Meal Planning 101: Week 32

Keeping it short and sweet so I can sneak this post in on Monday and not Tuesday! I will take up a little of your time to apologize that the posts haven't returned to regular frequency, but you just better brace yourself! Guess what I did this weekend and today?? I FINALLY took the time to switch from my old computer to my new computer. Okay and I watched an unhealthy amount of Dawson's Creek on Netflix. BUT all of my picture files are now on my computer, not on my phone, not on my old computer, on this very computer that I type on and labeled and organized. AND there is a plan for 3-5 posts for this very week. Keep your fingers crossed friends. Now to the meal plan for this week.

Monday: 

BLTA (Bacon Lettuce Tomato Avocado) Sandwiches with Chips and Homemade Salsa

Tuesday:

Rice and Beef Stuffed Zucchini, Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes, and Cucumber Salad

Wednesday: 

Church Potluck (making Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding)

Thursday: 

Leftover Stuffed Zucchini

Friday: 

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese (never got to this last week), Red Potato Salad, and Sweet Pickles

Saturday:

Leftovers

Sunday:

Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles, Scrambled Eggs and Bacon

Lunch Ideas:

Are you meal planning? Post your weekly meal plan in the comment section below! You can also link your meal plan up over at Organizing Junkie.

Meal Planning 101: Week 29

It's 10:42 pm on Monday night as I'm writing this Meal Plan Monday post. Brief explanation (or excuse) for the lateness: I usually prep these posts on Saturdays or Sundays. Saturday I attended a fundraiser pancake breakfast, had Jesus time at Starbucks for several hours, prepped blog picture for future posts, conquered the art of self pedicures and manicures (DIY cuticle care included!), straightened my hair, put on makeup (for the first time since... Christmas?), attended a BFF's 30th birthday celebration, hosted the Nancy Drew watching, nail painting, after party, and then spent the night with her so she didn't have to have the unpleasant after party every one is gone feeling. Sunday I attended a membership class at church, went to church, grocery shopped for a dinner party I forgot I was hosting when I did last week's meal plan, cooked ALL afternoon (pictures of the dinner ensemble below), hosted the dinner party, went to the new RA reveal night, had my first meeting with my new next year RAs. Today for my day off I slept for a significant amount of time for the first time in days, got a needed hair cut, attempted Starbucks Jesus time, grocery shopped for my next two weeks of meals, worked out, filed my taxes, ate dinner, had my weekly meeting with my accountability partner, packed my lunch, and made coconut quinoa granola (pictures below, recipe to come soon!). AND approximately 2.5 minutes after I post this I will fall asleep, all exhausted and the like.

My RAs picked an Italian theme for our dinner party, chipped in money, and I cooked! Pizza Dip + Homemade Baguette Chips
 (not pictured) + Garlic Bread + Baked Rigatoni + Salad with Homemade Italian Herb Dressing (not pictured) + Fruit Pizza. 

I'm trying to be super healthy this week to go along with finally starting to work out again. Confession: Today was my first time to work out since boot camp, which ended on March 21st. It felt good! So lots of green things on the menu. 

Monday:

Leftover Baked Rigatoni (Basically used Pioneer Woman's Baked Ziti, except using Rigatoni and changing up the sauce a little.)

Tuesday:

More Leftover Rigatoni (Did I mention there were A LOT of leftovers? Pasta dishes really are made to feed armies!)

Wednesday:

Greek Fish Tacos (tortillas + honey lime baked tilapia + baby kale for lettuce + hummus + julienned cucumbers + tomatoes), Chick Pea Tomato Salad and Lime Pinenut Couscous (As mentioned earlier, I forgot I had the dinner party when I planned this meal! So it got pushed back, which is okay because it's just allowed my excitement over it to build!)

Thursday:

Leftover Fish Tacos

Friday:

Some Combo of Leftovers (My town is playing a movie on the old town brick streets! I volunteered to help serve popcorn, so I'll probably pack a to go dinner of some sort.)

Saturday:

Big Steak Mushroom Entree Salad

Sunday:

Leftover Steak Mushroom Entree Salad

Lunch Ideas: 

new michelina's lean gourmet meal test + green giant singles corn & peas + CHEERWINE (brought a case back from SC)

another new michelina's lean gourmet meal test + green giant singles corn & peas + cuties

Extras: 

Coconut Quinoa Granola for snacks and breakfast!

If it's wrong to own every size of mason jar, I don't want to be right! 

What's on your menu for this week? 

Meal Planning 101: Week 25

The title of this post is slightly misleading. I don't have a meal plan for you this week. However, I am going to give you resources for meal planning! And I do have a good excuse (for not having a meal plan AND for missing posting it on Monday). I'm not a student, in fact, I get grumpy when people think I am sometimes, but I do work at a university. My boss let us have off for Spring Break with the students! So I drove to Georgia to visit my BFF, who happens to be one of my biggest fans and most loyal blog readers, and her beautiful baby Alice. Alice can now say my name! Or a version of it at least, KK. So I'm dining with them this week and get a week off of cooking and meal planning in exchange for baby hugs and helping my BFF settle into her new house.

So resources! You know how obsessed I am with meal planning. I could, and have, gone on and on about the benefits of it! It's healthier and way more budget friendly! If me constantly advocating for it isn't enough, allow me to share with you the many other blogs I've found that post weekly meal plan! I use these fellow meal planners for inspiration in creating my meal plans often. It's easy! Copy us!

Blogs that post weekly meal plans: 

• This Week For Dinner (My fav and the reason I started posting meal plans!)
• Six Sisters' Stuff
• Real Mom Kitchen
• Life as a Lofthouse
• Modern Alternative Kitchen
• Organization Junkie
• Lawfully Wedded Wife
• Gospel Homemaking
• Stock Piling Moms
• My Scraps

There is even a Meal Plan Monday Facebook! I liked this the instant I found it. She posts tons of great tips, ideas, and resources.

Lunch Ideas:

Next week won't have lunch ideas since I'm not working this week and therefore not taking my lunch, but I did last week! Sad news... I microwaved one of my lunch containers a little too much! It got a hole. I WILL be buying more of these Ziplock containers though. In case you can't tell, I'm obsessed!

top left: asian chopped salad + leftover baked breaded chicken tenders + peanut dressing + celery + homemade peanut butter 

top right: leftover beef stew + crackers + a cutie

bottom left: fancy sandwiches + yellow cherry tomatoes + leftover corn grits + coconut crack bar 

bottom right: caesar salad + yogurt caesar dressing + leftover broccoli cheese twice baked potatoes 

Meal Planning 101: Week 24

I love prep work. LOVE. I know I'm a bit OCD, so do you by now, and prep work feeds that, but I want you to love it too! Why should you love it? It makes cooking faster, easier, and more enjoyable! I posted this prep work picture earlier in the week when I was making the baked breaded chicken tenders that were to be dipped in all those filled dishes. One of my fellow foodie friends, Jenny @ JennyBakes, commented on the picture and said, "First rule of a cook - Mise en place!" I didn't know what it meant, so I googled it. I would like to suggest to you, that it's true! Mise en place is a french cooking term that means everything in place, as in all set up. Professional kitchens use it. Though I'm not a professional, and you might not be either, we are professionals in our own kitchen! We can love cooking just as much as any professional chef by taking steps to make it less stressful! Do prep work the day before. If you get home from work early, do some prep work then so when it's time to cook dinner mise en place! I got all my dredging bowls ready and cut up my potatoes for roasting before boot camp. When I came home all I had to do was dredge a little and pop things in the oven! 

You know what else takes the stress out of cooking? MEAL PLANNING! So on to this week's plan. 

Monday:

Leftover Sunday Dinner Stew

Tuesday:

Twice Baked Broccoli Cheese Potatoes & Caesar Salad (Never got to it last week due to a bonding dinner with some of my staff. Life happens and sometimes it's good!)

Wednesday: 

Leftover Potatoes

Thursday:

Lazy Chiles Rellenos, Tortillas & Guacamole Salad (Never actually made this meal 2 weeks ago, forgot ingredients!)

Friday:

Leftover Rellenos

Saturday:

Buffalo Chicken Salad Sandwich, Hummus & Veggies

Sunday:

Crock Pot Pork Chops, Brown Rice & Brussel Sprouts

Extras:

• Smoothies: Strawberry, Blueberry, Pineapple Mango, Peach, and Vanilla (Flax seed + almonds + milk + greek yogurt + frozen bananas + assorted frozen fruit)
• Some healthy version of baked doughnuts, haven't gotten to use my pan yet! 

Lunch Ideas (The DOs and DON'Ts): 

DO - leftover veggie pizza in moderation (1 slice) + hummus + veggies + a cutie

DO - asian chopped salad & peanut dressing + leftover baked breaded chicken tender + celery & peanut butter + fruit

DO - if you must eat out for lunch meetings, veggies + grilled chicken isn't bad
DON'T - eat all that rice (I didn't, but I did eat too much!)

DO - say yes to your brother paying for your lunch + a grilled chicken sandwich
DON'T - order fried homemade chips like I did

Meal Planning 101: Week 22

Can I tell you about my new cup?? I talked my brother into buying it for me for Valentines Day. It's a plastic insulated mason jar tumbler! Can I tell you how much more water I drank this weekend with my new cup in hand?! I'm seriously in love/obsessed with it. I've also gotten so many comments on it. Talk about a great accessory! It was only $10 from Target. I highly suggest you get one! Or some other drinking device to make you want to drink more water. Totally a worthy investment. 

Okay, so today starts week 5 of boot camp. So far, I haven't lost any weight! Yes, I'm stronger. Yes, I'm healthier. Yes, I have more endurance. Yes, I have muscles I didn't know I could have. Yes, I have more energy. I'm not saying I'm not happy about any of those things, I AM! I also know in the long run, it's healthier, the whole muscle burns more fat thing. But I'm determined to be totally focused this week! Sometimes total focus is accomplished best with dry erase boards. 

I have this dry erase board on the back of my kitchen door. It's also pretty close to my refrigerator. It's basic, but there is something about writing out your plan where you see it that reminds you not to get a pastry at Starbucks and to eat the real, healthy options you have for breakfast!  

Monday:

Weight Watchers Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup and Cornbread

Tuesday:

Skillet Sunny Side Breakfast and Fruit

Wednesday:

Leftovers

Thursday:
Ultimate Chicken Tenders, Skillet Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli and Cheese

Friday:

Leftovers

Saturday:

Grocery Day (Which usually means I eat a most unhealthy hot dog from Sam's Club.)

Sunday:
Lazy Chiles Rellenos, Tortillas and Guacamole Salad

Lunch Ideas:

Let's be honest. Despite our best intentions to bring lunch and eat healthy, some weeks are just busy! Last week I had to interview 17 people and had short lunch breaks. Therefore I ate on campus 2 of my 4 days last week. The good news is, I got these cute little Ziplock lunch containers! So perfect for bringing lunch to work. I did get to use them twice last week and going 4 for 4 this week!

leftovers: crock pot hawaiian chicken and rice + sugar pear + roasted brussel sprouts

leftovers: heart meatloaf + stolen ketchup packet from community fridge + homemade shells and cheese + roasted asparagus

Meal Plan 101: Week 20 & 21

I have a confession... I'm a slacker! Okay that's not totally true, but I feel like one based on the lack of meals I cooked last week AND the lack of blog posts I brought to you. I didn't even manage to get out a Meal Plan Monday post! I actually didn't eat horribly last week, BUT I didn't make most of what I ate. I have to give myself a little credit since it was a ridiculously busy week full of RA interviews and night time obligations, but my blogging and meal making did fall through the cracks. In the name of being honest and transparent, I'm still posting last week's meals, every eating out night confessed. Boot camp continued on though! I missed once because I was passing a kidney stone, you know, no big deal.

Speaking of boot camp, a quick update. I'll never say it's easy, ever. It's just not. BUT I do feel better now when I do it, or rather after I do it. One problem has remained consistent... SHIN SPLINTS! Oh how I loathe them! My trainer watched my feet and how I walk and run and discovered the reason for the pain and stress on my shins was definitely my shoes. Pretty pink tennis shoes on sale = not the most supportive shoe. I decided to bite the bullet, sacrifice fashion, and go have my feet analyzed at a specialty store. I now have what I like to call my grandpa shoes. Big, bulky, grey and orange boy shoes! Today will be my first day to wear them. I have high hopes! At least I'll always have cute nails to make up for the unfashionable boy shoes.

I decided in honor of the February, the month that hosts one of my favorite holidays, I'd only paint my nails shades of pink or red until Valentines Day. It's been a fun project! I seriously love Valentines Day! I think it's silly when single people go on anti Valentines Day strikes or wear black for "Singles Awareness Day." I personally don't like to think of it as a day that's only for dates and couples. It's a holiday that uses pink, red, and hearts to celebrate! How can you not love that?! I will celebrate pink any day for any reason. I also don't think that love is just for couples! Do you love your friends and family. They deserve to feel loved on a holiday dedicated to love as well!

My meals this week reflect Valentines Day! I love themes and I love when themes can inspired food. I even ordered pink coffee at Starbucks on Saturday to assist me in my meal planning creativity! 

Last Monday:

Leftover Pasta (So the PLAN was leftover avocado alfredo pasta, but I ended up hating it. So... I ate on campus with an RA. Pimento's French Dip.)

Last Tuesday:

UnSloppy Spicy Turkey Sloppy Joes (The concept was from Six Sisters, but I used reduced fat biscuits and Pioneer Woman's sloppy joe recipe but replaced the ground beef with ground turkey.), Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Honey Glazed Carrots

Last Wednesday:

Out (One on one with an RA. She wanted to do dinner. Pimento's Ciabata Turkey sandwich.)

Last Thursday:

Out (Had RA interviews from 6:00 - 10:00 and no time to eat. Lenny's Chicken Philly.)

Last Friday:
Greek Chicken Caesar Wraps and White Cheddar Cheeze Its (More interviews! Quick thrown together meal with a fellow RD.)

Last Saturday:

Random Snacky Leftovers (Slept in, ate "breakfast" at 11:30 and "lunch" at 2:30.)

Last Sunday:

Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken, Rice, and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Monday:

Leftovers

Tuesday:

Heart Shaped Mini Meatloaf, 5 Minute Mac and Cheese, Roasted Asparagus, and Skillet Chocolate Bread Pudding (I originally planned this meal for Thursday, Valentine's Day, BUT I wanted to make it early so I could post the recipes for Valentine's Day date night inspiration!)

Wednesday:

Lat-Webb Family Fun Night - Dinner "Out" (on campus) and Dessert Crepes

Thursday:

Valentine's Leftovers

Friday:

Chicken Florentine Pasta and Cucumber Tomato Salad

Saturday:

Leftovers

Sunday:

Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup and Cornbread

Lunch Ideas:

I'm going to keep doing these. A. No one has complained yet. B. I found a couple of blogs that did this and it helped me!

jar salad +  one sliced avocado 

sick day - chicken noodle soup, crackers & gingerale (sometimes it's all you can eat!)

jar salad + half of a pita 

michelena's lean gourmet rice & beans + extra leftover kidney beans added + green giant singles corn & peas

leftovers - mostly consumed carrots + unsloppy sloppy joe + garlic mashed potatoes

Meal Planning 101: Week 19

Remember how I always posted meal plans meant for Sunday on Monday? Well I found a new blog who does Menu Plan Mondays. So I'm just committed now to Meal Plan Mondays! It always worked a little better to post on Mondays, even though I usually use Monday also for Meal Prep Mondays. Meal Prep Mondays were never regular posts though, so I'll just sneak them in occasionally on Meal Plan Mondays. Also, is anyone else as obsessed with meal planning note pads as me?! I can't pass them up. Ever.

I'm full force back on the healthy train! Boot Camp Week 2 started today. Meal planning healthy meals and grocery shopping for them happened this weekend. Oh how I missed Sam's Club and my cheap big batches of produce and healthy things!

I also discovered Sugar Pears this week! How did I live so long and never know about the super cute mini pears?! I couldn't pass them up. To the menu! I'm starting a new thing this week where I bring lighter, smaller meals for lunch instead of leftovers, therefore creating more leftovers during the week, which isn't my reason, but a not so horrible side effect of my plan. And so, less meals on the menu list, but more things on the lunch ideas and make ahead lists. Fair trade right? 

Monday:

Crock Pot Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers (used this recipe, but altered it for the crock pot) and Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes

Tuesday:

Leftover Peppers

Wednesday:

Leftover Peppers

Thursday: 

Avocado Pesto Alfredo Linguine & Roasted Broccoli

Friday:

Leftover Linguine

Saturday:

Leftover Linguine

Sunday:

Crock Pot Greek Chicken, Pitas, Layered Greek Dip and Greek Potatoes (Staff Dinner Party - Greek themed!)

Extras: 

I think I was way too excited about food prep and menu planning again and went a little crazy with it! From Saturday to Monday I made the following:  

• Breakfast Fruit Parfaits layered with different fruits, cottage cheese, vanilla yogurt, and slivered almonds. I actually made 8! The recipe will come soon. I'm hoping they last until next week. None of the ingredients expire until way later, so I'm thinking maybe? We'll see. 
• Jar Salads, 4 more.
• Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt, for easy healthy take to work after lunch dessert. 
• Homemade Peanut Butter, so easy! Recipe also coming.
• Banana Bread, 5 batches. Ridiculous.

The amount of Mason jars in my refrigerator is just a little obsessive. I just love make ahead things and food prep! I have a problem. At least it's healthy though right??

Did I mention I made homemade peanut butter?? Still in love with it.

Lunch Ideas: 

And lastly, I'll throw in last weeks lunch pictures to maybe help you come up with healthy, non-eating out, lunch ideas!

microwavable edamame + hummus + 1 pita

bird's eye mushroom & green bean steam in bag risotto + green giant singles broccoli & cheese* + 1 pita

green giant singles broccoli & cheese* + kroger 90 second  cook in pouch red beans & rice

The little Green Giant Just for One sides are one of my favorite lunch items! They are the perfect way to make lunch a little more rounded and have a bit more substance. They have several varieties!