Meal Plan #2 (2014 Edition)

The highlight of last week's meal plan - Winter Cobb Salad. I added chicken and a little bit of kale to the Brussels sprouts. 

Sunday (aka Dumpling Day, apparently):
Beef Vegetable Soup with Dumplings (compliments of Mom)
Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings (adding peas and carrots)

Monday (aka Mac and Cheese Monday):
Em's Pick - Creamy Brie Four Cheese Mac with Buttery Ritz Crackers

Tuesday:
Not eating at home

Wednesday:

Beef and Shrimp Fried Rice

Thursday:

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Friday or Saturday:
Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowl

Breakfast:
Banilla Yogurt with Fruit
Pears with Bellavitano

Lunch:
Left-overs
Frozen Meals

Snacks:
Veggies with Feta Dip (seriously delicious!!)

Meal Plan #1 (2014 edition)

Sunday lunch: 
Split pea and ham soup

Sunday dinner:
Texas Chicken

Monday: Inaugural #Mac&CheeseMonday
Martha's Mac & Cheese

Tuesday: 
Beef and Broccoli

Wednesday:
Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

Thursday:
Winter Cobb Salad

Friday: Let's be real. I'm going out.

Breakfast:
Bran flakes with yogurt and fruit
Honey Latte

Lunch:
Left-over Sunday soup
Frozen burritos and veggies

Snacks:
Veggies and Feta Dip
Some sort of Bolthouse Farms drink

Meal Plan # 7: Mad Men Dinner Party

I'm traveling for work from what seems like now until the end of time.

Only meal I'm cooking this week is for a Mad Men premiere party. I'm thinking nothing would excite the ad men (and their women) quite like a fondue party.

Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue
Shrimp and Steak cooked in Coq au Vin
(with spicy cocktail sauce and gorgonzola port dipping sauce)
Orange Chocolate Fondue

Drinks:
Moscow Mule
Sloe Gin Fizz

Meal Plan # 6

(Someone bought three pounds of asparagus at Costco. So, this is "The Week of Asparagus." My pee will smell very bad.)

Monday: Shrimp Saganaki (with roasted asparagus)
Tuesday: Asparagus Risotto (probably with rotisserie chicken)
Wednesday: Halibut en Papillote
Thursday: Ziti with Asparagus, Mozzarella, and Prosciutto (probably with chicken sausage)
Friday: Who knows - leftovers? dining out?
Saturday & Sunday: Eating my way through Chicago, KP style

Meal Plan # 5

Summer Dinner (a few weeks ago when it seemed like spring might actually happen)

Sunday: Pizza and Chopped Salad
Monday: Chicken Rollatini with Spinach and Parmesan (and leftover salad)
Tuesday: Chicken, Avocado, and Bacon Sandwich with Broccoli Leek Soup
Wednesday: Cheeseburger Mac
Thursday: Stuffed Portabellos (and spinach salad with bacon dressing)
Friday: Shrimp Saganaki (with steamed broccoli and crusty bread)

Meal Plan # 4

One. Chicken Rollatini with Spinach

Two. Beef and Broccoli

Three. Spinach Salad with Salmon

Four. Butternut Squash Risotto (add chicken)

Five. Pork Tenderloin (from the butcher)

Meal Plan # 3

Meal 1. Mushroom & Leek Risotto (with Italian porketta)

Meal 2. Stuffed Pepper Soup (with Winter Chopped Salad)

Meal 3. Beef Barbocoa

Meal 4. Turkey Sloppy Joe (with sweet potato tator tots)

Meal 5. Salmon and Melting Cherry Tomatoes (with Spinach with Feta & Pine Nuts)

Meal Plan # 2

Chicken Paprikash - a meal from last week.

Have I mentioned that I miss my dishes?!

Meal 1. Chopped Salad with Ranch Dressing and Shrimp Cocktail

Meal 2. Supreme Pizza Burgers with left-over salad

Meal 3. Pizza with Kale, Butternut Squash, Bacon, and Smoke Cheese with  more left-over salad

Meal 4. Pork roast with Spicy Parmesan Green Beans and Kale

Meal 5. Beef Burgundy Crockpot Roast with steamed broccoli

Extras. Red Velvet Cupcakes with Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting (for a traveling lunch party at work)

Meal Plan # 1

I'm cooking again!

Sunday night dessert. 

Pumpkin spice egg nog pound cake with salted caramel ice cream and a drizzle of amaretto.

Meal 1. Stuffed cabbage rolls.
Meal 2. Gnocchi mac & cheese.
Meal 3. Chicken paprikash.
Meal 4. Creamy blue cheese risotto
Meal 5. Chicken enchiladas and homemade refried beans.

Extra. Egg nog pound cake (made with pumpkin spice egg nog)

Meal Plan # 43

Note: I've decided to start numbering my meal plan posts. It seems more fun that way. I'm guessing this is about meal plan 43.

Angie, Charlie, and I had lunch Thursday at Coa. It was quite the feast. We started with guacamole and iced tea and moved on to tacos (Barbacoa, Chicken Tinga, and Carne Asada), a pork empanada, and grilled sweet corn. There may or may not be a photo of me eating the sweet corn that shall never see the Interwebs.

Saturday:
Pizza (with dough from Thursday's Trader Joe's run)
Olive Cheese Bread
Cadbury Cream Egg Milkshake

Sunday:
See Easter menu in previous post

Monday: (meeting until 4 PM)
Broccolini Salad
Grilled Chicken

Tuesday: (meeting until 4 PM)
Beef and Broccoli

Wednesday: (haircut at 4:30 PM)
Mediterranean Chicken Kabob Salad

Thursday: (no evening plans - yay!)
Crockpot Beef Barbacoa

Friday: (no evening plans - yay!)
Chicken Saltimboca
Spaghetti al Limone
Vegetable (asparagus?)

Breakfast:
Yogurt Parfaits (with vanilla walnuts)
Toaster Waffles

Lunch:
Slacker Sushi Bowls
Jello with fruit?

Snacks:
Veggies and dip
Pudding
Buffalo Hummus with Pretzels

Meal Plan

I am on a stuffed chicken kick. This is the third recipe I've tried in the last month. They all make chicken look really sophisticated without much effort at all. The Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana started the obsession. Then was Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella - which I also prepared alla parmigiana. Above is Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken. And, it looks like there is yet another one - Chicken Rollatini with Prosciutto and Cheese

Sunday: Seeing Mary Poppins with a friend
Cheese plate
Coq au Vin


Monday:
Chicken Marsala
Pasta
Broccoli


Tuesday:
Slow-Cooker Cajun Stew
Salad
Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Wednesday:
Sesame Chicken 
Brown rice

Thursday: Conferences
Pizza from Papa Murphy's

Friday:
Orecchiete with Crab
Salad
Fresh bread

Meal Plan

Photo taken on February 16 at the Walmart checkout.* February 16 is the day after the official start of my favorite season of the year: Easter candy season. (For you amateurs and/or healthy eaters, Easter candy season starts on February 15 when the Valentine candy is marked down and the Easter candy hits the shelves.) I don't do jelly beans, Peeps, or other sugar candy. I reserve my seasonal candy craving for the chocolate: PB eggs (preferrably the small ones and definitely not the ones dipped in white chocolate), Cadbury Mini-Eggs, Cadbury Eggs - both original and caramel, and Dove chocolates.

NOTE: Nutella & Go! is not Easter candy. It just somehow hopped onto the conveyer belt at the checkout. Yum.

*Immediately after this photo was taken, the old lady who supervises the Walmart self-checkouts was at my lane asking me if I was taking pictures. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to photograph their Easter candy.

Anyway. One can't survive on Easter candy alone, so I present you with a meal plan for this week.

Sunday:
(a dinner feast in which I pretend to be Ina Garten)
Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese
Sauteed Corn
Zucchini with Parmesan

Monday:
Barb is at book club (reading Lover's Dictionary and meeting at Jonathan's)/
Brad is on his own.

Tuesday:
Soy Balsamic Slow Cooker Chicken
with brown rice and stir-fried vegetables

Wednesday:
(school hot lunch at home)
Sloppy Joes
Sweet Potato Tator Tots
Steamed Vegetable
Chocolate Milk

Thursday:
Steak with Drunken Mushrooms

Friday:
Broccoli Beef

Breakfast:
Toaster Waffles

Snack:
Yogurt parfait

Lunch:
Broccoli and Feta Pasta Salad (add tuna)

Meal Plan

Wish I could just eat this for dinner every night this week.

Photo from way back in August - at a deli in Chicago.

Sunday: (Vicki over for dinner)
Chicken Rollatini with Spinach Parmigiana
Salad (with balsamic vinaigrette)
Pistachio Layer Dessert


Monday:
Risotto Primavera
(add chicken)


Tuesday:
Going to see Angie, et al.. That's okay, right, Ang?


Wednesday:
Beef Enchiladas (from my freezer)


Thursday:
Spaghetti (sauce from my freezer)

Friday - Sunday:
Eating with Em. Yay!

Breakfast:
Toaster waffles
Bananas

Lunch:
Taco Salads (sub beef for chicken)
Jello


Snacks:
Nuts (never got to these from last week)
Yogurt
Oranges?

Meal Plan

What my trunk will look like later today.

I haven't cooked a single thing (not even a toaster waffle) in my own kitchen since last Sunday. A meal plan is definitely needed today.

Sunday:
Burritos
Guacamole
No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake

Monday:
Babysitting and Dinner Date w/ Friends

Tuesday:
Chicken with Spinach and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Fresh bread

Wednesday:
Turkey Sloppy Joe
Sweet Potato Tator Tots
Steamed Broccoli

Thursday:
Mushroom Marsala Pasta with Chicken and Artichokes
Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Friday:
Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad
Pomegranate-Marinated Chicken

Breakfast:
Toaster Waffles (Barb)
Yogurt Parfaits (Brad)

Lunch:
Yogurt with Granola
Split Pea and Ham Soup
Vegetables
Sandwiches (Brad)

Snacks:
Red Jello with Mandarin Oranges
Vanilla Glazed Walnuts with Sea Salt
Chocolate Chunk Cookies (for a Tuesday night meeting)

Meal Plan

It's been awhile since I actually took the time to do this. Lately, I have fallen into the habit of thinking of something to make on my way home from work, stopping at the grocery store, and coming home to cook. This means lots of trips to the store and lots of nights eating out because I can't quite face the prospect of another trip to the store.

I should probably share the recipe for these at some point - chocolate sour cream cupcake with vanilla marshmallow buttercream. They were a bribe to get people to come to the literacy team meeting last week.

Sunday: 
Pioneer Woman's Spicy Pop Pulled Pork
Potatoes au Gratin 
Mashed potatoes (no oven space for au Gratin and pulled pork!)
Steamed broccoli

Monday:
Southeast Asian Fried Rice

Tuesday:
Sweet Potato Risotto
Kale Salad

Wednesday: (Brandts come to dinner!)
Crockpot Bolognese
Garden salad

Thursday:
Detox Salad
Tequila Lime Chicken

Friday:
Dinner with Angie (I think)

Breakfast:
Toaster waffles
Yogurt parfaits

Lunch:
Brad = turkey sandwiches
Barb = Cheeseburger Salad

Snacks:
Veggies with dip
Pistachio pudding

Meal Plan

Saturday: NYE Feast @ Angie's
I'll bring dessert - Kahlua Mousse

Sunday: Just me
French Onion Soup
Kale Salad
Grilled Chicken

Monday: Rose Bowl
Shredded Italian Beef Sandwiches
Chopped Salad
(with honey mustard vinaigrette)

Tuesday: Just Brad
Frozen Pizza

Wednesday:
Penne with Balsamic Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, and Parmesan
Tossed Salad with Olive Garden Salad Dressing


Thursday:
Crock-pot Beef Stroganoff
Roasted Broccoli
Egg Noodles

Friday:
Chicken and Artichokes in White Wine Sauce
Wild Rice Pilaf with Pecans and Cherries
Brussels Sprouts

Breakfast:
Waffles
Yogurt
Grapefruit ?

Lunch:
Left-over salads
Sandwich (salami and cheese)
Jello

Snacks:
Puppy Chow
Popcorn
Carrots & Dip

Meal Plan

Monday: 
Working Late
Brad has frozen pizza

Tuesday:
Barb had conferences
Brad is on his own

Wednesday:
Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole
Green Salad with Parmesan Peppercorn Salad Dressing

Thursday:
Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
(add peas and carrots)

Friday:
Pumpkin Risotto with Sage Roasted Chicken 
(except I'm going to use squash instead of pumpkin)


Saturday:
Barb has dinner with Stephanie
Brad is on his own

Breakfast:
Morning Glory Muffins
Toaster Waffles
Fruit

Lunch:
Vegetarian Chili
Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Fresh Veggies

Snacks:
String Cheese
Yogurt with granola
Pretzels and Beer Dip

Meal Plan

Photo from a dinner flop - Mongolian Beef that tasted like sugar-coated meat.

Saturday:
Hamburger Helper Stroganoff
Steamed Broccoli


Sunday: (Tailgating for Brewer's game)
Brats
Fritos w/ Beer Dip
Potato Salad 
Grilled Corn Avocado Salad w/ Smoky Paprika Vinaigrette
Pumpkin Caramel Bars with Bacon
Bloody Mary's & Beer


Monday:
Chicken Provencal Stoup
Fresh bread


Tuesday: (Barb at a meeting = Brad cooks)
Grilled Chicken
Baked Sweet Potatoes


Wednesday:
Dinner in Madison

Thursday:
Barb at a meeting until late = Brad on his own

Friday:
Lesley's Green Chili (from October 2011 Everyday Food)
Vegetable Quesadillas

Breakfast:
Waffles with berries and yogurt

Lunch:
BLT Wraps
Minestrone Soup
Pretzels
Yogurt & Bananas
Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

Meal Plan

Sunday:
Tortellini with Meat Sauce
Apple Crisp

Monday:
Book Club

Tuesday:
Working late


Wednesday:
Mongolian Beef
Steamed Broccoli
Brown Rice

Horrid. Do not ever make this again. Meat was so sweet it tasted like candy.


Thursday:
Shredded Italian Beef (crockpot meal)
Italian Chopped Salad

Beware. Salad recipes makes a lot of salad. Also, we added a few veggies that weren't in the recipe like cucumbers and green pepper.


Friday:
Oven Baked Risotto with Caprese Chicken
Left-over Chopped Salad
Never got to this. Went to Red Robin instead.
 
Saturday:
Roast Chicken with Lemon and Bacon with Rosemary Potatoes
Steamed Green Beans
Never got to this. Brad went biking, and I had Thai take-out.

Breakfast:
Frozen waffles
Coffee with creamer

Lunch:
Left-over spaghetti
Veggies and Dip

Snacks:
Hard-boiled eggs
Fruit

Meal Plan

With the last four weeks of summer staring me in the face and this week's Week in the Life project just about finished, I have been reflecting on what has become my summer "routine." A summer day seems to come in one of three forms.

1. Working on a work-related project
2. Vacationing
3. Being lazy

On a vacationing day, I eat out. Not much more to say about that.

On a lazy day, I wait way too long to eat anything (because I'm busy being lazy) and then scrounge around the house for whatever I can find. If I don't find something I order Chinese or go to McDonald's. These days aren't conducive to good choices.

On a working day I generally work crazy hours on any number of projects, drag myself to an expensive post-work stop at the grocery store for random dinner ingredients, cook at 7PM, and start all over the next day. Sometimes I manage to eat a toaster waffle for breakfast. I often have fast food for lunch. These days aren't healthy, planned or stress-free.


This week is a working-crazy-hours week. I need some normalcy (and to not spend much money) this week and am thinking I will find it in a meal plan.

Sunday:
Asian Chicken Kabobs (adapted from a steak kabob recipe)
Restaurant-style Smashed Potatoes

Monday:
Grilled Chicken and Corn Salad
Fresh bread


Tuesday:
Chopped Greek Salad
Grilled Chicken
Fresh bread


Wednesday:
Roasted Pepper, Sausage, & Summer Squash Gnocchi
Tossed Salad with Vinaigrette

Thursday:
Dinner with Stephanie
Carrot Cake

Friday:
Lunch w/Vicki
Grilled Shrimp with Garlic & Beer
Tomato & Red Onion Salad
Fresh Bread


Saturday:
Dinner theater with Mom & Sister

Breakfast:
Toaster Waffles
Cereal w/ Fruit
Iced Coffee

Lunch & Snacks:
Hard-boiled Eggs
Yogurt w/ granola
Chicken Wraps
Seafood Salad
Veggies & Dip

Other things to come:
Menu ideas for upcoming Jane Eyre dinner party
Re-cap of last week's mini-break to MN with Angie
Pictures of my CA mini-album (sans photos and ephemera)
Re-cap of my summer reading
My adventure with Week in the Life