Winter Menu Planning 2015

Ugh!  For goodness sakes, it feels like I was just sitting here struggling through this yesterday.  Actually, it doesn't, but I do remember it well.  Why do I struggle so?  Probably because my husband loves a good meal right when he walks in the door.  Poor guy, he drives two hours a day, and he's HANGRY when he gets home.  (Hungry-angry if you've never heard that one before.  :)  Satan loves it when I don't have dinner ready because it causes strife in our household.  All the more reason to get this done!
We're going back to basics this new year.  Seriously cutting out the processed food in hopes of lowering hubby's blood pressure a bit.  We've already done a lot of that, but now that he's fully on board it's full steam ahead which means I should be back in the kitchen a lot more. 
I have set the timer for 20 minutes to get this planning done, so let's go!




Week 1
Sunday: Chicken bake strips - bread crumb and seasoned - double meat for leftovers
              Make veggie tray for week, rice- plain or seasoned by me!
              Steamed veggies, salad, homemade rolls? - Get back to 5 minute bread dough!
Monday: Green Spaghetti, salad, rolls, smoothies
Tuesday: Tacos without the shell, guacamole!, refrides, Spanish rice from scratch
Wednesday: Leftovers?/ Date Night
Thursday: Chicken Stir Fry using leftover chicken, rice, froz. stir fry veggies
Friday: Shredded Beef, potatoes, onions, etc.  homemade rolls  Lots of leftovers for the weekend!!
             FYI- Make sure you don't cook the plastic they put on the bottom of the roast!  :$






Week 2
Sunday: Chicken bake strips- bread crumb and seasoned - double meat for leftovers
              Make veggie tray for week, rice- plain or seasoned by me!
              Steamed veggies, salad, homemade rolls? - Get back to 5 minute bread dough!
Monday: Chicken Pot Pie with leftover chicken and lots of yummy veggies.
               Homemade Chicken Broth
               Homemade rolls--just use this dough
Tuesday: Ground Beef Asian Stir Fry- onion, peppers, broccoli and whatever else you want.  Throw
                in some teriyaki, soy sauce, worcestershire, garlic, ginger...
                rice
Wednesday: Leftovers/ date night?
Thursday: SW Chicken Salad/Sandwich?
Friday: Shredded Beef, potatoes, onions, etc.  homemade rolls  Lots of leftovers for the weekend!!
             FYI- Make sure you don't cook the plastic they put on the bottom of the roast!  :$


OK!  The timer is beeping...actually I reset it for 10 more minutes.  I usually plan for 4 weeks, but I figure this is a good start.  We'll see how it goes.  Hubby usually has some ideas too anyway.


Dear Lord,
PLEASE give me the wisdom to cook things my husband likes that will make our bodies strong and ready for Your service.  May dinner be nourishing, delicious and ready on time!!  In Jesus' Name I pray--Amen

Menu Planning - Ugh!

I hate menu planning!  Sometimes I wonder if Satan knows how great life is when I menu plan, and that is why I have this mental block.  I was really good with planning our meals when we went gluten-free.  Now, this week, we have fallen apart.  So the struggle begins.  I have done this in the past, so I don't know why it's such a hassle.  I need to start with prayer:
Dear Lord, Please release the block on my brain regarding menu planning.  I pray that I will be able to sort through what my family likes and doesn't like, and what type of meals we need to go with our schedule.  I pray that this time spent will be profitable to my family.  Above all, may Your will be done.  In Jesus name I pray--Amen
Whew!  OK
STEP ONE: What type of meals does my family like to eat?
Pasta, Mexican, Stir-Fry, BBQ, Sandwich, Basic, Leftovers  Alright, that was pretty easy. 


STEP TWO: Basic Weekly Template (We don't eat fish or pork.)
Sunday: BBQ with double meat for leftovers.
Monday: Chicken
Tuesday: Ground Beef
Wednesday: Leftovers/Date Night
Thursday: Chicken
Friday: Beef


STEP THREE: Plug in recipes using each meal type one time per week.
WEEK ONE:
Sunday: BBQ with double meat for leftovers.
Monday: Green Spaghetti broccoli, fruit
Tuesday: Taco lettuce wraps (or tacos), refrieds, Spanish rice?
Wednesday: Leftovers/Date Night
Thursday: Chicken Stir Fry using leftover grilled or crock pot chicken.  Rice, broccoli, fruit
Friday: Shredded Beef with lots of leftovers for weekend lunches.  Onion, carrots, other veg and fruit


WEEK TWO:
Sunday: BBQ with double meat for leftovers.
Monday: Greek Pizza, salad, veg, fruit
Tuesday:  Ground Beef Stir Fry, rice, broccoli
Wednesday: Leftovers/Date Night
Thursday: SW Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps, refrieds, chips, veg
Friday: Shredded Beef Sandwiches with leftovers for weekend.


WEEK THREE:
Sunday: BBQ with double meat for leftovers.
Monday: Chicken Quesadillas, refrieds, spa rice?, guac
Tuesday: Lasagna in a bowl., or just plain old lasagna
Wednesday: Leftovers/Date Night
Thursday: Turkey Breast (for a change!) From Cost-Co., veg, fruit
Friday: Chalupa (roast, no surprise here!), beans, chips, veg, fruit


ALRIGHT, JUST ONE WEEK LEFT TO GO!


WEEK FOUR:
Sunday: BBQ with double meat for leftovers.
Monday: Chicken Caesar Salad, veg, fruit
Tuesday: Indian Ground Beef
Wednesday: Leftovers/Date Night
Thursday: Summer Chicken "Burgers", veg, fruit
Friday: Shredded Beef Burritos, refrieds, veg, fruit


Holy smokes!  Seriously, I don't know why doing this hurts so badly.  It is such a load off to have this done.  Even if we don't stick with it, at least there's a plan. 
How's your plan?  Are you good at this, or do you struggle like me?  If you don't meal plan, I urge you to try it.  Don't follow mine, create your own - unique to your family.  Go for it!  Just don't forget to look at it when life gets moving.  :)


Dear Lord, Thank You for the resources to plan these meals.  I pray that I will remember to follow it.  May it bring good, healthy food and peace to our family.  In Jesus name I pray--Amen


 

Gluten-Free Week 1 Plan and Results

The time has come: Gluten free for four weeks!  The biggest challenge for us will be snacks.  No crackers or tortillas?  What?  Luckily, I have recipes ready to go, I just haven't made them in a while.  Here's the plan: Results are in italics.




Breakfast
Crazy Cake - Yes, you can eat this for breakfast!!
Eggs and melted cheese + fruit or veggies This was a hit with Sweet Son.  Daughter still won't try it.  She's been eating Zbars and fruit.  We'll have to work on this next week.


Lunch
Leftovers!  We've been eating everything with taco chips.  Another thing we'll have to work on next week.
Salad with leftover chicken, tuna or canned salmon - Me
Fruit and Veggies


Dinner
Monday: Lasagna type pasta (gluten-free of course)  I may just eat this without the pasta. 
Broccoli or Garlic Green Beans, salad, fruit Side note: I don't do much measuring when I cook.  I try to make things as brainless as possible but still have it taste good.  First I mixed a small tub of Ricotta cheese with a quart sized bag of shredded mozzarella.  Then I layered gluten free penne pasta (Barilla brand which I bought at Walmart), cheese mixture, ground beef, and spaghetti sauce in a glass bowl until full and put the lid on.  Popped it in the small electric "toaster" oven we have on the counter until melted and bubbly.  Hubby really liked this.  He brought it for lunch all week.
*Cook up extra ground beef for Wednesday!
*Cook Crockpot Quinoa in crockpot for Tuesday.


Tuesday: Southwestern Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
                *Cook chicken in the crockpot.  Shred and add celery, onion?, mayo and taco seasoning to
                   taste.  Serve avocado, salsa, etc. on the side.  Cook extra chicken and freeze it for later! 
I ended up using leftover chicken I found in the freezer.  I cut it up into small pieces with my chicken scissors.  Forgot about the lettuce, ate with corn chips.  This is a keeper.
                  *Quinoa mixed with something to make it Southwestern-onions, cilantro, cumin, garlic?   
                       How about green chilies?  This is not a keeper.  Turns out everyone refuses to eat quinoa, including Hubby.  Good thing I have chickens to feed it to.  The crockpot did cook up the quinoa nicely, though.
                  *Veggies and Fruit


Wed: Asian Ground Beef Stir Fry
                 *Use ground beef from Monday.  Sautee onions, green pepper and garlic.  Add meat, teriyaki sauce, woreceshire, red pepper flakes, water chestnuts and whatever else you like.  Just found out soy sauce and teriyaki can contain gluten!  Must look into this and re-read my labels.  This was a hit with Hubby and Son.
                 *Asian salad?, veggie, fruit, quinoa No quinoa for my family!  Served with rice.


Thursday: Summer Chicken "Burgers"
          *Grill or bake chicken breasts to your liking.  Serve with melted provolone, green chilies,  
             sautéed onions, avocado  Ended up crock-potting two large packages of chicken.  Used water and lemon juice, cooked on high 4 hours.  I have a ton left over!  Yeah!  Using the same baking bowl from Monday, layered shredded chicken, sliced provolone and green chilies.  Baked in small oven until melted.  Hubby said this was a keeper.  Daughter, who ate just plain chicken, said it was really good.  Victory!
          *Salad, Green beans or broccoli, refrieds, corn chips 
          *Fruit and Veggies


Friday: Shredded Beef Tacos (crockpot), refrieds, Spanish rice?  Make extra for weekend lunches. Cook in crockpot with water, garlic and salt.  Have green chilies on hand at dinner time for Hubby.


Sat and Sunday:  BBQ, salad, veg, fruit  Sunday, grill extra meat for use in meals next week!!!


Snacks:
Almond Bars This wasn't a big hit this go-round.  Son said it needed chocolate chips.  I agree.  Everything is better with chocolate chips!
Lots of fruit and veggies!  We had a ton of these on hand.
Frozen grape kabobs.  Slide grapes onto BBQ skewers, put in a freezer zip lock bag and keep in the freezer.  The kids love these!




So far, so good.  The kids are the ones really missing bread, crackers, etc.  Especially when we walk past the Subway inside Walmart.  It smells so delicious!  Planning meals ahead of time is such a blessing and something I haven't done in a long time!

Hot Spot

What on earth is a hot spot? Right now, in AZ, you'd probably name any one of the many wildfires burning, and that would be true answer. But, in your house, a hot spot is any spot where junk piles up. I have four major hot spots: the counter right next to my refrigerator, my stairs, the bench at the top of my stairs, and my entry way. If I take time each day to clear these off, my house is looking pretty good. If I don't, watch out! My day timer/calendar gets so covered it's useless, my stairs - which are visible from the main rooms of my house - make everything look cluttered, and my entry way looks like a shoe store. Really, it doesn't take long IF you clear them every day!!! So get started now! What are the hot spots in your house? Grab the kiddos and clear them out. Then just sit and enjoy how nice it looks. :)

Good Morning Summer! Hello Routines

Good morning Summer!

It's been a while since my last post. I just didn't have time with work and family. Now that summer is here, maybe I will have some more free time. Just a blurb about one of my favorite things: my ipod touch. Now, I try not to get too attached to material possessions, but my ipod touch houses two great things: my Daily Audio Bible podcast and my Home Routines app. Neither of these things I NEED, but I certainly enjoy them, and my hubby really enjoys it when I use my Home Routines app.
This app lets you input your routines and check them off as you go. You can do this at home with a chart and such, but it is so nice not to have to deal with that. I got my ipod touch as a gift, and the Home Routines app was $2.99. Definitely worth it. Each time you check off ann item, you get a star. We joke about how many stars I get in a day. So, this morning with no school we are back to our full routines. Even the kids get into it, helping to get all of our stars. They know they don't get free time until our morning stars are done. :)

Our morning routine:
computer
dressed
breakfast
laundry
dishwasher/dishes
counters/table
calendar/hotspot
sweep floor
dinner
chickens/garden
vacuum
zone
one weekly task

This is all based on the flylady...www.flylady.com I've adapted her philosophy to my life. The Home Routines app is also based on her philosophy. You should be able to click on the title of this post and go to her website. Be careful! It can be overwhelming. Our job is to figure out how it fits into our lives. You don't have to do everything! I like to get up early so I can listen to the DAB podcast while I bust some of these out. More on what some of these things mean, like hotspot, next time. Good luck, and happy summer!

Weekly Plan/Template

I think I have finally figured out what I want to do each week, and how long each thing takes. So, today I wrote out a generic template. Hope it works out! I figured out how long each thing takes, and the best time to do it according to my schedule. I plan on posting this on my 'fridge for easy reference. That way, when I get home from school, I can just have a look to see what I should be doing. No thinking involved...I like it. :) Automatic pilot is my friend!

Coming soon: No Knead whole wheat bread. YUM and easy!


Food Strategy

Saturday: PM Soak / Sprout beans

Sunday: PM soak oats

Monday: AM Cook beans
PM Wheat berries into jars/water
Hummus/honey almonds/granola

Tuesday: AM rinse wheat berries
PM rinse wheat berries

Wednesday: AM dehydrate grain

Thursday:PM Soak nuts
Bake; snacks; etc.

Friday: AM/Lunch dehydrate nuts

Template Week 3

I love having a template. Last week, I looked at our leftovers and picked a template that went with them. No thinking needed. :) So, I decided to post my Week 3 template. I don't know if you noticed, but I schedule the most complicated things for the beginning of the week. This is when I have the most energy. :) I have learned that at the end of the week, it just needs to be simple.

Week 3
TO DO:

Sunday: defrost ckn
Monday: AM beans in crock pot PM make crust for pot pie keep in fridge

TUES: AM soak quinoa and rice

WEDNESDAY:

THURS: PM wheat berries in jars OR PM soak nuts or beans

FRIDAY: AM water in to jars of wheat berries


MENU

Sunday: BBQ

Monday: Breadcrumb chicken; broccoli; pinto beans; salad

Tu: cashew chicken with quinoa; rice; bread;

W: chicken pot pie; sprouted flour; bread

Th: Mexican chicken salad vitamix guac p. 104, vm cal. Salsa p. 106; chips

Fr: Burgers

Sunday, Sunday / Week 2 Template

Aahh. Sunday night. Lunches are made, mostly for the entire week. Snack baggies filled with baby carrots rest in the fridge. Healthy cheese puffs are snuggled in the cabinet. A contented sigh escapes my lips as I know this will make lunch making so much easier. What's even better? My daughter took care of all of it. We actually spent time together in the kitchen. Her taking care of lunches, and me getting ready for dinner.
Want to know how else I am spoiled? My hubby loves to BBQ on Sunday nights. This weekend he BBQ'd on Saturday night as well. So, he cut up all the extra steak and we are ready for a TUES night stir fry. Nice. I have four weeks of meal plans so all I had to do was find the one that had steak stir fry and I was set. I know exactly what we're having for dinner this week. It's beautiful. After 16 years, I am finally learning how to be an effective helpmeet. :)

Here's the Template for Week 2

Week 2

Sunday: BBQ steak
Defrost chicken
Soak / sprout beans
Night: Cut up leftover steak for Tuesday

Monday: Oven Baked Sesame Chicken (allrecipes.com)
Broccoli; make homemade tortilla chips for week
Morning: Garbanzo beans into crockpot or defrost beans that were cooked previously

Night: cut leftover chicken for WED
put quinoa and rice in bowls for soaking in AM

Tuesday: Sizzling Beef with Black Bean Sauce P. 69 Jaime Oliver
Soaked rice; soaked quinoa; garlic green beans
MORNING: soak quinoa; soak rice
Night:

Wednesday: Chicken Quesdillas with leftover chicken
vitamix guac p. 104, vm cal. Salsa p. 106
homemade chips
broccoli or peppers

Thursday: Penne pasta with cheese and ground turkey/buffalo
Bread; green beans; salad
NIGHT: wheat berries into jars OR soak nuts


Friday:
AM: water into jars OR sprout nuts

SAT: AM dehydrate!
soak beans: pinto, black, garbanzo

Basic Template for Every Week

Monday: Chicken, beans
cook sprouted beans

Tuesday: Stir Fry
begin sprouting nuts or grains

Wednesday: Leftover chicken
baking

Thursday: Leftover meat from Tuesday/ Mexican or Pasta
dehydrating
grocery shopping

Friday: Begin sprouting beans

Weekend: Adventures in baking

Week 1 Template

I have to have a plan or we will not eat dinner. I will not have what I need when I need it. My house will be wreck. Hubby will come home from work cranky with low blood sugar, and the night will be ruined. The downfalls go on and on. Anyone else like that? The good news for me is that I love to come up with plans. I love to try them out and then rework them. This is fun for me. So, I have come up with a Winter template. I am planning on using this until Spring Break when I will come up with one for Spring.

The keys to my template:
1. Always make double portions so you can stick some in the freezer for next time!
2. Use leftovers throughout the week. I am best at the beginning and exhausted at the end of the week, so I don't want to be doing a lot of work!

Week 1

SUNDAY: BBQ steak
defrost chicken
soak/sprout beans

MONDAY: BREADCRUMB CHICKEN
Morning: pinto beans into crockpot
defrost turkey/buffalo for Tuesday AND Thursday
Night: soak quinoa; soak rice (Make extra for Thursday)
cook up corn chips for Thursday and for the week

TUESDAY: GROUND BEEF ASIAN STIR FRY
Night: soak/sprout garbanzo beans
save extra extra meat, rice and quinoa for Thursday

WEDNESDAY: CHICKEN KORMA WITH QUINOA IN SAUCE AND LEFTOVER RICE FROM TUESDAY

THURSDAY: TACOS WITH LEFTOVER MEAT AND PINTO BEANS AS REFRIEDS

FRIDAY: OPEN/LEFTOVERS
Afternoon: sprout beans