovers. I need to be out of the house at 6:30 tonight and Thursday, so that means that both those dinners need to be leftover meals (or super fast meals). With a change in hours for me and J, Alex is going to be taking on more of the cooking and we're trying to keep dinner simple...

Monday: Cashew chicken sans cashews but with celery (leftovers)

Tuesday: Chili (leftovers)

Wednesday: Channa Masala

Thursday: Channa Masala (or other leftovers)

Friday: Dinner out with Alex and J

Saturday: Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

Sunday: BBQ with friends at their house

More fall menu ideas over at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

The no-plan plan

So, this week there isn't really a plan for food at our house. We had a crazy birthday party weekend and then my parents left and took J with them. Which gives me a bit more flexibility than usual when it comes to food...





Monday: Dinner out

Tuesday: Something quick - probably an omelette or sandwich - because I have an appointment right after work and followed immediately by a meeting

Wednesday: Whatever is in the fridge

Thursday: Lasagne or other similar make ahead dish that travels well and feeds lots

Friday: My mom is in charge (I just delegated that now)

Saturday: Wedding-eve bbq

Sunday: Wedding dinner

Next week it's back to school week and daycare transition time...yahoo...which means meals will need to be more carefully planned and the slowcooker will most certainly be making a comeback!

For more menu ideas, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie. (Michelle, I will try the link you posted...I haven't had time yet!)

I need routine...

Specifically, I need to sit down on the weekend and plan our meals for the week (there are other parts to my routine, they're just not bugging me...this week). Because if I don't, Wednesday rolls around and I have no idea what we're going to eat this week. And then we eat boring food. Plus there's a party for a three year old on Saturday and I have no idea what I'm going to serve. Plus I have the dreaded MRI on Saturday, bright and early, and I'm kind of panicking. And I shouldn't be. Because I have three evenings and most of Saturday morning and my parents are coming and it will be fine.






Monday: Quesadillas

Tuesday: Chicken with corn on the cob, dilled potatoes and other vegetables

Wednesday: Quesadillas (yes, again. They are the perfect food for nights when I go out with my trainer...if you have suggestions for some other quick, but relatively healthy dinner I can make for J and then for myself a few hours later, I'd love to hear them...we also do peanut butter and jam a lot on nights like this)

Thursday: Salmon or out

Friday: Pasta

Saturday: Party day...something easy...maybe more pasta? Or maybe out with my parents? Or maybe who knows...

Sunday: Small child is with her grandparents so Alex and I are having date night

Blah...what a boring, repetitive and uninspired week. These are the weeks when I convince myself that I don't actually like to cook. For more variety, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Sharing dinner duty...

Um, I'm a bit late posting this (well, posting anything, really), so I'll start with the one line recap of the doctor's appointment: It was fine and I am fine. More about that tomorrow.

J and I are on holiday with my parents right now, so we're sharing dinner duty - tonight was a group effort with all three of us contributing.



We're pretty much cooking on the BBQ this week and we're sort of playing meals by ear, but here's the meat of it (ha. bad pun. must be bed time!)

Monday: Salmon with veggies and grilled sweet potato

Tuesday: Chicken with a basil, peach and blueberry glaze (YUM! Dad rocks!), potatoes, beans, broccoli, carrots (all the produce from the family garden except the basil which was from my parents garden and the BC blueberries from another part of the province)

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: More leftovers

Friday: Birthday burgers and dogs with salad and cake

Saturday: BBQ at my aunt and uncle's

Sunday: Birthday burgers and dogs at Alex's parents' (yes, that's two birthday celebrations for little miss...)

Looking for more ideas (maybe something not BBQ'd???)? Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for a whole bunch of menu ideas!

We need to eat

And I did do our planning on Sunday and Monday, I just didn't get it uploaded...because I'm slow. And preoccupied. And stuff.



Monday: Cashew Chicken with added celery and broccoli

Tuesday: Pancakes for dinner

Wednesday: Salmon and new potatoes

Thursday: Quesadillas

Friday: Travel food, or if we're incredibly lucky, dinner at my parents'

Saturday: Hugemungous family celebration dinner

Sunday: Steak or burgers...

More ideas from people who posted promptly at I'm an Organizing Junkie....

The weekly dilemma: what to eat...

So last week's menu went out the window almost as soon as I posted it...

I'm not sure what we ate. Wednesday we did go out with my mom. Last night we picked up sushi...the rest of the week? That's anybody's guess.

Maybe this week will be better...

Monday: Frittata

Tuesday: Broccoli Calzones with homemade tomato sauce

Wednesday: Slow cooker chicken (maybe?)

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Salmon and rice

Saturday: Dinner chez parents

Sunday: More dinner chez parents

For more ideas, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

No inspiration

Summer sort of but not really arrived this weekend. We had a lovely weekend with lovely weather but it's windy and grey again. So I'm grouchy. And uninspired. I spent last night trying to make our plan for the week and had two days planned when I went to bed (extra late). Both meals are meals out. Go figure. I've looked at blogs and Martha Stewart and other sites and I have no desire to cook this week. Apparently my family has no desire to eat either...when I asked what they would like, J replied with eggs and Alex said there was nothing special he wanted. UGH. That doesn't help.

So here is my uninspired week that will most likely change because it's so uninspired...for more inspiration and ideas, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.



Monday: Cold dinner - chicken, salami, cheese, bread, raw vegetables, hummus, watermelon

Tuesday: Mushroom frittata (J's request)

Wednesday: Dinner out with my mom

Thursday: Slowcooker roast with new potatoes

Friday: Dinner out for me and Alex, pasta for J and her sitter

Saturday: Chili

Sunday: Leftovers

Guessing at our meals

We've been out of town for a few days...and I created this menu with my kitchen a good 450 kilometres away...so we'll see if it actually happens...



Monday: Dinner out/take out (we will still be travelling or if we're lucky just be home)

Tuesday: Chicken strips

Wednesday: Tomato, Basil and Italian Sausage pasta

Thursday: Broccoli Calzones (from the freezer) with leftover pasta sauce

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Dinner with my parents

Sunday: Salmon

Laura is away today but Finding Joy in my kitchen is hosting Menu Plan Monday if you're looking for ideas!

Clear out the fridge

As I stood in front of the open fridge contemplating dinner last night (our dinner plans fell through and because we had a fridge full of leftovers all week, I didn't pick up the ingredients for the channa masala) I wondered yet again how it was possible to have a fridge FULL of food, yet have nothing to actually eat.




We're off for a few days at the end of the week, so I dug through the fridge to see what we had that needed to be used up...unfortunately as I dug around, I discovered that for some reason the fridge was freezing stuff (even if it wasn't touching the side of the fridge) and I had to toss out a quarter of a watermelon and almost a full box of salad. There were a few half frozen strawberries, so we had strawberry smoothies this morning. And there was some partly frozen celery and peppers. I cleaned and chopped those and tossed them in the freezer to be made into soup some time in the future.

There was also most of a roasted chicken and some sad looking tortillas. So we had chicken quesadillas for dinner and I made some stock to go with those sadly frozen vegetables. I hate throwing away food. I'm glad we have the option to compost these days, but it still bugs me to think of how much money went out in the bin this morning. I also had to toss a bunch of food from the party that we just didn't get through last week and was no longer good :(

This week's menu (made mostly from the fridge/freezer and hot weather friendly(ish) in case tomorrow's rain doesn't come)

Monday: Leftover roast chicken with coleslaw, bread, cheese and pickles (for miss J)

Tuesday: Asparagus Frittata (one of the few vegetables to survive the great freeze)

Wednesday: Pita Tacos

Thursday: Finger food potluck at the daycare (hopefully some of my leftovers can be turned into finger food)

Friday: AWAY!!

Saturday: Still away

Sunday: Away some more

Looking for menu ideas? Check out I'm an Organizing Junkie today!

Hello Summer!

After what felt like the longest winter and shortest spring, it looks like summer is here. We're on day four of sun. It's cooler than usual, but I'm okay with that. Last weekend I got excited and did two weeks of menu planning which means I was all ready to post is (and another post) last night - with a few modifications. But then our computer decided to die. But it didn't really die. It turns out it has a virus. So it's off to the doctor and I'm on a borrowed computer until it's fixed - probably later this week...





Last week's menu went off without a hitch...I made two new dishes and Alex made one...and all three will likely make it into our regular rotation. (sorry no picture of Alex's, we all inhaled it too quickly - it was a basil, tomato and Italian sausage fettucine) We had so many leftovers the papaya chicken fell off the menu - probably okay since I couldn't find any nice looking papaya that didn't eat up the bulk of our grocery budget in one gulp!

Dinner in Minutes' Tuscan Tuna and White Bean Salad

Jamie Oliver's Salmon Cakes

This week's somewhat summery menu is linked to Menu Plan Mondays at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday: Leftovers from yesterday's birthday party, including the black bean burgers from last week's menu that I made up but we never got around to cooking

Tuesday: Crustless Quiche

Wednesday: Stuffed Peppers with Chickpea Salad

Thursday: White Bean and Basil Salad with Lemon and Garlic Chicken Breasts (Alex's night)

Friday: Leftovers or Rice Salad with Salmon

Saturday: BBQ at Alex's parents' for our niece's 4th birthday (YAY no cooking for me!)

Sunday: Channa Masala with Naan and Brown Rice

Monday again?!

I'm not sure how the weekend went by so quickly...last week dragged and I was kind of hoping for a slower weekend too...oh well, four day week this week, so the weekend will be here soon enough!




I dusted off the cookbooks and we spent some time yesterday going through them picking things we'd like to try. We ended up with two weeks worth of planning! Yay! Now we just need to see what we do and don't eat this week and move things around next week. If we have lots of leftovers this week, it could mean we have the next week almost planned too...YAY!

Monday: Homemade chicken fingers

Tuesday: Tuscan Tuna & Bean Salad (from Dinner in Minutes)

Wednesday: Papaya Chicken with Rice & Peas (from Dinner in Minutes pg 83)

Thursday: Fettucine with Tomato, Basil & Sausage (Dad's Own Cookbook - guess who is making dinner!)

Friday: CANADA DAY - which means we'll come home and eat leftovers or eat out depending on what we end up doing...

Saturday: Salmon Cakes with veggies (from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution)

Sunday: Burgers - beef (probably premade) and black bean burgers (probably Emily's recipe)

Looking for more ideas? There are already over 100 over at I'm an Organizing Junkie.