Monday, May 5, 2014

Menu Plan Monday...Our first European Meal Plan!

So, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you will know my family and I safely made it to our new home in Amsterdam. It is quite a nice place, over looking a canal with some beautiful homes on the other side. Our driver said that is where the rich & famous Dutch live...not quite sure how much I'm buying that, but I will buy it until I find out otherwise.

Excuse our loopiness we were TIRED!!! Just a few hours sleep on the ride from Vancouver to London & no sleep from London to Amsterdam. 

This has been quite the week for our family. It was go, go, go with work, packing, and then the 9 hours flight from Vancouver to Europe. A delay from Heathrow to Schipole. But, we had a great driver & a great property manager who took care of everything.

Some of us have had an easier time adjusting to things than others. First day the kiddo had a hard time as she was stressed about learning the area & speaking to people. Second day was me when we had issues using our American bank card & credit card and then having issues with the actual Euros we had (apparently no one likes to cash large bills & banks don't really like you if you don't have an account with them lol). But, thanks to the lovely folks at ING they were super nice and polite, they cashed our large bills and gave me directions to a bank where I could do a cash advance against my American account. Then, this past weekend the hubster has had the culture shock hit him a wee bit.


But, it is Sunday night & here I sit doing a bit of work and having some wine (freaking cheap good wine too lol) and enjoying my family settling into a routine.

First mostly home cooked meal in our new apartment.

It stays light fairly late here, we have lots of boats that cruise by on the canals in the evening, and ducks and swans swimming about...it is all quite romantic and surreal. Hard to wrap my head around the fact that this is now my life and I get to live this romantic dream every-single-day!

Anyway, I know what you came here for so here it is....this week's menu plan. I will be linking up over at Org Junkie, come check out all the other menu plans!

It is very European based. At first I was going to start the 21 Day Sugar Detox, but had a bunch of Yoghurt I bought the other day at the market & can't let it go bad, so I still have a great healthy meal plan that is very European I think.

Thank goodness for pictures & the fact we eat mostly fresh otherwise grocery shopping could get quite interesting!

Breakfast Choices:
Brioche with butter or honey & sprinkles(this is quite the Dutch breakfast, click the link to learn more) Yoghurt, fruit, and museli and coffee...always coffee hehe
Fruit, chicken, and cheese 
Those should pretty much get us through the week. Saturday we will hit up the outdoor market together & probably grab some waffles.

Sprinkles for our bread...these were so amazing!

Oh brioche where have you been all my life?! 
Lunch Choices:
Chicken salad, chicken sandwich, grilled cheese, museli & fruit, leftovers, shakeology.

Dinner:
Sunday: Grilled cheese with tomato soup
Monday: Omelette with Potato or Sweet Potato, zucchini, and a few bacon bits
Tuesday: Seared chicken breast "smothered" in bacon & gouda, with baguette, corn, and zucchini
Wednesday: Some sort of beef from the butcher with potato wedges (regular & sweet), and mixed veggies
Thursday: We will have some leftovers I am thinking some sort of bbq chicken baguette
Friday: We are supposed to be going to a party for a recruiting agency I joined & they will have a food selection no doubt, otherwise we will grab dinner out at a pub & the kiddo will have a sandwich & milk
Saturday: Surf & Turf: We will go to the Market this day & they have a fantastic selection of fresh seafood so I am thinking some prawns or shrimp & some white fish with little fillets & then sauteing up some mushrooms, onions, and spinach

Snacks:
Fruit, cheese, bread, shakeology, museli, eggs

This was a super fun meal plan to put together, over the end of last week I got the chance to talk to many different people and watch what was going on around me and learn the ins & outs of a typical Dutch meal.

5 comments:

  1. I am totally jealous. I have always wanted to live in Amsterdam! I love it there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for stopping by! I am so glad you have visited & enjoyed it, we are really looking forward to our time here, the Dutch have been so nice!

      Delete
  2. This looks great. I'm jealous that you are in Amsterdam. I have family in Haarlem and Hoofdorp, but I haven't been back for years. The fruit and chocolate sprinkles are terrific. My favorite is a forest fruit flavor (purple and pink). When you're at the market, get a fresh stroopwafel, caramel wafer, is you can. They are one of the best treats you can get and nothing beats a fresh one. I found you at the Org Junkie meal planning site today. I'm looking forward to following you and your European meal plans. Have a great time in Amsterdam.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicky, thank you so much for the tips! My daughter will be going to Hoffddorp every week as her cheerleading gym is there! So far for coloured sprinkles we have just had the pink & yellow, we will keep our eyes peeled for the purple & pink!!! I will look for the caramel wafer when I head out to the Market next, can't wait for one of those they sound heavenly!!!! Thanks so much for stopping by! :D

      Delete
  3. Kate, thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!
    I had so much fun reading about your adventures in Amsterdam. What an adventure!
    Kim @ PinspiredHome.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete