Meal Plan Week #13

It's almost impossible to get to our house right now. They are repaving the streets in our neighborhood so we currently can't get to our driveway. This means parking down the street and walking (with all your stuff) across people's yards to get to our house. It's a disaster. What does this have to do with our meal plan this week? Well I'm not carrying 10 bags of groceries half a block into our house so we are doing a "light" shopping trip this week and probably next until I can pull into the driveway again. What a pain! So my goal for the week is to use things we already have in the cabinets and pick up the essentials to get through the week.

MONDAY: Ham & Scalloped Potatoes
Best way not to have to buy groceries? Eat a freezer meal! This is one my MIL and I put together a few weeks ago. Just as a note, I didn't think the recipe would make enough for my family by dividing into 2 bags for 2 meals. I put everything in 1 gallon size bag and then we doubled the recipe so my MIL could have 1 gallon size bag as well.

TUESDAY: Tacos
We pretty much always have what we need on hand to make tacos :)

WEDNESDAY: Spaghetti
Who doesn't have the stuff on hand to make spaghetti? I'll just pick up what I need to throw together a salad for the side.

THURSDAY: Ginger Peach Chicken
Another freezer meal! I'm getting good at this no buying extra stuff :) I already have rice on hand to serve along with this freezer meal.

FRIDAY: Dinner out
Second best way not to have to buy groceries? Eat out!

What's for dinner this week at your house?

Loving Lately

Things I'm loving lately ...

• spring weather
• wearing scarves for fashion not because it's freezing and I need one to survive

{see more}

• trying new recipes {need ideas}
• drinking more water
• getting back to running
• watching my girls play together
• lazy days spent watching Netflix with the family

{get it}

• spring colored nail polish - I want them all!

{see more}

• planning what excursions to do on our cruise in a couple months - any suggestions for the Cayman Islands or Jamaica?
• see my hard work pay off when it comes to my fitness/health - I'm down 3 lbs and I'm not giving up this time.
• it's wine night on Friday with the ladies at work - yippy!

What am I missing out on? What are you loving?

Meal Plan Week #12

This right here was the whole reason I started meal planning. I use to spend 30 minutes every night just debating what we would eat and then everyone would be too hungry and grumpy to wait for me to make it so we'd end up with some unhealthy, not real food, take out option. Meal planning has made my evenings less stressful and best of all we are all eating so much better because I make every meal, every day. 

MONDAY: Baked Sausage Rigatoni with Spinach
I got some new pasta to try out for being a BzzAgent so we'll be trying out this new rigatoni recipe! Since it takes awhile to assemble and bake, I'll assemble on Sunday night so it's ready to pop in the oven on Monday.

TUESDAY: Quesadillas
We'll have a variety of options to put inside your quesadilla - black beans, chicken, cheese, all sorts of goodness - yum!

WEDNESDAY: Salad Bar
Tonight is the second grade program at school, so this will be a quick and easy dinner.

THURSDAY: Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
It's still not warm enough outside to put away this family favorite for the spring/summer. 

FRIDAY: Mac & Cheese
The girls have requested mac & cheese. I'll be at wine night with my ladies from work so I guess if the husband doesn't want mac & cheese he can figure out something else :)

Have you tried any new recipes lately that I should put on my meal plan for the coming weeks?

Donut Party!

My baby girl turned 5 on March 1st and we celebrated with a donut party! I'm a firm believer in every party should have a theme, especially a kids birthday party. My husband doesn't agree, but I do all the planning so he can't really complain :) I gathered lots of ideas on Pinterest and then made the dream a reality ...

Lots of different donuts which meant something for everyone! We even served the Buzzfeed famous (#21 on the list) Rise 'n Roll Cinnamon Caramel Doughnut for the adults. If you ever make it to Indiana, be sure to check them out!

No party is complete without a donut tower cake!

These donut and fruit kabobs were a big hit! I simply put on a glazed donut, strawberry, powder sugar donut, strawberry and chocolate glazed donut. This way we didn't have a totally sugar filled party ;) We also served milk or coffee to go along with these treats!

Of course, we had to let everyone take a donut home with them as a party favor! These super cute boxes fit a donut perfectly inside. I got them from Pick Your Plum about a month beforehand.

And don't forget the birthday girl! Happy Birthday to J, I can't believe you are 5 already!

Meal Plan Week #11

I have determined I can only crank out one blog post a week with the occasional goal setting for the month. Those donut party pictures, still in the drafts folder :) whoops! Let's just get to the main reason you are reading this, the meal plan!

MONDAY: Spaghetti with Garlic Bread and Asparagus
We eat this meal more than most things, you can't go wrong with pasta, garlic and asparagus

TUESDAY: Stuffed Taco Shells
My MIL and I put together about a dozen freezer meals this weekend. One of them are these stuffed taco shells. So stuffed shells, but with taco meat/cheese filling. So excited to try these out! I'm pretty sure this is the recipe my MIL found and we used.

WEDNESDAY: Breakfast for Dinner
I'll probably make pancakes, eggs and toast. 

THURSDAY: Chicken or Tuna Melts
You'll get to choose if you want chicken or tuna, either way they will be yummy

FRIDAY: Homemade Pizza
Part of our freezer meals was making pizza dough so I'll pull one dough ball out to use for our pizza tonight.

What's for dinner at your place this week?

Meal Plan Week #10

Since I didn't cook last week, I'm looking forward to this week's menu. A week off was nice, but I sort of missed getting my hands dirty :)

MONDAY: Chicken Patty Sandwiches and Side Salad

TUESDAY: One Pot Burrito Bowls
One pot recipes are one of my favorite things to make (I hate doing dishes!). 

WEDNESDAY: Chicken Florentine Lazy Lasagna
Made in the slow cooker, this one should be a winner!

THURSDAY: Deli Sandwiches and Pasta Salad
I'll just pull everything out for sandwiches and everyone can assemble their own!

FRIDAY: Chicken Tenders, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
I got a coupon* to try out a pound of chicken tenders from the Kroger deli. I'll pick this up on my way home from work and whip up some mashed potatoes and green beans to go along with it.

What's for dinner at your house this week?

*Full disclosure: I received the coupon as a part of a BzzAgent campaign for my honest opinion and review. Interested in becoming a BzzAgent, click here.

March: I will try

I came up with 3 things I would try for the month of February. I'd say I did pretty good.

• I will try to drink 4 "cups" of water each day at work. 
• I don't think I made it to 4 but I did completely cut out Diet Coke (hello headaches, will you ever go away) which meant I was drinking more water instead.
• I will try to work out at least twice a week. 
• I knew this was ambitious and I was right. I probably averaged a once a week workout during the month.
• I will try to make 1 new healthy recipe each week. 
• This was my biggest success of the month. Turkey Mini Meatloaf, Apple & Poppyseed Coleslaw, Slowcooker Turkey Chili and Healthy Enchiladas were all a success! If you want to pick just one, go with the turkey chili. It makes a HUGE batch but is super easy and yummy!

Now it's March and here's what I'm trying.

• I will try to watch my portions.
• I've found that portion control is a big help for me. Eat a small piece of chocolate, not the entire bag. Each a cup of chili not 4 cups of chili. All things in moderation :)
• I will try one new workout each week.
• I was able to work out once a week, now I'm going to try new things. A little yoga, barre or Jillian Michaels kicking my butt will all be welcome!
• I will try to plan a family fun night once a week.
• We will each take turns choosing the food, activities, etc. that will take place during the Family Fun Night. I'm hoping this will make the winter cold pass sooner.

What will you try this month? What goals have you set for yourself?

Meal Plan Week #9

Happy Monday! Can you believe it is March already? That means my baby girl turned 5 on Sunday ... what?! I'll share some photos from her donut party later this week.

It also means another meal plan is in the works, so let's get started. This week will be a bit different for me because my dad and step-mom are visiting for the week so my step-mom is taking over the cooking responsibilities. I'm not sure what to do with myself when I walk in the door and don't have to cook.

MONDAY: Spaghetti Pie with Asparagus

TUESDAY: Tacos
You didn't think we were getting out of having Taco Tuesday because I wasn't cooking, did you?!

WEDNESDAY: Baked Chicken with Mashed Cauliflower
She's claiming we will love this mashed cauliflower, I'll let the critics try it out and see.

THURSDAY: Dinner with the extended family
My aunt is hosting a dinner since my dad is in town, so we'll eat whatever she is making :)

FRIDAY: Kitchen's closed - dinner out!
Since it will be their last night in town, we'll go out for dinner.

What's for dinner at your house this week?