I decided the only way I could ever do a post on meal plans is to do it retroactively. I don't know if I'll post one every week, but I'm super nosy and like to see what other people eat...so here you go!
(Did you know that, when I first started this blog, my tagline was something about plans going awry? It's a testament to how I can certianly planplanplan, and those plans may never actually come to fruition. Anyway...)
I do make a meal plan each week. Every weekend, I think about what I can make for the upcoming week and I shop according to the plan. At this point, I'm just focusing on usng the ingredients we already have. I love having a stocked freezer and pantry, but we're moving in a few short weeks, so I can't justify buying a lot of groceries when they'll be taking away our fridge soon. I've just been getting the basics (milk, produce, and sweet treats) once a week instead.
Let's start with the day before Easter. Scott wanted caribou burgers. I went to the store, bought bakery rolls and bleu cheese, and made burgers for the first time in my life. I topped them with caramelized oninons. They actually had a great taste to them, but I couldn't handle the texture...or the fact that a piece of the caribou's furry leg is still lying on our deck. I also made some roasted sweet potatoes.
Easter: I made chicken tortilla soup. Best soup ever. We also had it on Christmas.
On this day, Scott ate the leftover burgers and I had a quesadilla for lunch.
Monday: Leftover chicken tortilla soup with asparagus on the side.
Tuesday: I marinated frozen chicken in Italian dressing (trying to use up all the food in the fridge!), cooked them, and added a few cups of frozen stir fry veggies to the pan. I cooked quinoa in chicken broth, and so it was kind of like a stir-fry. Also, pretty sure Scott ate that and I had a quesadilla.
Wednesday: A friend came over for dinner. I made caribou chili in the crockpot, rice, and garlic bread. I had planned on cornbread, but the leftover rolls from the burgers on Saturday were in the fridge, so I made them into garlic bread instead. I taste-tested the chili but, again with the caribou thing, couldn't eat it. I made do with whatever I could find in the fridge. And then I made no-bake cookies because there was a guest. (I kept him and Scott in desserts up to their eyeballs a few weeks ago. I couldn't disappoint.)
Thursday: Homemade pizza. You know how some girls insist on date night? I insist on pizza night at least once a week.
Friday: Thai Noodles and I picked up a rotisserie chicken while I was at the store getting green onions for the noodles.
On Saturday, I start all over again with a new plan and fresh ideas. Since I've been really into making the recipes I've found on Pinterest lately, I usually try to incorporate 2 or 3 new food ideas a week. This week, I made funfetti popcorn (something of my own creation you'll see here soon), lemon rolls, carrot cake roll, homemade fruit snacks, and a new daiquiri recipe that I also hope to share soon.
Do you meal plan and have a strategy to share?
Sharing at Meal Planning Monday, Dinnertime Tuesday
I usually have a stock of meat in our deep freezer so I will see what I have and then meal plan from there. I will always try 2-3 new recipes just from googling ideas. :)
ReplyDeleteHow do you not weigh 400 pounds? I definitely would if I made the amazing sweet treats you do! I like the idea of retroactively writing down what you ate, I do that on the little white board week calendar that's on our fridge to hold me accountable to meal planning. Instead I write what we had each night and that's enough to make me feel as though it's somehow productive. Also, pizza night is a must.
ReplyDeleteI need to start meal planning again!!! It seriously saves us money. I just change my mind so much about what I want to eat...haha.
ReplyDeleteOh man, all that caribou is making me miss meals back home. I'm from Maine ... so its pretty common to have deer meat one night, moose meat another. Yum!!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't have enjoyed my burger with the caribou's furry leg on the deck either!
ReplyDeleteI'm actually glad to see you plan a menu every week. I always feel like people think I'm nuts when I tell them I do it...
Can't wait for funfetti popcorn!
Oh man- everything sounds so good! I never, ever, ever stick to my meal plan- the days get shifted and things are never eaten on the days they're supposed to be, but at least we have the food in the house for what we need every week!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up with me and Jane!
Forget Missouri. You're moving to CA and opening s restaurant. What's not to love? Nice weather, making yummy food, another Target? Plus, we don't really have caribou around these parts, so that's an added bonus.
ReplyDeleteI cannot get over the caribou. Does it taste like beef? And I love the italian dressing/chicken idea. I do that with salsa in the crockpot. YUM!
ReplyDeleteI really need to get our freezers cleared out. That is the goal of my meal plans this week.
ReplyDeleteI'm seriously worried about clearing out the pantry and we aren't moving for months! lol I totally understand the caribou thing. If I think about where any of my meat comes from I have a hard time getting it down. Let alone if part of the body was still on the back porch. lol I'm so not a country girl.
ReplyDeleteWe are in the same boat, trying not to buy more than what we need. I meal plan as well and count on pizza and taco night at least once each week!
ReplyDeleteI love meal planning, we save SO much more but some weeks I just suck at it, lol. I like to plan around what's on sale at the store, IF I'm really good.
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