Meal Plan...

Week two of this meal planning thing, and I'm still not getting it up when I planned. What's new? I told myself to write a blog post stating that this year...there were no specific times I needed to have things posted and I wouldn't have to say I was late. Or apologize for it. I obviously didn't get around to that. So, I'm late doing it. Except I'm not...because the point was to not need to say that. It's my blog, so I'll get to things when I get to them. Right? Right. :) Now that that's out of the way... Here is our weekly menu. On time. Because it's on MY time. (That's kind of nice to say. I get very little time that is "mine." It's nice to think I have some of my own time every now and then, even if it's not really true.)

Oh, and I'm trying to decide if I want to do these menu posts before the week or after the end of the week. In our house, there is always at least one night that things don't go as planned, and at least one meal will get pushed back or changed. Or multiple ones will. You never know. So, I'm debating. Plus, then we can say if something was terrible. Or really worth the effort.

And this is why you'll see some meals this week that were supposed to have been for last week.... Things changed. That's how we roll.

Anyway. Here we go.

Saturday
Burgers, baked fries (seasoned w/ Mrs. Dash), and I think we had fruit. I didn't have time to do the fries the way I usually do (it involves parboiling the potatoes), so I tried the weelicious version she just happened to post the other day. No parboiling and cooking with a higher temp. Wasn't all that different. I asked the guys to let me know which way they preferred. They didn't seem to notice any difference. I think parboiling makes it a bit more crispy. But it's also more time, though not much, and another dish to clean. Both are easy, though. And would you believe that Aiden has only ever had fries that weren't baked maybe once? And he really didn't eat those fries much. The baked fries are always a hit, though. Camden is always very excited when he sees we're having them. They're also too easy and taste too good to justify getting fried fries.

Sunday
Lunch: Leftovers. We went to the grocery after church, so we were pushing it to get Aiden down for his nap on time.
Dinner: Tilapia w/ Thai Curry Almond Rub. Since Ryan's allergic to almonds, his tilapia had ground flaxseed on it instead - that was surprisingly really good! I think we need to have that more often. We served the fish over Rice and Beans with pineapple diced pretty small and mixed in (very easy on the cilantro, brown basmati rice instead of white, and dried black beans previously cooked and frozen instead of canned) - the pineapple and rub on the tilapia really make it! I wouldn't really like the beans and rice dish without them. There are a lot of leftover beans and rice, so we'll be using it in some lunches and other stuff... Need to keep this in mind for next time! Also, Ryan only got three fillets of Tilapia because he was sure Aiden wouldn't really eat it. Aiden's not a big fan of meat/poultry/fish on its own. But...the kid totally liked this fish! I thought it might have been a bit spicy (not really spicy if it's w/ the beans and rice, but he ate it on its own), but apparently it wasn't too much for him! He wouldn't even try the beans and rice, but he tore up the fish! Go figure...

Monday
Lunch: Pasta with parmesan cheese and peas, green smoothies. Aiden kept telling me he didn't want pasta, but he proceeded to eat two and a half bowls. It's always a good back-up because he loves the stuff!
Dinner: Burritos. Nothing fancy. We did use some of the leftover beans and rice dish...instead of cooking rice and serving black beans, like we usually do. This dish was all Ryan's idea, and I think I'm throwing it off the menu for a while. Aiden can't eat a burrito! (And then he wouldn't eat it as a "salad" afterwards...) Plus, I always just feel like there needs to be more to it. It's not my favorite. I'd rather have taco salad or taco soup. I'm the cook, so I get more say. ;)

Tuesday
Lunch: Leftover pasta, parm, and cheese. We will be out late, probably past lunch, for a dr appt, so we need something already made and quick to get out and eat! I'm taking enough snacks for the little guy to eat at the appt, in case we get home and there's really no time for lunch. See previous post on night terrors if you're not getting the reasoning behind that. We'll be pushing it tomorrow. No choice, though.
Dinner: Bean soup. Exciting! Oh, and pickled beets (I make up just enough for the meal when we have it. Thanks to my mama for showing me how to do it.). And cornbread. Can't forget the cornbread. Camden absolutely hates this meal. That's why we have it. (Just kidding!) Ryan and I like it. Plus, it's cheap. Hello! Actually, we have a new plan. We're aiming to serve one dish (which usually means two meals, as far as I'm concerned) each week that is super cheap. The extra money is going to our church/charity money to give away. This is one of those super cheap meals.

Wednesday
Lunch: Strawberry soup. Bread w/ peanut butter or sunflower butter and raisins. This is the easiest thing to make, and the kids think it is so cool. I don't really measure any of it - not much to it at all, so I just toss whatever in. But here is the recipe: 1 pint strawberries (we used frozen), 1 cup vanilla yogurt (ours is plain - made homemade, so I just add in some vanilla), 1 tsp lemon juice...Combine in blender! I do thaw some of the berries first to make blending easier because this is supposed to be a "soup" not a smoothie! Pair it w/ pb and raisins on either a bagel or bread. The vit C in the strawberries helps w/ the absorption of the iron in the pb/raisins. Aiden drinks his soup from a cup. :)
Dinner: Bean soup, pickled beets, and cornbread. We do let Camden either fix himself a sandwich or a bowl of cereal, since he doesn't like the beans. BUT he does first have to eat a small bowl of the beans. We're mean like that.

Thursday
Lunch: Tuna salad. We all love this recipe. Camden, who claims to hate tuna, will admit he likes this stuff. He'll eat seconds, and when I asked if he wanted some for lunch this week, he said yes very quickly. :) The fruit in it really makes it taste sweet. Put it in a pita. Add some spinach and cheese if you like. Aiden might try some in a pita, but he usually ends up eating his from a bowl. He will tear this stuff up! Loves it.
Dinner: Spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad. We'll see how it goes. Aiden's not a spaghetti fan. I don't know why not, but really... Anything that's like it, he doesn't like. Likes pasta with parmesan, but spaghetti, parm chicken over pasta, and sometimes lasagna. Just not a fan. But sometimes he eats it. So, we'll see. I warned Ryan. (He kind of did the dinner planning while I was busy the other day. It's nice that he helps, but sometimes he doesn't think the way I do. Or I don't always want to cook the things he puts on there.)

Friday
Lunch: Leftover tuna salad. I'm hoping there IS some leftover because we'll be getting home from Bible study just in time for lunch. If there is none left over, it's tomato soup in a cup and some fruit on the side. I would attempt a grilled cheese, but this kid is also not a fan of sandwiches! Anytime he actually eats some, it's not even half.
Dinner: Spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad. Family Fun Night means we need leftovers to make dinner quick and easy! :)

Saturday
Lunch: Leftovers or sandwiches, I guess.
Dinner: Vegetable soup from the freezer

Sunday
Lunch: Not sure yet. More leftovers. There usually isn't enough soup left for another meal for everyone, but sometimes there's enough for a person or two, so the others can grab whatever else is left in the fridge.
Dinner: Corn Chowder from the freezer. We usually have the freezer meals during the week, but we wanted to use these up. We have some projects to work on around the house, so we could use the free time that would normally go to longer dinners I usually cook on weekends.

A friend commented on last week's menu saying she first thought this kind of post would be pretty boring but that I had surprised her with what we had planned. I'm pretty sure this post is showing how boring we usually eat. Nothing too exciting this week, that's for sure! What about at your place? Boring or exciting, that is.