Sunday, June 24, 2012

Meal Plan Monday

Pre-baby I often times went to the grocery store several times a week. It was practically on my way home from work and so it didn't seem like such a bad idea. When I was pregnant I realized that it would be much more feasible to just go to the grocery store once a week. This required  me to start thinking about what we would eat for dinner before 5:00 PM each day. I started  meal planning while I was pregnant to get in the swing of things and now with Tate being almost 5 months we are still going strong (with occasional lapses).

This photo has nothing to do with this post. Just gratuitous cuteness.


I'm sure there are a million ways to meal plan but here is what works for me- on Sundays I get the paper and go through the coupons. I then pull up my grocery store's circular online and check to see what is on sale that I also have a coupon for (this is more for dry goods and household items as there are rarely coupons for meat, vegetables, etc). I usually try and incorporate whatever meat item is on sale into one meal that week. When boneless skinless chicken is on sale I stock up and freeze it and then just take out a package as needed. I then make up a grocery list of what I need.

So here we go our meal plan for this week:

Monday- Chex Crusted Chicken with Oven Roasted Asparagus

Tuesday- Grilled Marinated Sirloin Steaks (on sale this week) and Grilled Vegetables

Wednesday- Pesto Chicken with Grape Tomatoes and Broccoli (recipe below)

Thursday- Blue Cheese Tomato Sauce with Chicken and Spinach (adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

Friday- Parmesan and Mushroom Risotto with Chicken (recipe to come next week)

I don't plan Saturday and Sunday because despite my best efforts it never works out every night of the week so this way there is flexibility. Additionally, every week I try to incorporate one new recipe. I started doing this when I was pregnant and realized that I didn't have a lot of "quick and easy" dinners. This week's new "recipe" is the Chex Crusted Chicken. I don't actually have a recipe but I have had a box of Chex cereal in my cupboard since Christmas (unopened) and I'm tired of it staring at me from the pantry. If the Chex Chicken is a success I will blog about it if you don't see it in the next few days well you will know why...

If you've never had homemade pesto you have to try it. It puts the jarred and even most restaurant varieties to shame! Here is the recipe my family uses:



Pesto Sauce (adapted from Betty Crocker)
1 Cup fresh basil (roughly chopped)
1/3 Cup grated Parmesan
1/3 Cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons Pine Nuts (optional)
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
3 Cloves Garlic



Combine all ingredients in food processor and mix until blended.

*The Betty Crocker version calls for less basil, pepper, and garlic. Its really a personal preference. Additionally, I usually make at least twice this much if we don't eat it on something (its great on pasta, bread, pizza, etc.) you can freeze it and it will keep for 3 months.

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3 comments:

  1. MY UNCLE TAUGHT ME TO MAKE PESTO (THANK GOD FOR ITALIAN UNCLES)HAVE YOU TRIED IT WITH SPINACH??
    IT IS THE SAME RECIPE, JUST SWAP BASIL FOR SPINACH. IF YOU LIKE SPINACH AT ALL YOU WILL LIKE THIS. THANKS FOR SHARING, IT IS ONE OF THOSE BASIC RECIPES THAT EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE.

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    Replies
    1. So great that you suggested that. My husband LOVES spinach. I'd always thought of trying a half spinach half basil mixture. Would definitely up the vitamins!

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  2. Losing weight is easy. It's keeping it off that is challenging. Healthy Eating Plan can increase metabolism and help you keep the weight off for good.

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