Menu Plan Monday 2015 #10

 Last week's menu was pretty successful for the most part, we took lots of snacks to Belgium and threw out a couple of meals in favor of leftovers! ha! My workout schedule was not successful, I tried a couple of days, but coupled with all the sight seeing we were doing and still not being 100% apparently I had to abandon my plan and listen to my body.

Let us move on to this week!

Workout Schedule

• Sunday: Yoga
• Monday: 3 mile run, fit tutor
• Tuesday: Insanity workout
• Wednesday: 2 mile run, fit tutor
• Thursday: Yoga
• Friday: 3 mile run, fit tutor
• Saturday: Insanity workout

Weekly Goals

• Meal plan, prep, and stick to it.
• Bike to one cultural event.
• Create four items to list in Etsy store.
• Complete 4 hours of Dutch practice, and try and conduct one meeting with a Dutch person in Dutch.

Weekly Menu

Breakfast

• Sunday: Cheese Crescents with fruit salad
• Monday: Smoothie bowl
• Tuesday: Quinoa Oatmeal (Thug Kitchen Cookbook)
• Wednesday: Eggs with sweet potato
• Thursday: Quinoa Oatmeal
• Friday: Eggs with sweet potato
• Saturday: Eggs, pancakes, sausage

Lunch

• Sunday: Snacks/Leftovers
• Kiddo: Sandwich with cucumber and orange slices x2
• Kiddo: Leftovers x2
• Kiddo: Buy one time
• Me:
• Monday: Grilled chicken with Italian cabbage salad
• WF: Chicken Salad
• Tu/Th: Tuna Salad
• Will Have a potato and leek soup to go with the meal each day (didn't get to this last week)
• Saturday: Panini's with Veggie Soup

Dinner

• Sunday: Tacos/Roasted Chickpea and Broccoli Burritos with side salad and apple-pear (once upon a time this said broccoli-pear sauce, I meant apple-pear, that is what I get for writing while hopped up on cough medicine! ha!) sauce. We are having a dinner guest and will serve for dessert Stroopwafel and coke floats!
• Monday: Coconut-lime rice with red beans and mango (a meal I didn't get to last week)
• Tuesday: Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf with side salad and apple-pear sauce
• Wednesday: Roasted cauliflower/chicken wings for the hubby, corn, fries, green beans
• Thursday: Zoodles with creamy tomato sauce and chicken (optional), from 21 Day Sugar Detox cookbook; Chicken carbonara for hubby served with a side salad for everyone
• Friday: Leftovers/breakfast for dinner
• Saturday: Create something fabulous out of the leftovers, date night for the hubby and I, we will probably go for a movie and walk depending on the weather.

Snacks

• Rosemary almonds
• Cinnamon Spice Peppitas
• Banana and Coconut Slices (for the afternoons) with Earl Grey Lattes from Thug Kitchen Cookbook
• Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Bites
• There will also be a selection of string cheese, local cheese, leftovers, and smoked meat.

What are you eating and planning this week?

P.S, Join in on the parties over at Mommy Run Fast, Jill Conyers, and I'm an Organizing Junkie.

5 Ways to Make Your week smoother +Menu Plan Monday #42

Week days are hectic. Whether you are a stay a home mom/wife or if you work inside or outside the home weekdays are very, very busy. In order to keep my workouts, healthy eating, and house in order there are five simple things I like to do on Sunday:

• Wash all my workout clothes. 
• I read an article about this a few years ago when I was still working. It really does help to keep me on track and to get up on Monday and workout. If I have to dig through and search for a dirty workout outfit it just sort of lowers the morale.
• Gather the family to make sure anything they may need clean for the week such as work pants, work shirts, etc are in the laundry and ready to be washed and/or dry cleaning is by the door and ready to be dropped off. 
• Write your meal plan and go grocery shopping.
• For a lot of people this is difficult, but I find you have a basic outline of what you will eat & have the food in the house you are more likely to eat that food then stop for a fast food option.
• Some easy ideas for breakfast options are egg muffins, homemade muffins, cut up fruit, smoothies, granola and milk, overnight oats. 
• Prep the food.
• For exmaple, if you have salads planned for lunches and as sides for dinners make a very large salad for the week. Cut up toppings for sandwiches, go ahead and start marinating some meats if you wish. Cook up your breakfast options or prep them & have them in the fridge.
• I label any leftovers in the fridge for lunches and who will be taking them.
• Make a list of activities going on that week, phone calls that need to be made, and errands that need to be done.

I find these five simple things really help the week go smoothly. I rarely get a hon/mom, where is my ____________. But, it is there responsibility to get it to me, I just usually have to give a gentle nudge of "hey, get me your ______________'s you may need clean for the week. Also, with having breakfasts prepped ahead of time & lunches labeled in the fridge if we are running behind it is super easy to grab everything and get out the door.

Now for the weekly menu:

Breakfast options: egg frittata, paleo pancakes, paleo muffins, omelette for Saturday and Paleo Pumpkin Poppers for Sunday

Lunch options: chicken/tuna salads, leftovers, Sunday will be a brunch of scrambled eggs, bacon, and leftovers

Dinner:

Monday: bacon wrapped pork tenderloin with onions/mushrooms, corn and peas

Tuesday: burger for the hubs, fish for the kiddo & I with corn/broccoli/potato wedges

Wednesday: Pizza pasta bake with veggies and salad

Thursday: BBQ chicken sandwiches with salad and leftover veggies

Friday: New Restaurant Friday: We will finally be eating at the Calabash Bistro...almost beginning to think it wasn't meant for us to eat there! o_O

Saturday: Cheese burgers with salad

Sunday: Steak and shrimp with broccoli/corn/leftovers

This week I was looking in my freezer and pantry and going through and trying to clear them out. Every now and again I like to use everything up and restock so I know it is all fairly fresh.

What do you have planned for the week? We are in the countdown to Spring Break! Just 10 days until we leave for our vacation! Yipee!

Linking up at: Org Junkie, and Mommy Run Fast. 

Weekly Meal Plan

Happy Wednesday y'all!

Where in the heck did the week go?! My weekly menu is coming to you a bit late due to a long weekend in Seattle that involved a cheer competition. The ride home I planned on doing a menu plan but I was in a serious funk. I was just not feeling the planning. So I avoided it Monday and just used what I had in the cabinet to create some mac & cheese. Then, Tuesday I was tired and didn't feel like cooking so I went down to our local deli & picked up some chicken and potatoes.

So, to get me over my slump of not knowing what to cook I turned to a couple of trusty books...

This is one I received from my best friend for Christmas one year. It was the first all purpose cook book I ever got. Honestly, I wish I would have gotten a book like this for our wedding as I had no clue how to cook and there is so much useful information in this bad boy! Not to mention great recipes. I sometimes swap out ingredients to make the dishes a bit healthier, but the recipes use all around basic ingredients that most people enjoy.

This is one hubby & I picked up at Williams-Sonoma one year after Christmas. I think we got it for like six dollars or something ridiculously cheap! It has so many yummy recipes. The book is divided into categories such as, "Weekday Favorites", "Summer Grilling", "Holiday Feasts" and other ones. The ones that are seasonal use seasonal ingredients. It has great side dishes in the back to. Everything in the book uses whole food ingredients so that is one reason why I love it, no substitutions have to be made!

Well, without further ado here is my weekly menu!

Breakfast choices:
English muffin breakfast sandwiches with fruit salad
Cream of Wheat
Donut Holes
Eggs

Lunch Choices:
Leftovers or
Subs and soup/salad/chips (Th & Saturday)
English muffin mini pizzas and salad (Friday, kiddo is home from school)
Omelettes with bacon and fruit salad and avocado (Sunday)

Dinner:
Wednesday: Tacos and salad
Thursday: Chicken and Sausage Paella (crock pot meal from the Better homes & garden cookbook)
Friday: New Restaurant Friday
Saturday: Creamy garlic pasta with grilled chicken breast and salad
Sunday: Chicken fried steak with cream gravy, sweet potato biscuits, carrots/salad, and corn and a baked potato (for the hubby) This is from the steak & chops book. I was feeling like a nice big dinner was needed today.

Well, that is my meal for this week. What have you made so far this week...any must try recipes?

Menu Plan Monday #38 +being away from the child

Happy Monday y'all!

So, I know today many people aren't happy about waking up to, but I am waking up in England!

Crazy right?! This is my first time in Europe and I am enjoying every second of it and already can't wait to come back!

As excited as we are to be here it sadly has taken us away from our not-so-little-one for a few days. These times can be so heart-wrenching! I love her to pieces and hate to miss any time with her, but I do think in the long run it is good for all of us. About once a year we spend a week a part. The teenager usually goes to sleep away camp and to stay with family and the husband and I get some alone time. It gives the teenager time to bond with her grandparents, aunts/uncles, and cousins and to learn to sort of be on her own. It gives my husband and I, who never really had that alone time couples have in the beginning since we had her so young, time to focus on each other. In the beginning I think we are all excited to get away from one another since we spend so much time together, but by the end we are all ready for it to be over and to be back together!

So, I guess what I am trying to say is as precious as these days are with our young children if you want to get away, don't feel guilty there are a lot of benefits! This time around our daughter is staying with two of her friends who have two very different parents. One set of parents is about our age and as easy going as us, if not a little more easy going. The other set is an older set of parents who adopted their child and they are pretty easy going and enjoy giving the kids their independence!

I feel like these times away from us as few as they are have such a lasting impression and really help her to find out who she is as we aren't there to help her make decisions and aren't easily contacted at the drop of a hat!

Anyway...enough about my ramblings...let's get to what you are here for...

Tue

Org Junkie

This is yet another weird week for us. We are out of town at the beginning of the week and have to go out of town for a cheerleading competition at the end of the week!

Breakfasts: cereal with banana, shakeology

Lunches: Shakeology, sandwiches (pb&j & turkey on whole wheat) with salad/grapes

Dinner: 

Monday: Out of town, something around London-fish and chips most likely if I haven't had it yet ;)

Tuesday: Pick up from the grill at the market or order in pizza & salad from an organic local place

Wednesday: Broccoli/Cauliflower/Spaghetti squash cheese bake with salad

Thursday: Burrito cups: mexican flavored chicken breasts, black beans, cauli-rice, tomatoes, onion, and lettuce layered in a cup

Friday: Eat on the road to cheer compeition

Saturday: Celebrate V-day by checking out an awesome restaurant in Tacoma after the cheer competition with my honey

Sunday: Get a meal from the market or order in something from a local place.

It is proving to be a seriously busy week but I think we can handle it! February will be gone before I know it!

Menu Plan Monday #30 +the obligatory weekend recap

Welcome back to Monday!!! 16 days until Christmas and just 6 days until my "baby" is 14!!! Where has the time gone?! I used to get so annoyed at my mother for saying that, but geez, now that I'm an adult I say it all the time. So, sorry, Mom-I totally feel ya now!

Anyway, this weekend was a big weekend for my daughter, she had her first cheer competition of the season. They didn't win this one, but they know what their deductions are to work on for the next time...biggest tip: make sure everyone's shoes are tied well! Here's the weekend in pictures....

So her competition was at the Olympic Oval in Richmond, BC. Gorgeous facility and area. We took the skytrain and this was just about a 10 min walk from the train. It was so cold, but I'm pretty sure with the way the lines were to pay for parking on the way out we saved ourselves a solid hour at least by taking the train!

The girls after they performed! They did amazing. So proud!

Her new t-shirt, she was super stoked to get it!

Went grocery shopping to start my holiday eat good challenge this week. I even managed to turn grocery shopping into a workout. I even took the hilliest way home possible to work up a sweat! 

After dinner, the advent calendar activity was to bake gingerbread men. Aren't they cute? We used up the last of our Halloween candy to decorate them! hehehe ;)

Now that you know what we've been up to, let's move on to a very important part of starting our week off on the right foot....

Org Junkie Menu Plan Monday

This week I am starting my first clean eating support group, so my meals will reflect our clean eating. Eating good, clean foods is so important for our health and overall fitness. In fact, it may be even more important than your actual workout because we all know that no matter how much you workout, you can't outwork a bad diet.

Breakfast

Monday: Kiddo: Cereal with banana Me: Green Juice & 2 hard boiled eggs

Tuesday: Kiddo: French toast bites, hard boiled egg, and apple slices Me: Big Ass Pancake with nut butter and banana

Wednesday: Charity Breakfast

Thursday: Same as Monday

Friday: Same as Tuesday

Saturday: Omelette's with bacon and back bacon

Sunday: Treats from yoga ;)

Lunch:

Monday: Leftovers from Saturday's meal

Tuesday: Veggie burrito bowls

Wednesday: Leftover's of some kind

Thursday: Kiddo: Grilled Cheese bites and soup Me: Beet Juice and hard boiled eggs

Friday: Kiddo: Philly cheese steak kebabs with peppers and carrots Me: Beet Juice and hard boiled eggs

Saturday: Grilled cheese, cucumber bites, and soup

Sunday: Bacon and cheese potato rounds/sweet potato rounds, salad

Dinner:

Monday: (Red and Green Themed Dinner) Spaghetti with salad (traditional and spaghetti squash)

Tuesday: Chicken Wings/chickpea nuggets with veggies 

Wednesday: BBQ cheese burgers, zucchini, corn, carrot mash

Thursday: Taco's with salad

Friday: Ribs with potato and sweet potato wedges with roasted carrots

Saturday: Make your own pizza's with salad

Sunday: Dinner out at Hamburger Mary's for her big 1-4 (New Restaurant Friday "throw back")!

Snacks: Fruit, veggies, hummus and lentil chips,  and protein balls, and Shakeology

Come on over and follow me on Instagram as I will be posting pictures & recipes of my dinner's all week to keep me accountable and following my menu...if you come connect over on Facebook, tell me about your menu or show me pictures!

So, this is what we are planning for the week; lots of homemade, delicious food. What sort of yummies do you have on your menu? Trying any new recipes?