So maybe what I really mean is a meal plan, but daily bread sounds more endearing! Since we moved here, I have been jotting my meal plan out in a note book rather than using the nifty little meal planner sheets that Dan made for me that are complete with space for notes and grocery list. My excuse is that the printer isn’t handy for me to print things off and it would be one more thing to ask Dan to do for me (I do a lot of asking these days). But, my notebook is getting full and so even though it works better for me to have something that I can hold in my hands and see, I did this weeks meal plan on the computer. Some people are bored by meal plans and others love them so take this post or leave it as appeals to you:).
It may seem pathetic that I have to plan down to exactly what we will have for snack but I assure you that if I don’t, I walk around in a pathetic haze feeling hungry and not knowing what to do. I also find it really handy for making sure that we are balanced in what we eat. For example, I can see where we need some more protein or a little less carbs etc. And it is good for keeping track of what we have eaten, should Aneliese have a day of not feeling well.
Weekly Meal Plan:
Monday
Breakfast: Slow Cooker Oatmeal (I do this but use Wheat free regular cut oats)
Snack: Oranges
Dinner: Quinoa Salad w/ veggies
Snack: Pickles & Cheese
Supper: Sage Squash Soup & Oatmeal Biscuits
Tuesday
Breakfast: Eggs & Bacon
Snack: Banana & Almonds
Dinner: Squash Soup
Snack: Pears
Supper: Pork Chops, Rice, Applesauce and Peas
Wednesday
Breakfast: Egg Muffins w/ Squash Puree (I basically use this recipe but add the squash and liberally grease the pans with bacon fat:)
Snack: Frozen Strawberries & Yogurt
Dinner: Leftover Pork Stir-fry
Snack: Rice Pudding
Supper: Roast, Carrots & Sautéed Cabbage w/ Almonds
Thursday
Breakfast: Almond Pancakes w/ Strawberry sauce & eggs
Snack: Animal Crackers & Apple Sauce
Dinner: Meat, Cheese, Pickles, and Peppers
Snack: Cucumber and Carrots with yogurt dip
Supper: Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Soup
Friday
Breakfast: Quinoa with berries/cream
Snack: Animal Crackers & Cucumbers
Dinner: Broccoli Soup
Snack: Apples w/ nut butter
Supper: Beef Stew with Squash
Saturday
Breakfast: Applesauce Pancakes
Snack: Cheese & Peppers
Dinner: Stew
Snack: Apples
Supper: Roast Chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas
Sunday
Breakfast: Slow cooker egg bake or Dutch Baby (haven’t actually tried this recipe & mine would be GF)
Snack: Popcorn
Dinner: Hard boiled eggs, veggies, cheese
Snack: Yogurt & fruit
Supper: Chicken Soup & Biscuits (w/ Browns)
So I am not actually posting this so that you can get a personal look at what we are eating this week but more because I would like a little constructive input. We actually just added rice and potatoes into our diet mostly due to budget so it looks like we are eating a lot of starch right now to me? Does this look like a decent diet for growing little ones and a pregnant mama (not to exclude daddy)? Are there areas that you would suggest changes? Breakfast recipes or ideas (esp. ones using eggs)? Am I missing out on some amazing healthy and cost effective food that we could add in? Pork is also pretty new to me…recipes, especially slow cooker?
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/tangy-slow-cooker-pork-roast/detail.aspx Iv used this slow cooker pork roast recipe before and it turned out soo yummy! with mashed potatoes and apple butter or apple sauce and broccoli!
p.s dutch babies are so easy and yummy!
Thanks Aimee, that does look tasty and good to know that dutch babies are easy, I thought the recipe looked pretty simple and fun to try.
How about ground flaxseed? I buy the seeds and grind them myself in a coffee grinder, about a week’s worth at a time. I find it a great source of fibre, plus good-for-you oil. I try to have a tablespoon or 2 in the morning mixed with whatever I’m eating (smoothie, grains, eggs, etc.) and I add some to pretty much everything I bake. Also, have you tried tossing some sunflower seeds (raw, shelled) in your oatmeal for some added protein and crunch?
oh I should add some flax to our oatmeal. I do use them a bit for some recipes to act as a binder in place of gluten.
Making me hungry reading all that!We like pork tenderloin and have made that a few different ways and find that when you slice it it actually goes a long way. Pork is great with apricots too, or a balsamic vinegar glaze, or fresh herbs and some seasonings. I find it very versatile like chicken!
As for egg recipes, I love doing a frittata (like a quiche without a crust) and you can cook it right on the stove. In a deeper pan/flat bottom skillet, fry up some onions, peppers, ham, mushrooms, and whatever else you want in butter, once the veggies are softened, add 6-8 eggs with 1/2c milk if desired, or even 1/4c heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper, mix it all up (if adding spinach throw it in at this stage too) and turn the heat down to low. It will take about 30min to cook through, you can also bake it in a pie plate or other small baking dish at 350 for 45min or so, until the egg is set. It is great cold or hot, pretty much any meal of the day! There are lots of variations too… I had one after thanksgiving with leftover turkey and celery which was actually really good! Then there is our beloved tea house with fabulous options such as pear & Brie and sausage & cheddar, just to name a couple 😉
Yum!!
P.s. Got the clips yesterday, thank you!!
Glad that you got the clips! I love frittata (although not as much as the quiche that we made weekly before gf and less grains). did you just put turkey and celery or did you add other spices etc? Thanks for the pork ideas, will try!
We have given oatmeal a makeover while here in England, but I am not sure how it would work with steal cut oats. I grate an apple or two and include it with oats while cooking and, of course some cinnamon and if I am feel especially festive some cloves (as long as I remember to take the out before feeding it to the kids.) I always find lentils incredibly cost efficient and tasty so rice and dahl are a staple in our house, served with some veg. This week I also made a Kale Potato soup. Very good and good for you. We love soups here!
I was thinking about adding pear sauce to the oatmeal while cooking because the girls don’t love the stuff that we made…might be close to grated apples? And I forgot about Dahl, thanks for the reminder!
Sounds great to me. of course, the more broth and liver the better :). I’m looking forward to more starches eventually.
haha, I consider broth a beverage so don’t include it in my meal plan (unless we are getting down to ingredients). The liver….well, I am still not there yet. Someday.I will say that I do quite enjoy the potatoes and rice:)
I’m stealing this plan 🙂 Thanks!!! My plans are so monotonous. I have little to no inspiration. If you want to do this each week and have other moms link to their plans, I”D LOVE THAT 🙂 Of course, I probably wouldn’t participate just yet.
Well that would force me to get my rear in gear and get it done on Sunday when I am supposed to take the time to do it!:)
Sounds good!! We tend to eat beans often. I buy them bulk and cook them in the slow-cooker a big batch at a time, freezing for later use. We do tacos with homemade refried beans, and I cook a roast in the slow-cooker and shred it instead of using ground beef. In Mali, instead of eating our tacos in a tortilla, we often just piled all the ingredients on top of rice. Yum! I also just cooked a big batch of mixed beans for chili and froze, ready for slow-cooker chili…I figured out this way I can make 4 big meals of chili, spending only $3-4 on beans total.
I never thought of freezing beans but that is a good idea because I am really good at forgetting to put the beans to soak in enough time.
When I cook rice I double it and make rice pudding the next day. I add cream and fruit (canned peaches, blue berries, raspberries (any kind really). The boys favorite is apple and cinnamon with a little bit of maple syrup and melted butter. I also make whip cream and mix in rice and top it with jam for a cool treat.
Sorry Missy I see that you do that;)
except that I never even thought to add berries or fruit and I think the girls would really like that. I sometimes add raisins but that is one of the few things they don’t like (I don’t either) so that is pretty much only for Dan. The whip cream mixed in sounds like a tasty dessert too.
I would second the suggestion of beans. Our recent favourite is rice topped with beans topped with, well, basically a salad with salsa and plain yogurt/sour cream or even guac if we’re really lucky. If you’re interested, I have a great baked bean recipe for the slow cooker that does not require pre-soaking (though it does mean 10 hours of cook time) and know a great Greek red lentil soup.I think I could be pretty content with much of this meal plan. I’m curious though – do your girls tend to eat it all? Or is this geared for them, as in, types of foods they’ll eat? I have a very picky eater and while we’ve been working on the “must eat at least x bites of whatever Mom’s made”, it’s a slow process expanding the range of his palate!
That would be great! I would love to have both.And yes my girls do eat it all, there isn’t much that they don’t eat. I wouldn’t say that they start out loving it all (squash soup took a couple of times) but mostly I just make whatever and they eat and enjoy.
Hey Missy, I’ve found a great tool in helping me plan out our meals is kraft canada. I receive their magazines through the mail (which is free, I might add) and can be tailored to what you like most. I haven’t saved any, but there are good casserole, quiche and other breakfast recipes/ideas that you might find helpful! (My current favorite is spreading a little plain creamcheese, jam- home made or otherwise and strawberries on a toasted English muffin!)
Each magazine has great foods to look for each season, and appropriate recipes to compliment those foods. (Squash in the fall, fruits over the summer, etc).
If you don’t want to subscribe to the magazine, just visit their website and type in the ingredients you want to use, and it will come up with suggestions for you. (www.kraftcanada.ca)
I hope this helps!
oh man, i have got to get a menu together (thats my goal for today)we like veggie burgers (from here http://paperheartsandcranes.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-favorite-veggie-burgers.html I added 1 egg to the mix and skipped the cayanne pepper)
chicken and rice with any homemade sauce
tacos, quasadillas, nachos, quacamole (Teag eats it with a spoon, sans chips. he’s weird like that)
meat and potatoes.
I don’t know if you have pinterest or not, but there are TONS of recipes and meal ideas on there. Lots are GF too.
Thanks for the suggestions! I do use pinterest…and quite enjoy it:), but I have never looked for recipes much on there. I shall have to do that.