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mindful menu – week of 3.7.10

  • Posted on March 7, 2010 at 11:14 am

On the Menu

Dinners

Sunday:  Quesadillas with Rice & Beans

Monday: Oven “Fried” chicken with vegetable and noodles

Tuesday:  Soup, Sandwiches, and Salad

Wednesday: Sloppy Joes and a Salad

Thursday: Chicken Stirfry over Barley instead of rice!

Friday: Pork Chops Stuffed with Smoked Gouda & Bacon with cabbage & potatoes on the side

Lunch Options

Chicken or Tuna with Veggies & mixed greens  in a whole wheat pita

Green Salad with chicken

Leftover veggies with sandwiches

Breakfast Choices

2 eggs scambled with veg, whole grain english muffin

oatmeal with berries and a hardboiled egg on the side

hardboiled egg, english muffin & side salad (yep for breaky)

Snacky Snacks

hardboiled egg

apple with peanut butter

cheese stick or yogurt with fruit

Here’s where I rant about the benefits of menu planning:

I love menu planning! I have learned over time that planning truly is a lifesaver! Dinner can be so stressful but not at my house!! Not anymore!! Jenna taught me all she knows about menu planning and it has been the best thing I have done for my health, sanity, weight loss, and my family!! Menu planning has leaked into other aspects of my life. Planning keeps me organized and focused!!

Are you menu planning? Are you linked up with Jenna?

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mindful menu – week of 2.28.10

  • Posted on February 28, 2010 at 1:23 pm

Sunday:  Sunday night Spaghetti! We are not Italian but we like our Italian-style Sunday night dinners. One of the my favorite scenes from The Sopranos were the Sunday night dinners! Yes, this Jersey girl LOVES the Sopranos! I love mafia/mob/organized crime movies and shows!

Monday:  Chili-rubbed Pork chops (new recipe from Food Network magazine) with a mexican rice dish (rice with corn, beans, salsa, and enchilada sauce)

Tuesday: Bubbles and Squeak! Big Man is crazing a St. Patty’s meal and I hate ham and cabbage! I like cabbage but not all boiled and soggy…eww! Bubbles & Squeak sounds like the best of both worlds! and I really like the name!

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner!! Another family favorite!! Since it is a karate night (and also a C25K training day for me) breakfast is the perfect option! The kid has requested Cream Chipped Beef – not my fave but I will make it for her!!

Thursday: Pizza CheeseSteaks! I love homemade cheesesteaks! They are quickly becoming a family favorite! The best part is we really like my version better than take-out so we refuse to order cheesesteaks anymore. I know cheesesteaks are not exactly healthy but my version is extremely low in fat (compared to the original) and I use LF cheese (or laughing cow) and LOADS of veggies! Oven fries are a definite part of this meal!! I use potatoes, PAM, salt & pepper! Simple and yummy!

Friday:  Cajun Marinated Shrimp & Steak (Big Man has come around to my way of thinking! We are sharing a nice steak!) with a potato & pepper hash.

Menu planning has become part of my weekend routine. Big Man and I usually sit on Sunday with a cup of coffee and the weekly sales ads. This week, we have a very tight budget! Basically, we need to spend as little as possible. The freezer and the pantry are well stocked so it was not too hard planning-wise. All that is really needed at the grocery is cat & laundry supplies. And of course the trip to the produce store ~ must keep up with loads of veg and fruit!

Menu planning has helped me and my family in so many ways!! If you are not planning, why the heck not?!?! Try it!! Try it right now!! Try it for one week and you will be hooked!! Not sure how to start? Start here at my girl , Jenna’s place!! She has links to all kinds of menu planners. Read through some menus, get some ideas, menu plan for one week then come and tell me how it went!!

much love, Jen

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mindful menu – week of 2.21.2010

  • Posted on February 21, 2010 at 12:55 pm

Sunday: Braised Beef with Barley minus the peas, adding a side of green beans

Monday:  Meatloaf & mashed potatoes and spinach

Tuesday: Ham and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with a side of broccoli and egg noodles

Wednesday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Tacos ~ the kid’s request. It is after all a school day and we have responsibilities! The kid has karate so we are making something easy and quick! After dinner and the stinky karate kid showers I think we will go get Friendly’s Sundaes instead of birthday cake!

Thursday:  Roasted Garlic Chicken (Food Network mag page 88) with mashed potatoes

Friday: Make our Own PIZZAs!! I have been seeing this item on many of my fellow planners menus over the past few weeks and I have to have them!!

Now, I am off to make a list for the grocery store. I hope you are all taking advantage of menu planning. It has been a huge help to me and my sanity!! It can help you too!! Just hop over to Jenna’s blog and check it out!!

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mindful menu – week of 2.14.10

  • Posted on February 14, 2010 at 5:05 pm

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!

I hope you all spent an awesome day with the ones you love!

and now back to your regularly scheduled program:

I love my menu plans and this week it is crucial to plan. To be honest, it is crucial for me to plan my menus every week. I do better with a plan of attack for most things.

On the menu this week:

Sunday ~ the husband is grilling up a fantastic Porterhouse steak and I will make some sides; fried leeks & shallots, brussel sprouts, potatoes and a salad…I have heard rumors of some local cherry wine. AND, big man bought some sugar free fixins for sundaes!!!

Monday ~ the big man and I are off to a concert in PA.

Tuesday ~ since we are not sure what  time we will get home it will be a soup and sandwich kind of night. Big Man made an awesome batch of potato & leek soup last the other night that will be perfect.

Wednesday ~ Roasted Chicken and veg

Thursday ~ Homemade Cheesesteaks, oven fries and a slaw of some sorts.

Friday ~ Pork Cutlets with a Cabbage side dish….a new recipe from a slowcooker cookbook I forgot I had!

Ok, folks this is a super short post! It is Valentine’s Day and I am off to spend it with my loves!

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mindful menu plan – week of 2.7.10

  • Posted on February 7, 2010 at 9:44 pm

I am watching the Super Bowl and tweeting and menu planning!! That is what I call major excitement! We were invited to a Super Bowl party but we decided to stay home. This weekend we got hammered with snow when a nasty nor’easter blew into town. The storm was pretty freaking bad! We lost power for several hours on Saturday morning. I did not take pictures! Sorry folks, I slacked there! Here is a link to the front page of local paper.

Needless to say, I have been in the house and not eating all that bad but not all that great! Really, I just ate too much this weekend! This week will focus on lots of veggies!

monday: Barley Stuffed Peppers -I am going to add diced zucchini to the stuffing and make cauliflower fritters on the side.

tuesday: Chicken Caesar Salad

wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner – the kid has requested pancakes and bacon. She loves breakfast for dinner!

thursday:  Skirt Steak Fajitas – loaded with peppers and onions and such.

friday: Pork Goulash – I found a slow cooker cookbook that I forgot I had. Big man looked through it and found a couple recipes he wanted to try. I settled on this one for this week.

One of my goals this year was to try one new food or recipe each week. So far I have been doing good with this goal but I haven’t really mentioned it too often. This week I am hitting both: I have never had barley (so actually, barley qualifies as a new food and a new recipe) and I have never made the Pork Goulash. I am very excited about this week’s dinner.

Lunches will be leftovers from dinners plus there is leftover chicken pot pie and spaghetti in the fridge. Hubs also took out some homemade ham & bean soup out of freezer.

Breakfasts will be eggs (with leftover veg or hashbrowns cooked in Pam), or oatmeal with apples or bananas

*Every week I write this menu plan. Every week there are life stresses…but I always know what I am having for dinner. This is one stress I am glad I do not have in my life. My good friend, Jenna, introduced me to menu planning and I am so happy she did! Menu planing keeps me sane, there are no more days of standing in front of the fridge wondering what the heck I am making for dinner.  I post a handwritten copy of this menu on the fridge and hubby and daughter help with dinners, either getting stuff out of freezer or helping pull everything out to make dinner.

If you are not menu planning, I strongly suggest you try it out!!

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mindful menu plan – week of 1.31.10

  • Posted on January 31, 2010 at 12:58 pm

January is OVER!!

WOW!!!

I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it is not 2009 anymore…and now January is gone.

I have really been focused, mindful is you will, about what I am eating and what I am feeding my family.  Every dinner on the menu will leave plenty of leftovers for healthy lunches at work this week.

Sunday – Herb Crusted Roast with potatoes, broccoli and a salad.

Monday – Chicken (not sure how yet) with Mac & cheese and veggies

Tuesday – Shrimp Creole. This is a recipe from my new WW SlowCooker Cookbook.

Wednesday – Tacos/Burritos! The kid loves Mexican night!

Thursday – Dinner out!

Friday – Steak for Big Man, Fish for me!

I am sorry this is such a short post but I am still sick! Damn cold has me feeling weak and since all I did was lounge on the couch yesterday, I have many many chores that must be done before school tomorrow.

*However, no matter how busy I am, my menu must be planned on Sunday! Having a menu plan keeps me sane and eating healthy, no matter how busy I get!

I hope you are menu planning! If you are menu planning, please check out my good friend, Jenna’s, blog roll. If you are  not menu planning, you should!! Check out Jenna’s Mindful Menu planners! You will not be sorry!

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mindful menu – week of 1.17.10

  • Posted on January 17, 2010 at 6:41 pm

I love menu planning. I have played with the best way to menu plan and having a set idea for each day works the best for me. Sometimes we switch up the day that we eat a particular meal – this usually happens when something doesn’t defrost properly or we are just human and want something else! Having a plan is super important!

I am so glad I started menu planning and even happier that @chivetalker started me out! Jenna has the best menu plans and menu planning friends. I link up every week and I always check out the other plans. You should try it too!!

Sunday – Crock Pot Beef Stew

Monday – Cheesesteaks, oven fries, and health salad

Tuesday – Italian Crock Pot chicken. Tuesdays nights the kid has karate from 6-7 and the crockpot is a lifesaver!! We eat a nice healthy meal before karate and no one has to rush to get dinner on the table by 5. I was looking for a new chicken crock pot recipe when the husband called to me from the kitchen to tell me he found a packet. He found a McCormick seasoning packet for Italian Crock Pot Chicken – chicken parts, mushrooms, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth and seasoning packet.  I am going add chunks of zucchini and yellow squash and probably serve the whole thing over pasta.

Wednesday – Big Man Chili. This is one of those recipes that I don’t even want to know! It is loaded with whatever peppers Big Man can get his hands on.  I usually do not eat too much of this since it is hot but I do love it!! I am just sensitive!! {I hear Biz laughing at me as she reads this!!} I decided  that baked potatoes would be the perfect addition. I will have my chili right on top!

Thursday – Chicken & Green Beans Stirfry

Friday – Pork Tenderloin with homemade German sauer kraut and mashed potatoes.

Now, that I have the menu planned I can make a list for the grocery and produce stores. I start my plan by taking a quick inventory of the pantry and freezer so the grocery list is not a huge one (unless the sales ad has lots of goodies) and we will hit the produce stand tomorrow and again later in the week.  Tomorrow I will also be making a WW zero-point soup so I need to get lots of extra veggies.  We will have the soup with dinner instead of salads this week. I need a switch up from the salads!!

Are you menu planning yet?

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mindful menu plan – 1.10.09

  • Posted on January 10, 2010 at 4:42 pm

Planning is so important to my waistline and my wallet. I may have mentioned it before…Big Man has been out of work for nearly two years. Needless to say, it is has been tight. We have learned to budget but we are far from perfect. Planning our menus has been so good for our budget. Mainly because we are not wasting any food. Big Man has taken over most of the grocery shopping and he is very good at sticking to an alotted budget. Actually, he is better at sticking to the budget…but he used to hate using a list. He would just plan meals while he was at the store. He has gotten so much better at this and now he uses a list that we base on our menu. Big Man even goes to a few different stores to strecth our dollar further: Sam’s Club, a local produce store, Acme (our grocery), and a local butcher/meat market.

Sorry for the ramble, I swear I had a point…

oh yeah!

Planning has allowed us to save money. We know what we need to buy at the store. We know what we have in the freezer and pantry. We don’t buy items we don’t need unless said item is one we use and it is a good sale price. We are eating healthier and fresher than ever and we are spending less. We are able to survive and thrive on my paycheck. People, let me remind you that I am a teacher – an early in my career, still in student loan debt hell, teacher. ;)

If you are not planning your meals you should. If you need some ideas to get you started you should check out my good friend (and fellow Cowboys fan), Jenna, the mastermind behind “Mindful Menu Plan.” Jenna introduced me to the joys and benefits of menu planning. Check it out and then go make your menu plan for this week! Then go link up your blog! I will check out your menu! We can inspire each other!!

Our wallets and our waistlines will thank us!!

Ok, I totally rambled.

This week I will be trying a new format for my weekly menu. Last week I told you of the eating plan I was going to be following. I liked the week and I loved how I felt on that plan. I am now going to follow my own version of that plan. I am going to continue to add lots of veggies and new foods and new recipes but last week’s plan will be the basis. I need a bit more variety and I need a bit different way to plan …so check out how I plan out this week. Let me know what you think and I will let you know next week how this works out for me!

Breakfasts:

  • Oatmeal with banana and Sugar-free syrup & cinnamon
  • 2 eggs scramble with 1/2 turkey sausage and veggies
  • I need another idea to rotate in here – something with beans. any help here would be lovely!!

Lunches:

  • homemade chicken noodle soup with salad or leftover veggies or raw veggies
  • leftovers from dinner

Dinners:

  • chicken & cous cous with a spinach salad with hardboiled egg, bacon (just enough), and red onion
  • chicken stirfry
  • chicken fajitas
  • tilapia and a veg medley
  • turkey meatballs, alfredo noodles, broccoli & BIG salad

Snacks:

  • berries
  • apples
  • tagerines
  • occasinal fiber one bar
  • hardboiled eggs

 

Menu plan people!! Planning ahs helped me, it can help you!!

Much love, Jen

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mindful menu plan – 1.3.2010

  • Posted on January 3, 2010 at 12:00 pm

This week’s menu is going to be a bit different. Actually for the next 3 weeks my menu will be quite boring.

I have decided to follow a 21-day eating plan. You will see that it is a very healthy eating plan but there is little variety.  I need to do this as a way to jump back into healthy food choices and also as a way to purge some of the Holiday gunk I have built up in my body! Oy, have I been lazy!

Here is the plan:

Breakfast:
3/4 cup cooked oatmeal (steel cut preferred)
5 unsalted walnuts
1 orange or banana
Snack:
1 apple
Lunch:
1/2 cup whole wheat brown rice
4 oz skinless chicken breast or fish grilled
1 cup steamed or grilled squash
Snack:
2 cups of celery
1 tbsp. natural almond butter
Dinner:
6 oz fish, grilled
1 cup steamed or grilled zucchini
1 cup steamed or grilled asparagus
3 cups salad (greens, tomatoes,cucumbers), season with lemon juice
Snack:
1 cup mixed berries
Also have 2 of the following snacks during the day:
12 raw almonds
1 tbsp almond butter
1 medium sized fruit any kind
1 hard-boiled egg
1/4 avacado
2 oz water packed tuna
1 jar of fruit baby food
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce with half a shredded biscuit.

Thanks to my girl, Shannon for hooking me up with this info!

And my most exciting news: The Big Man has agreed to follow this meal plan.  He is going to add soup into his day and probably some potatoes to dinner but he is ok with chicken every night! The kid is easy enough to please as long as she has raw veggies.  I will probably switch up the plan a bit and have a variety of vegetables – but I will steam them and only use lemon juice.

**complete honesty – coffee is not mentioned on this plan but I will be drinking my coffee. However, I will be cutting my coffee consumption in half! Maybe at the end of 3 weeks on this plan I will be down to 1 cup of coffee!

So, even though this is not really a menu plan I still have to ask:

Menu Planning, are you doing it?

I cannot believe how many benefits there are to menu planning?!?! It has helped my family stay on budget and it has helped to lose weight. I never realized how much we ordered out… I had no idea how often we were scrambling with the “what are we gonna make for dinner?” … I have since learned that the grocery store is not as evil when you really have a plan and a list!

Planning my menu has helped my family in many ways and I owe it all to Jenna (@chivetalker) and her Mindful Menu Blog Roll.

What?!?!

You haven’t joined Jenna’s menu roll?

What are you waiting for?

Check IT out and I am sure you will not regret it!!

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