Weekly Menu 3/28

Welcome to the week of the mysterious weather! I must admit, I did not check the weather forecast before planning my menu this week. Not that I ever do. But, if there was ever a week to check, it was this one! We've been experiencing spring-like, if not summer-like days for a few weeks now. So, in planning my menu, I included melons, salads, and all-round light fare. The week began and BAM! (Not in an Emeril way but in a bad way.) Those summer and spring time temps dropped faster than a raw egg from the hands of my "ever-helpful" 7 year old. The menu was planned, the groceries were purchased. What's a girl to do? Why, serve it up, of course!


Monday: chicken and fruit salad; whole grain baguette

Tuesday: eatin' out

Wednesday: Hawaiian calzone; salad; melon

Thursday: chickpea, spinach and squash gnocchi

Friday: salmon burgers; salad; pasta side

Cheers!

Kit

Weekly Menu 3/14

This was week two of online shopping with my Harris Teeter. Once again, Ronda did an exceptional job picking out all of my produce. I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying this service. It is a total time saver and I'm spending less! Now, on to the menu I've planned for this week...

Monday: Matzo-crusted Salmon; mashed potatoes; green beans
(This was really good although I'm not a fan of a lot of Dijon mustard taste. I will probably add less dijon next time and more yogurt. The rest of the family loved it the way it was.) 
Mashed potatoes were Betty Crocker's new Roasted Garlic. I was given two boxes to try out and I can say they really do taste as good as homemade, just like the box claims. Nutritionally speaking, they are slightly high in sodium and since there is no way to remove the sodium, they may not be for everyone. We enjoyed them and I would use them again when in a pinch for time.

Photo from Whole Foods Market

Tuesday: BBQ chicken quesadillas; spinach salad

Wednesday: Brats; cole slaw; fries

Thursday: Hawaiian Calzones; Salad (green, of course, for St. Patrick's Day!)


Friday: Hitting the road for Gerton, NC! No cooking tonight. Or Saturday!

Cheers!

Kit

Brown B(r)aggin' It - 3/7

Here's what the kiddos are finding in their lunch bags this week:

Monday: Peanut Butter and Jelly or Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches; Pistachios; Rice Cakes; Apple Sauce

Tuesday: Turkey Sandwich; fresh berries; blue corn chips

Wednesday: Veggie Wrap; carrots and hummus; applesauce

Thursday: Hard-boiled eggs or Turkey Sandwich; Rice Cakes; Apple Slices

Friday: Peanut Butter and Jelly or Gumbo; pretzels; carrrots

Weekely Menu 3/7

As my last post said, I've started making my menus in pencil. Good thing since tonight's plan was butchered by the 11 year old who had only read three pages of the book for his book report that is due TOMORROW! And, he left his book at school. After finding the book at Barnes and Noble (the library's copy was checked out) I knew, my plan for dinner wasn't happening. So, with a couple swipes of the eraser, it was not zucchini pizza boats for dinner but fried egg sandwiches.

Monday:

fried egg sandwiches (and a Tall Chocolate Mocha I picked up at Starbucks inside Barnes and Noble)

Image via Wikipedia

How do you like your eggs?

Tuesday:
Chick Fil-A (We're going to be out late and are going to have to grab a bite to eat before we get home.)

Image via Wikipedia

Wednesday:
Brats & Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday: Sausage Gumbo and Whole Wheat Baguette

Friday: Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard; Broccoli (Followed by a trip to Menchies for dessert.)

Saturday: Eating out with out-of town company

Sunday: Matzo-Crusted Salmon; Green Beans; Whole Grain Rolls; and Fresh Fruit Parfaits

I know I'm not off to a great start with this plan since it is just the first day of the week and I've already used that eraser. But I guess allowing myself the use of the eraser in the first place is a huge step for me. Just hope I can use that zucchini before it goes bad...

Escaping Chaos

After a few weeks of attempting to make sense of my family's newly acquired chaotic schedule, I've come to the realization that something's gotta change. OK, a lot's gotta change.

The Princess turned 7 at the end of January. We were just able to fit in a party for her last weekend! Not too Big to Say He Loves Me turned 11 two weeks ago. I have no idea when a celebration of that will happen. Add to that the fact that every weekly menu I have made recently has had to be reworked on a near daily basis. I've had to embrace eating out on a weekly basis. The reason for all this chaos: Track & Field, Lacrosse, Tutoring, Drum lessons, and Daisies. Oh, and a new position for the hubster which has him working 60 hour weeks and traveling a great deal more.

So, the changes I'm making (and hoping beyond hope that they make a difference) are...(drumroll, please)

1. Ordering my groceries online. Placed my first order today. I'm really quite good at online shopping so it made perfect sense that I should be able to grocery shop online as well. I carefully went through the inventory of the store, put it in my "cart", included notes to the angel shopper (like nearly green bananas, large onion, etc), and processed the order. I had ZERO impulse purchases! ZERO. And, I've been told by other customers, you can bring your coupons and they'll be deducted from your next order. Awesome!
2. Figuring my menu out a day earlier. I've always done that on Monday. Now, I'm doing it on the weekend. That way, if I have time to go ahead and prepare a meal and put it in the freezer, I can.
3. Penciling in instead of penning in. I've always written everything in pen. Now, with a constant need to change plans, meals, and schedules, I've discovered the practical use of a pencil.
4. Starting to plan all three meals of the day. I used to plan lunch but stopped. Mornings got rough. So, back the lunch planning comes. And, I'm adding breakfast to the plan. No more standing in front of the pantry or freezer with blank looks. This family's got a plan!

Yep. This family has a plan to escape Chaos and find our way back to the Family Value Meal.