Meal Planning Made Easy

Do you struggle with meal planning?  I used to hate it and enjoyed making dinner based on what I found at the market that day.  Those were the days before kids.  The days when I worked in NYC and came home to my highrise apartment and stopped at the market on the first floor of my building.  Sigh, I miss NYC and Hoboken.  I digress...

Meal planning became more important to me after having a tiny terrorist...errr tiny human.  It meant I would know what I was cooking and how much time I needed.  I have looked several places for ideas to do menu planning.  What works for me best are the following:

• Have a menu posted in the kitchen somewhere. Some ways:
• Dry Erase Board on the fridge
• Chalkboard on the wall
• Some pinterest craft success for a meal plan - like these. 

• Make your grocery list and meal plan at the same time. 
• I like this template from Taylor Gray Designs. You can save and print the pdf from her site.

Stick to your plan best as possible. Sure kids get sick or too busy with after school activies - then go to a staple and shift your menu slightly.  Soon you will notice you are saving time and money by planning.

Menu Monday Jan 18-24

If you have (or had) a toddler then you know getting dinner on the table quickly after coming home from work is important. I swear my tiny human is ravenous as soon as we walk in the door and it's not even 5pm. I have tried various things from making fast dinners to cooking everything on Sunday's and reheating. It seems to be faster to cook and prep everything on Sunday's. 

Tip of the week: If you freeze food, make a list of what is inside so that you know what you have and don't waste anything.


Be sure to click the hyperlinks for recipes.  Not all are mine and I am sure to link to the appropriate site(s).


My menu for this week I have planned:

Monday:
Chicken and Vegetable Fajitas




*To make this quick and easy I use Frontera Classic Fajita Skillet Sauce


Tuesday:
Hamburger Macaroni Soup

Salad


Wednesday:

Jumbalya 

Acorn Squash with Apples


Thursday:
Cheeseburger Cups

Green Beans 

*Yes, I am trying out one of the Tasty Recipes

Friday:
Pizza out


Saturday:
London Broil

Spaghetti Squash

Brown Sugar Carrots


Sunday:

Baked Stuffed Cod

Sautéed Zucchini

Yellow Rice

Daycare Closings

Let's get serious.  I understand that everyone deserves a day off.  But WHY does daycare have to close on Federal Holidays? Can't they rotate who has off?

Some reasons I feel they should stay open:

1. I am paying for a whole week of daycare.
2. I would LOVE a day to grocery shop, clean, workout - without having a tiny human stuck up my A$$
3. I would love to sit on the couch and do nothing or nap.
4. When do moms get a day off?

Woohoo for my 3 day weekend.  I still have to make my own dentist, doctor, hair appointments all during the work week so that I don't have to pay a babysitter on top of daycare.

*I LOVE my kid and love spending time with her, I just want a day off from everything

Menu Monday Jan 11-17

I don't know about any of you but having worked the first full week last week since before Thanksgiving I am already tired.  This week I am relying on some staples and some convenience items.

Tip of the week: Buy produce seasonally and meal plan around the produce.  You can incorporate any protein with whatever vegetables you have on hand.  Try new vegetables you may not have had before or try making them a different way.


Be sure to click the hyperlinks for recipes.  Not all are mine and I am sure to link to the appropriate site(s).


My menu for this week I have planned:

Monday:
Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Garlic Green Beans

To make a fresh dinner fast I am using Campbell's Dinner Sauce for the Parmesan Chicken

Potatoes - Use the small ones, wash and toss in olive oil and sprinkle with some rosemary and sea salt.  Roast at 350 for 30 minutes or until a fork can easily be inserted.

Green Beans - Par boil and then saute in a pan with some olive oil, fresh minced garlic and some sea salt.

Tuesday:
Leftovers


Wednesday:
Enchiladas and Salad

I do a variation of this recipe and will post it mine the next few weeks.

Thursday:
Sausage and Pepper Pasta
*Instead of pasta, I am substituting spaghetti squash


Friday:
Breakfast for dinner - Scrambled Eggs, Pancakes, Bacon


Saturday:
Date Night - Dinner out


Sunday:
Marinated Pork Chops, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Peas

We are HUGE fans of the Dale's Marinade.  We use it for Beef, Chicken, Pork and even Shrimp.

Sausage & Pepper Pasta

Who doesn't love sausage, peppers and onions?  As it is cooking, the smell is intoxicating.  Usually it is made with marinara or tomatoes and served with pasta on the side but I like to switch it up and make it as a one-pot dinner for something fast and easy.

Prep: 10 min 
Cook: 20 min
Serves: 4

Sausage and Pepper Pasta

8 ounces dried pasta (penne, farfalle, rigatoni)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
2 large red bell peppers, cut into ½” pieces
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup beef broth
1 teaspoons fine sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
 
Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it apart with a fork or spatula, until it's browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove sausage to a bowl and set aside.

Return to the skillet and add the remaining olive oil.  Add the peppers and onion and sauté until tender, stirring occasionally – about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring continuously – about 1 minute.  

Return the sausage to the pan and add the cooked pasta and broth.  Add the salt and pepper and bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.  

Remove from heat and serve in bowls. 

You can top with chopped parsley or Parmesan cheese if you like.

Stop Being an A-Hole

Welcome to our series we have titled "Stop Being an A-Hole"

While we agree that some people are too thin-skinned, there are a lot of a-holes in the world.  Why do people think it is perfectly acceptable to ask personal, probing questions?  Why are people so nosey?  Why are we so quick to judge?  

Have we always been this way and social media brings it to the forefront?  Or is it because of social media we are becoming bigger a-holes?  A chicken and egg scenario if you will.

Menu Monday Jan 4-10

Raise your hand if you hate meal planning.


Or is it the grocery shopping that you hate more?


What works best is having a flexible meal plan for a week.  What happens if your SO works late and misses dinner, or one of the kids has sports or an event at school?  Try to plan 3 solid meals with room to move them around and then have staple meals that you can throw in as needed.


I try to grocery shop every 2 weeks with a stop in between for milk or bread.  I have found that when I plan the week we spend less money and aren't tempted to just get take out.

Buy perishable fruits and veggies during the large grocery trip and use within the first week.  When keeping things on hand, frozen vegetables are better than canned.  Stock up when there is a sale and you will have plenty of veggies for the weeks you don't grocery shop.


Be sure to click the hyperlinks for recipes.  Not all are mine and I am sure to link to the appropriate site(s).


My menu for this week I have planned:

Monday:
Spaghetti and Homemade Turkey Meatballs and Roasted Brussel Spouts (Recipe for meatballs to come...)

*I often roast brussel sprouts in the winter and do something similar to this recipe.  I linked it for you to use and modify as you wish verses typing up something similar.

Tuesday:
Crock Pot Beef Tips and Gravy (Recipe)

Wednesday:
Baked Marinated Garlic Chicken, Yellow Rice, and Asparagus

Thursday:
Leftovers - Mix it up with whatever is left over.  Make hash with leftover beef tips or make fried rice with leftover rice and chicken.  Be creative or just eat them the same way they were.

Friday:
Homemade Pizza - buy pizza dough, cheese, and sauce and keep in the freezer until ready to use (thaw overnight the night before) - top with peppers, onions, or any other fave toppings.

Saturday:
Grill night - Filet and Ribeye, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Grilled Zucchini

Sunday:
Roasted Turkey Breast (before you think this is crazy and an all day cooking event - I use Shadybrook Farms marinated turkey breasts), Cranberry Relish, Rosemary Roasted Baby Potatoes

*Erin's Note: Amy will be doing all the food-stuff on our blog. She is an amazing, trained culinary professional, having attended school in NYC. Cooking is her passion. But being a working mom with a husband who is away a lot, and having a BFF (me) who is not so great at cooking, she's all about making easy, good meals. She gets it. Trust me.

Crockpot Beef Tips and Gravy

Who doesn't love a hearty meal in the winter?  This recipe is super simple, hearty and practically makes itself in the crock pot.  

When you’re a busy mom, fast and easy is important.    

It takes a few minutes to toss everything into the crock at the start of the day.  To save even more time you can buy pre-cut beef and chopped onions. 

For a full meal, serve this hot over egg noodles or potatoes.

Crockpot Beef Tips and Gravy

2 lbs beef stew meat
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 packet brown gravy mix
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 small onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic minced
Egg noodles, cooked according to package

In a medium bowl, whisk together cream of mushroom soup, gravy mix, beef broth, onion and garlic.

Place the beef into a 4 quart crockpot.

Pour gravy mixture over beef and gently stir to combine.

Cook covered on LOW for 7-8 hours. 

Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

*I added half a bag of baby carrots to the crockpot to add a vegetable and more "stew" flavors.  It paired perfectly on the egg noodles.

**Toddler tested and approved*