Meal Plan Monday #10

People seem to be liking these meal plans so I will keep posting them.  I am in the process of learning how to give my blog a makeover, hence the lack of posts.  I have this complex about the appearance of my blog.  I know it's weird, but I feel like if it doesn't look professional, people won't take it seriously.  Hopefully by the spring I will be up and running on a spiffy new site.  Stay tuned!

Until then, here is my dutiful weekly meal plan.  Sorry if you are getting sick of them.  I do them not only to give others ideas, but also to keep myself accountable.  If I already told the world that I was going to make a homemade soup on Saturday, I would feel a little bad if I backed out and got take out instead.  See what I mean?  Accountability.  :)

Monday
Breakfast:  Eggs, fruit and veg juice (trying to juice more to up the veg intake)
Lunch:  Leftover dirty rice and kale and white bean soup from week prior
Dinner:  Baked white fish with pomegranate salsa, glazed carrots, and rice

Tuesday
Breakfast:  Soaked Oatmeal
Lunch:  Grilled cheese or pb&j on homemade bread, raw fruit and veg
Dinner:  slow cooker shredded beef tacos, refried beans, guacamole, salsa, other toppings

Wednesday
Breakfast:  Eggs and bacon, fruit and veg juice
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Cheeseburger helper, roasted broccoli, salad

Thursday- Valentine's Day!
Breakfast:  Kefir pink and green smoothies, pink beet pancakes
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Heart shaped pizza, Crustless no bake cheesecakes with berries

Friday
Breakfast: Bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Date night!!!!!

Saturday
Breakfast:  Eggs, fruit and veg juice, toast
Lunch:  Leftovers, grilled cheese, or pb&j with raw fruit and veg
Dinner: Butternut squash stuffed shells with sauteed green beans

Sunday
Breakfast:  Leftover pancakes or oatmeal or smoothie
Lunch:  Slow cooker Italian beef sandwiches on homemade buns, sweet potato fries
Dinner:  Whatever is left in the house  :)

Snacks:  apples with nut butter, stovetop popcorn, cheese, oranges, bananas, carrot sticks, celery,  homemade jello

 What's on your table this week?  Any good recipes?  Let me know in the comments below!

Meal Plan Monday #9

Here's my real food meal plan for the week. 

As usual it's all real food, no processed ingredients, but not diet food.  These meals are NOT low fat, low calorie, low carb, or low anything else.  We've been there done that and it wasn't sustainable for our family. 

We do strive though to use high quality ingredients as to best nourish our family,  so all meat is pasture raised, eggs are organic and free range when I can get them, produce mostly organic when budget allows, raw grass fed milk, whole grains, homemade stocks, etc. 

I've kind of fallen into a groove of 1-2 beef/pork dishes, 1-2 chicken/poultry dishes, 1 seafood dish, 1-2 vegetarian, and pizza night.  It's what works for us.  Enjoy! 

I'd LOVE to hear from you in the comments!  Do you meal plan?  What are some of your favorite dishes?


Monday
Breakfast:  Fruit and veg juice, scrambled eggs, sausage
Lunch:  Leftover Super bowl food (Not real food :)  )
Dinner:  BBQ chicken pockets  with homemade crust, carrots and green beans

Tuesday
Breakfast: Kefir smoothie, eggs
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Family meal at Granparents'

Wednesday
Breakfast:  soaked Oatmeal with coconut oil, raw honey and nuts
Lunch:  Grilled cheese sandwiches, raw veg and fruit
Dinner: Slow cooker taco soup (church potluck)  grassfed beef, black beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, seasonings

Thursday
Breakfast:  Eggs, bacon, homemade whole wheat toast
Lunch:  Leftovers and kefir green smoothies
Dinner:  Shrimp and vegetable lo mein

Friday
Breakfast:  Pancakes with maple syrup and kefir green smoothies
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner:  Homemade pizza with soaked whole grain pizza dough, salad

Saturday
Breakfast:  Eggs and bacon
Lunch:  Leftovers and green smoothies
Dinner:  Bayou dirty rice with liver  served with salads and fruit

Sunday
Breakfast: Kefir smoothies and leftover pancakes
Lunch:  Kale and white bean soup in slow cooker
Dinner:  Whatever's left in the house

Snacks:  stovetop popcorn, Homemade cherry pie larabars, raw cheddar cheese, cuties, bananas, apples with peanut butter, carrots, celery, salsa

Meal Plan Monday #8

We're in full blown winter now, which means I basically want to hibernate by the fire until spring.  Comfort dishes full of root vegetables, hearty stews and soups, and hot dishes grace our table this time of year.  We also just got our first 100% grass fed/finished beef from our farmer a few weeks ago and we are loving it!  It's so nice to be able to open my freezer to delicious and healthy beef and not have to pay an arm and a leg for steaks and roasts.  This week we're having several beef dishes and a couple of vegetarian dishes as well.  I normally like a chicken dish, but I don't have any free-range chicken in the freezer, so it's not making the cut this week.

Monday
Breakfast:  Biscuits, fried eggs
Lunch:  Leftover winter lentil vegetable soup
Dinner:  Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted brussel sprouts

Tuesday
Breakfast:  Pancakes, bacon
Lunch:  Leftovers from Monday
Dinner:  Stuffed acorn squash and rice, glazed carrots

Wednesday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and leftover pancakes
Lunch:  Grilled cheese sandwiches, raw veg and kefir smoothies
Dinner:  Slow cooker beef stroganoff (beef broth instead of canned condensed soup), old fashioned soaked egg noodles, sauteed green beans

Thursday
Breakfast: Soaked oatmeal
Lunch:  Leftovers from Wednesday
Dinner:  Family dinner at Grandparents' house

Friday
Breakfast:  Kefir Smoothies
Lunch:  Sandwiches
Dinner:  Cabbage rolls, carrots

Saturday
Breakfast:  Pancakes, eggs and bacon
Lunch:  Leftovers from Friday
Dinner:  Baked salmon, roasted butternut squash, broccoli

Sunday
Breakfast:  Kefir smoothies or oatmeal
Lunch:  Leftovers or out
Dinner:   Frittata and Vegetable pancakes

Decking the halls

We just love Christmas around here.  Such a special time to celebrate the birth of Christ, or like my daughter likes to say, "It's like having a giant birthday party for Jesus."  Yeah something like that sweetie.  :) 

I also just love the way my house feels with all the decorations up.  It just feels warm and cozy.  Hey, do you want a tour?  It's nothing fancy, but we like it.  I'd offer you some hot cocoa or build a fire for you, but it's in the mid-70s here.  How about some ice water and a cookie instead?

 

Bailey and her little tree in her room.  She was so proud after she decorated it.

 Our fireplace mantle.  Simple and cozy.

 

Full view of the fireplace.

 Our simple advent calendar/wreath.  I love it.

 Greenery in our dining room. 

 Living room pillows.  Joy and Ho ho ho

 Mary, Joseph and Jesus  Love this piece.

 My favorite Christmas decoration.  Bailey adores this too and loves to rearrange the figures.

Our pretty tree.  It's not fancy and it's a hodge podge of ornaments but I love it.  There are so many stories behind all of the ornaments that it makes putting up the tree like walking down memory lane.  There are homemade crocheted ornaments from my late grandma, cross-stitched ones from my mom, homemade ones from the kids, ornaments commemorating engagement, wedding, and children's births.  It really is a special piece of Christmas for me.

There you have it.  We have a few other things here and there in the house, but this is the bulk of it.  Hope you enjoyed our tour. 

What is your favorite Christmas decoration?  Are you a glitz and glam kind of person, simple, homemade?  I'd love to hear from you!

Meal Plan Monday #7

Monday

Breakfast:  Oatmeal and eggs

Lunch: Leftover creamy chicken, rice, and carrots and butternut squash

Dinner:  Pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns

Tuesday

Breakfast:  Smoothies

Lunch:  Peanut butter and jelly, fruit and raw veggies

Dinner:  Spaghetti and salad

Wednesday

Breakfast:  Eggs and bacon

Lunch:  leftovers

Dinner:  Grandparents' house

Thursday

Breakfast: Kefir smoothies and sprouted toast with butter

Lunch:  Egg salad sandwiches with fruit and raw veg

Dinner:  Grass fed steaks, mashed potatoes, and roasted broccoli

Friday

Breakfast:  Eggs and toast

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Pizza

Saturday

Breakfast:  French toast or sourdough pancakes

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Chicken cordon bleu, green beans, sweet potatoes

Sunday

Breakfast:  Kefir smoothies

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Baked fish, honey glazed carrots, buttered peas

Meal Plan Monday #6

Monday
Breakfast: Eggs, leftover biscuits
Lunch:  Leftover pinto beans and corn cakes
Dinner:  Chicken and veggie stir fry with rice

Tuesday
Breakfast:  Eggs and leftover biscuits
Lunch:  Leftover stir fry
Dinner:  Granparents' house

Wednesday
Breakfast:  Smoothies
Lunch:  Egg salad sandwiches
Dinner:  Roasted chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy

Thursday
Breakfast:  Oatmeal with nuts and fruit
Lunch:  Leftover chicken
Dinner:  Salmon, quinoa and butternut squash

Friday
Breakfast:  Eggs and bacon
Lunch:  Leftovers or chicken salads
Dinner:  Pizza, salad

Saturday
Breakfast:  Bacon, eggs, smoothies,
Lunch:  Leftover pizza
Dinner:  Dinner and a Movie at church

Sunday
Breakfast:  Leftover oatmeal
Lunch:  Reuben sandwiches, sweet potato fries
Dinner:  Thanksgiving meal at church

Make and freeze with leftover chicken:  Chicken pot pie filling, and creamy chicken and rice

This post was shared at Erin Branscom

Rest and relaxation for the reluctant mama

My babies left me today for the entire weekend....for the first time ever!  My husband is a youth pastor and will be taking the teenagers on a weekend fall retreat.  I've taken my daughter on one of these retreats when she was about 4 months old, and she did great.  She was in that beautifully portable stage that babies are a that age.  They sleep anywhere and go to anyone. 

As my daughter grew, her portability deminished.  She was disruptive during lessons, running around during the activities, and made it impossible for me to be a responsible chaperone.  It was just easier for me to  stay at home with her while my husband traveled on these trips.  While I adore my daughter, I grieved that a part of my ministry with these teenagers and their families had changed. 

By the time my daughter was weaned and old enough to stay with family, our son was born.  Long story short, it's been four years since I've gone on a youth trip, and I REAAALLY miss it.  My little bubby is now 19 months old.  He's never been away from both my husband and I for more than a day, but we both decided he could probably handle a weekend away from us, so they are both spending the weekend in KY/IN while we go on our Fall Retreat. 

I have mixed emotions.  On one hand I'm thrilled to have kid free weekend so I can focus on the lessons, minister intensely to the students, and participate fully in the activities like the high ropes course (YIKES).  On the other hand, I'm worried about how my kids will do away from me in a completely different state.  My little guy is a momma's boy and my little girl has a runny nose today.  I know they are in good hands though, and more importantly I know that my God is in control.  I'm thankful for Him for giving me this opportunity to be recharged and revitalized.  Not in the conventional sense, because let's just be honest, I probably won't be getting a lot of sleep this weekend.  I do plan on being recharged by feeding on God's word and also getting a "break" from being a frazzled mama.  Time away is good, right?!  ::hold me::  :)  Happy weekend everyone!  God bless!