Sunday, March 31, 2019

Meal Plan March 31 - April 6

Just wrapping up spring break here in our neck of the woods.  It was a fairly normal week for us as hubby and I both had to work.  Our daughter came to work with me most mornings and then went to a Lego camp in the afternoons, which was a blast according to her!  I did take one day off since she had a dentist appointment and I'd made plans to have lunch with one of our friends. 

This coming week is the last week before our evenings get crazy with activities again.  I'm going to have to dig up some of my old menus for quick and easy dinner ideas!  Volleyball actually starts on Thursday this week, but we'll be on an overnight field trip to an aquarium at the coast (sleeping in the shark tunnel!), so she'll miss the first practice. 

Here's the plan for this week:

Tonight: Chopped Cheese (my daughter's night to cook)
Monday:  Frozen chicken skillet meal
Tuesday:  Broccoli Beef
Wednesday:  Copycat Taco Bell Shredded Chicken Burritos (with copycat Fire Sauce)
Thursday:  Out
Friday:  Tuna casserole
Saturday:  Maybe carnitas.  Maybe something else.  Playing it by ear. 

Have a fantastic week!

Saturday, March 23, 2019

Meal Plan March 18 - 30

It's been a while since I posted a meal plan!  I've still been planning, I just haven't been as good about recording it.  And I miss having the posts for reference, so here I am.  I will say, since I picked up our half pig and stocked up on beef and chicken, it's actually HARDER for me to plan than it is when there aren't as many options!  That feels very backward to me.  We have a TON of food in the house right now so I'm focusing on using up what we have.

My daughter is focusing right now on developing a taste for zucchini.  I'm really proud of her.  She's really not a picky eater - there are only a handful of things she just won't eat, and zucchini has always been one of them.  But she read something not too long ago that talked about how your mouth chemistry changes to appreciate the taste of something if you eat it multiple days in a row, so she decided to try with zucchini.  And I'm happy to say it's working!  So we've been eating roasted zucchini and zoodles, and I think they will become a regular fixture on our menus.

Without further ado, here is our menu for this past week and next week!

Monday:  Coconut Chicken, frozen fries, and roasted broccoli and zucchini
Tuesday:  Korean Beef Bowls, green beans
Wednesday:  Grilled pork chops, zucchini spaghetti with peas, garlic bread (I have to say, I LOVED that zucchini recipe.  The rest of my family?  Not so much.  *sob*)
Thursday:  Shredded beef tacos (fantastic recipe with enough meat left over for another meal!)
Friday: Big Mac Salad, rolls (so, so good)
Today:  Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry, roasted broccoli and zucchini
Sunday:  Cheese manicotti, salad
Monday:  Sausages and Crispy Crowns, veggie sticks
Tuesday:  Quick chicken and dumplings
Wednesday: Pork chops with mustard sauce, buttered noodles, green beans (my daughter's night to cook!)
Thursday: Hawaiian Haystacks (I've never actually made this, but I've been reading about them a lot lately so I thought I'd give it a try)
Friday: Taco salad
Saturday: Baked ziti

What's on your menu this week?


Big Mac Salad

I've been intrigued by the idea of a Big Mac salad for a long time.  I mean really, a salad that tastes like one of my favorite guilty pleasures?  Yes, that's right, I'm a HUGE fan of the Big Mac.  I wanted a recipe that was easy to fix but didn't require pre-made salad dressing or a bunch of "diet" ingredients.  So I combined three recipes and came out with a keeper!

Big Mac Salad
serves 3 at my house!

1 pound ground beef
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 medium onion, minced
fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 T. yellow mustard
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4 c. sweet relish
chopped lettuce
chopped tomatoes
chopped pickles
shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef.  Drain off the fat, then add dry seasonings and onion.  Cook for 3 - 4 minutes, or until onion is soft.  Add mustard, stirring to combine, and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, ketchup, and sweet relish. 

Build salads to individual tastes and top with dressing.