Raising A Healthy Family » Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday August 23

Char — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:06:45 +0000

As my favorite Staples commercial EVER says…”It’s the MOST wonderful time of the year….they’re going back…” (click here to see the video and get a good giggle) and for me that means Sunday evenings have to become my time for planning the week ahead. It is the only way it works around here. I need to know what the sports schedules are, who has what appointment, what’s for dinner, what I plan to accomplish… the works.

This year I have three kids in three different schools which means three different breakfast schedules and out the door times. I have posted a list of healthy breakfast ideas inside one cabinet and quick, healthy snack/lunch ideas on another. Hopefully this will help make mornings a little easier and get rid of the “What can I pack for lunch?” question. Check back later this week and I will put the lists together for you so you can print them out and hang on the inside of your cabinet.

My menu this week:

Monday – Pierogies with kielbasa and fresh, steamed green beans
Tuesday – First day of school but also a sports night – Pot roast with carrots and potatoes in the crock pot – a family favorite
Wednesday – Another busy sports night – BLT sandwiches and tomato soup
Thursday – Grilled chicken, patty pan squash, roasted red potatoes
Friday – Hamburgers on the grill, corn on the cob, salad

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

Don’t forget to submit your family oriented blog posts to our blog carnival called the “All Things Family” blog carnival - enter your submissions by 5 pm today to be included in this week’s edition.

Menu Plan Monday August 16

Char — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 02:16:12 +0000

We are back from the most amazing vacation (more on that to come later) and have one week left before the kids go back to school. That means it is time to start rolling back the bed times, getting into a new routine, and getting back into the menu planning habit! The slow cooker is being joined by its new friend the George Foreman Grill this fall. I actually have had a small George Foreman Grill for a long time, but I can only cook 2-3 burgers or chicken breasts on it at a time and it is a real pain to clean. Today I splurged and bought myself the newer George Foreman that has a digital read out and removable grill plates so that the cleaning will not be as frustrating.

Monday – Steak, corn on the cob and salad
Tuesday – Honey mustard marinated chicken, patty pan squash, new potatoes
Wednesday – Slow cooker pork chops, homemade applesauce, broccoli and salad
Thursday – Taco salad
Friday – Baked macaroni and cheese with salad

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

Menu Plan Monday – June 21

Char — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 00:36:28 +0000

With school out and summer officially here, I can honestly say, dinner time may actually be sane! Four out of five weeknights we will actually be home for dinner together since just about all the kids sports practices will be during the day. We will still have one evening out – for summer swim meets, but we will all be together.

Our menu this week:

Monday – Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry – Jamie Oliver style
Tuesday – Chicken Enchiladas & Tossed Salad
Wednesday – Swim Meet – our concession stand has great food like baked potatoes, taco salad, burgers, etc
Thursday – Thai Scallops and Noodles
Friday – Build your own Pizza

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

Menu Plan Monday – May 31

Char — Mon, 31 May 2010 13:57:18 +0000

Happy Memorial Day!! Take a few minutes today to thank someone who has sacrificed to help keep our country free!

This week is going to be interesting – to say the least! It is the first week of summer swim team practice and my gymnastics coaching schedule is going to change too. For that reason alone, I know that it is absolutely critical for me to have our menu planned for the week!

Monday – Hamburgers on the grill, baked potato salad and spinach salad
Tuesday – Slow Cooker Flank Steak, egg noodles, steamed green beans
Wednesday – Chicken Fried Rice with asparagus, corn, peas, carrots and onion
Thursday -Roast Pork Tenderloin & Stuffing with steamed broccoli
Friday – Baked macaroni and cheese, tossed salad

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

Menu Plan Monday – May 24

Char — Sun, 23 May 2010 11:59:36 +0000

Its a good thing I had my menu plan made for the last month because the past few weeks have been a little too hectic for me! This week should be much better with fewer sports practices, no school events in the evening and I actually have a few minutes to sit down and plan this morning.

Monday – Two of my kids are swimming in a swim-a-thon so they are going to be starving! I will pick up a rotisserie chicken today at Wegman’s and make a huge batch of pasta salad loaded with fresh veggies and they can some before they swim and after.
Tuesday – Marinated flank steak, Crash Hot Potatoes from The Pioneer Woman’s recipe, and tossed salad
Wednesday – Taco Chicken Foil Packs and salad
Thursday – Slow cooker beef stew
Friday – Overlapping birthday party, gymnastics practice and swim practice which means I have a perfect excuse to take everyone to Noodles and Co.

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

Menu Plan Monday – April 26

Char — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:56:34 +0000

Menu planning is the key to my sanity most weeks! Luckily I decided to go back to a tried a true method of planning last week – planning for the whole month using themes for each day. As as result, today’s menu will be a breeze to put together.

Monday – Baked macaroni and cheese (from scratch) with a tossed salad
Tuesday – Grilled chicken, roasted asparagus, new potatoes
Wednesday – Taco bar with extra lettuce and tomato so I can make mine into a salad
Thursday – Leftover buffet
Friday – Top your own tortilla pizzas, tossed salad

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

Menu Plan Monday April 19

Char — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:39:18 +0000

When working on my menu for the week last night I got stuck. I was at a loss for what to make this week. It seemed to me that we had been eating the same few meals over and over, so I went back to my trusty stand-by – a MONTH long menu plan. How can that be easier to do than a one WEEK plan you ask? It just is. This is how I do it.

On a piece of paper (or a handy dandy spreadsheet) come up with a few categories and assign one per day. For example, Monday and Thursday evenings I teach gymnastics so in order to prevent the urge to hit the drive thru, those nights have to be well planned out. Here are my categories:

Monday = Quick and easy such as pasta, soup/sandwich, or slow cooker
Tuesday = Family favorites
Wednesday = Crazy sports night, planned dinner out – choose from healthier choices like Subway or Noodles and Co.
Thursday = Slow cooker night
Friday = “Build it yourself ” night where the base of the dish is selected but the kids can customize it like “top your own pizzas”, “build your own quesadillas” etc. It is a great way to use up left overs and get the kids involved.

Once I had my categories I asked the family for 3 or 4 suggestions in each category. I had the next four weeks of menus planned in about 20 minutes!!

On the menu this week:

Monday – Meatball subs – I will put pre-made meatballs in the slow cooker with marinara sauce, then the family can put the meatballs and some mozzarella on Hoagie rolls. Will serve Tossed Salad on the side.
Tuesday – Asparagus and Lemon Linguine (made from Noodles & Co. at home recipe) and Tossed Salad (I am so glad this family is into salad right now!)
Wednesday -Crazy Sports Night – most likely will pick up Chick Fil A
Thursday – Spiced Shredded Beef Brisket (from Family Circle) in slow cooker served over Hoagie rolls or brown rice and steamed veggies
Friday – Build your own pizza night – will put out leftover meatballs, beef brisket, pepperoni and a variety of raw veggies for them to choose from

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

Menu Plan Monday – March 29

Char — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:04:36 +0000

Did you watch Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on Friday evening? What did you think? I thought it was a good show – though not as compelling as the preview episode. My kids watched it with me and after the processed chicken nuggets demonstration Jamie did with the kids, I don’t think they will ever eat chicken nuggets ever again! (Except homemade or Chick Fil A)

So this week’s menu plan is dedicated to all the parents who watched the show and got a bit of a wake up call and don’t even know where to start. The first step in making healthier choices for your family is menu planning. Make it a group effort on Sunday afternoon (or a day before you grocery shop) and then post it on the fridge. If you have a plan and the whole family knows what’s for dinner ahead of time, then you will be less likely to hit the drive thru, call for take out, or open a box of “stuff” from the freezer.

Monday - Make your own burritos with tortillas, black beans, shredded chicken, cheese, corn salsa, lettuce and tomatoes
Tuesday – Chicken korma (using Patak’s Korma Curry Cooking Sauce), brown rice, peas
Wednesday – Crazy sports night which means Subway
Thursday – Spaghetti and meatballs, tossed salad
Friday – In celebration of the first day of spring break – breakfast for dinner! Omelets with baby spinach, feta and tomato, skillet potatoes

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

Menu Plan Monday – March 22

Char — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:09:53 +0000

I am so loving the longer, sunnier days and warmer weather we have had this week. I can’t wait until it warms up just a bit more and we can have some family dinners outside on the deck which also means the grill will get used even more.

Monday – Steak on the grill, with baked potato and steamed veggies
Tuesday – Chicken Stew over Pattie Shells
Wednesday – Healthy fast food (Subway) since it is crazy sports night
Thursday – Slow cooker shredded chicken tacos with black beans and rice
Friday – Baked Macaroni and Cheese with a tossed salad

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.

Menu Plan Monday – March 15

Char — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:55:40 +0000

I missed posting my menu last week and am determined to start this week off in a more organized way! Since my daughter has a gymnastics competition this afternoon and I have client deadlines tomorrow, I figured I should just post my menu while I have a few minutes.

I am going to make a large batch of veggie stocked pasta salad this evening so my kids can pack it in their lunches or use as a pre-practice snack this week. I did this a few weeks ago and it was such a hit. Its a great way to get fresh veggies in their diets and since they are all athletes they need the healthy carbs in the pasta. They seem to be much better fueled for afternoon sports practices. Other things being added to the lunch menu this week include tossed salad and turkey roll ups. My girls are not big sandwich fans which means I have to constantly be creative with their lunches. My son, on the other hand, would gladly take PB & J everyday.

On our dinner menu this week:

Monday – Slow cooker fried rice
Tuesday – Baked Chicken Taquitos and tossed salad
Wednesday – Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We will have Colcannon (mashed potatoes & cabbage) with sausage since my kids are not big corned beef fans. Still looking for a St. Patrick’s Day meal idea? Check out my 5 favorite classic Irish meals recipes.
Thursday – Leftover Buffet
Friday – Sesame Noodles & mixed berry salad

Need more inspiration? Check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at Organizing Junkie for links to hundreds of menus this week.