Awesome weekend with friends…volunteering at the Parent Talk Sale and then a pumpkin carving party. Totally wiped on Sunday so we had a low key day cleaning out the raised beds, making tomato sauce and visiting the second to last farmers market. Now we are ready for the week ahead and the WORLD SERIES! Go Boston!!

Monday Meal Plan Oct

 S~ Roasted Plum Tomato Sauce with browned beef, linguine and steamed broccoli.

M~ Grilled Coho Salmon, baked sweet potatoes and salad.

T~ Omelets and toast

W~ Southwestern Flair Burritos (freezer meal for slow cooker), rice and salad

T~ Chicken Nuggets (already made and frozen…testing it out to see if we like them as much!), peas and leftover rice.

F~ Pizza with homemade dough

S~ Hamburgers on the grill while it’s still nice out!

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

Monday may nearly be over but here is this week’s meal plan. I decided to take a holiday with the kids and enjoy some awesome fall weather. These days are numbered so get outside!

Monday Meal Plan Oct 14thMonday~ Zesty Chicken and salad. {Turned into a leftover night as the chicken took twice as long to cook as the directions indicated….lots of chicken salad in our future.}

Tuesday~ Slow cooker chicken chili

Wednesday~ Meatloaf, sweet potatoes. Might do mini meatloaf muffins for the kids. I toss lots of veggies into my meatloaf and the kids don’t notice.

Thursday~ CORN {Clean. Out. Refrigerator. Night}

Friday~ Pizza {Daddy’s in charge!}

Saturday~ Pumpking Carving Party night!

Sunday~ Absolutely Onion Pot Roast (Wildtree Freezer Meal), carrots and egg noodles.

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

Happy October everyone! This week’s meal plan features freezer meals from Wildtree, the kid’s favorite dinner and prep for our friend’s annual pumpkin carving party. The freezer meal has become a life saver as I have a lot less time to cook with three kids four and under. The baby is always hungry as I’m prepping dinner so having the majority of dinner prepared is a huge help.

I generally make my freezer meals at the Wildtree workshops friends are hosting. If you want to do it on your own, these are two resources I would recommend.

freezercookingbook

From Your Freezer to Your Family: Slow Cooker Freezer Recipes eCookbook — $9.99

Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook  (currently 60% off in Amazon bargain books!)

Neat-os reusable bags


Neat-os Reusable Bag Set (chop onions and peppers and store in these reusable bags) Don’t miss their cute snack size bags too. Kids can decorate their own and use them in their lunch box.

The hard part about freezer meals is always going to be finding some time to prep the meals. If you can, set aside a half hour and just start with two meals your family would like. I bet it will be so helpful on some busy weeknight, it will motivate you to try to make more.

Monday Meal Plan Oct 6th with Freezer Meals and more inspiration

Sunday~ Italian beef roast (slow cooker Wildtree freezer meal), steamed carrots, polenta. Apple crisp for dessert!

Monday~ Baked haddock with mushrooms and tomatoes, green beans and rice.

Tuesday~ Chicken nuggets, butternut squash and pasta

Wednesday~ Chicken tortilla soup (freezer meal) and cornbread

Thurday~ CORN {Clean Out Refrigerator Night}

Friday~ Pizza night

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

Happy end of September! I hope you have enjoyed this first month of fall. This week’s meal plan features our favorite fish, a slow cooker freezer meal and homemade chicken soup. Have a great week!

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For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

Anyone else feeling like September is passing by way too fast? I love fall and just want to savor every crisp warm day, knowing they are limited. This weekend we celebrated the wedding of a dear friend and got to spend time at “camp.” Lots of hikes, baby-wearing, amazing food and no TV made for a delicious weekend.

So now back to reality. Family in town, business travel, evening events and the regular kids schedule. Meal planning really helps me get through the week so even though I would rather be going to sleep, writing this all down helps get the week off on the right foot.

Sept 23 meal plan

Sunday~ Omelets with tomatoes and herbs from the garden

Monday~ Tacos and rice. {If you want a meatless Monday meal, try these Black Bean Tacos}

Tuesday~ Garlic lover’s chicken over salad

Wednesday~ Spaghetti and meatballs in the slow cooker. I’ll adapt this recipe to the slow cooker and use some of our frozen pureed tomatoes for the sauce.

Thursday~ Spinach Sausage Soup. I strain it a bit for the kids and they love it!

Friday~ Pizza night with homemade dough.

What are you making this week?

P.S. If you are losing a little motivation already when it comes to packing a healthy lunch, join us for a chat this Thursday  night on Google +. Danielle Shea Tan, a nutritionist and health coach, gives advice and strategies for busy moms to make packing a lunch a little less stressful. Click over to RSVP to the event, or just head over to watch on Thursday night at 8:30 pm EST.

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

This week marks the first full week of our new fall schedule. That means both kids in school for part of the day, part of the week. Swim, gymnastics and soccer have all started. Mom’s night out is on deck for Thursday. And we pack up for a weekend away to watch our friends get married. A busy week so we will keep dinners simple and healthy to keep us on track.

Weekly chalkboard meal plan Sept wk 3 via RandomRecycling

Sunday~ Neighborhood Block Party (The healthy has to start after this event!) I made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies and meatballs in the slow cooker. Yum!

Monday~ Homemade chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries and Annie’s pasta shells.

Tuesday~ Chimichurri steak tips, salad, roasted potatoes. (Fresh 20 inspired steak recipe)

Wednesday~ Soy ginger scallops, green rice (using leftover chimichurri sauce) and sauteed snow peas.

Thursday~ C.O.R.N. {Clean Out Refrigerator Night…Mom’s going out!}

Friday~ Pack up for the weekend away. Bring treats for family taking care of the big kids!

What are you making this week?

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

Get back to the family table #getfresh

This week’s meal plan is a little different. I’ve partnered with The Fresh 20 on their fall campaign to #getfresh, empowering children to take charge of their health. Making the right food choices for your family, and especially children, is so beneficial to long-term health.

Here’s a little more info on the #getfresh campaign:

The Fresh 20 supports healthy eating habits as kids head back to school this year.  They’re on a mission to find The Freshest Kids in America by asking kids the question, “How do you #getfresh?” Utilizing any social platform, parents can submit either a video or a photo of how their children #getfresh on health.  The campaign offers children and their parents a unique opportunity to get creative with their fresh and healthy habits and to get kids involved in their own health decisions. Check out their site for #getfresh back to school ideas.

This week’s meal plan features some of the menu options from The Fresh 20’s meal planning service. I was given a complimentary membership so I could get a sense of the variety in their dinner plans each week. There is a classic menu, gluten-free and vegetarian options. Newly added menus are For One, Kosher and Dairy Free. (I remember nursing baby #2 and having to go Dairy Free…this menu would have been a lifesaver!) My favorite part of the menu plan is that there is usually one bigger meal made that is then re-made into a new dinner later that week. We usually just eat leftovers but I’m inspired to reuse my leftover and be a little more creative with them go forward.

Sept meal plan week 2 via RandomRecycling

Sunday~ Hubby’s BBQ Birthday bash (Hence the late post today!) We had amazing grass-fed rib eye steaks, local corn, potato salad, salad with roasted golden beets, apple pie with apples from Smolak Farms, and peanut butter brownies. I haven’t been so full in a long time!

Monday~ BBQ Chicken Thighs. New recipe I’m testing out from The Healthy Lunchbox ebook. I want to see if the kids like it for dinner before I send it along for lunch. Always a good idea to test out new foods at home before sending them along to school. There will be broccoli and some pasta on the side. I’ll be sharing more about the ebook in the coming weeks as it’s a great resource for any parent in charge of making lunches every day.

Tuesday~ Cumin Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Peach Chutney. (Fresh 20 menu item). These will be used again for a later meal. We will have salad on the side with our garden tomatoes that are ripening fast and furiously.

Wednesday~ Whole Chicken in slow cooker. I love one pot meals like this where I can throw in the potatoes and carrots too. The kids love egg noodles so I’ll serve the dinner over some yummy noodles.

Thursday~ Chopped Asian Slaw. (Fresh 20 menu) Uses the leftover pork tenderloin and a little of the peach chutney to create an entirely new meal. I’m already excited about having nearly all of dinner ready ahead of time. There are also tips in each week’s meal plan on what you can prep ahead of time. (cutting veggies, spice mixes, etc.)

Friday~ Pizza night with our homemade dough. I have found the dough a little stickier when making it on warmer days. I think I need to increase the amount of flour in it by a little.

If you want to learn more about The Fresh 20, you can learn more at their newly redesigned website. With a membership, you get 5 dinners planned out for you using only 20 ingredients. I think it’s a great option if you really want to start meal planning, but need a little structure to get going. There’s also a really cool Pin 2 Win event happening with the Fresh 20’s Pinterest board. Check out the details here.

Other big news on the cooking front this week here…we just signed up with 4 families for 1/2 a cow!! Can’t wait to see what we get.

What are you making this week?

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

Happy September everyone! Although summer is ending, I can’t help but get excited for some fall dinners. Slow cooking, Sunday dinners and chili will be back into our usual rotation soon. While it’s still warm out, we are still using the grill to make dinners (and clean-up!) quick and easy.

Sept meal plan week 1 via RandomRecycling

Sunday~ Clean Out Refrigerator Night at the beach house.

Monday~ Grilled Chicken and salad (use leftover chicken for lunches)

Tuesday~ Italian Chicken, Mushroom and Zucchini skillet one-dish dinner (with my own spices).

Wednesday~ Steak Tips, Sweet Potato Fries and Tomatoes

Thursday~ Hamburgers, Corn and salad

Friday~ Pizza night with homemade pizza dough

We will be back home again after an awesome week of vacation. The garden needs to be harvested so we will be making a lot of our Basil Pesto this week. I also am making another batch of Roasted Plum Tomato sauce.

What are you making this week?

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

Looks like summer is back this week so the meal plan is light and easy to accomplish. Best wishes to anyone starting the back to school schedule this week. With preschoolers in the house, we still have another month before school starts. I need to remember to enjoy this down time before the busier schedules start up.

August meal plan week 3 from RandomRecycling.com

Sunday~ Easy salad with today’s picks from the Needham Farmers Market

Monday~ Picnic dinner at the pool with friends so Caprese sandwiches sound nice. Madison will probably just eat the cheese…

Tuesday~ Baked Haddock with tomatoes from the garden and a little onion.

Wednesday~ Chicken stir fry with zucchini and rice

Thursday~ Hamburgers on the grill with corn on the cob. Need to remember to serve corn with lime instead of butter.

Friday~ Pizza night

Saturday~ Off to the family’s annual Lobster Party. I think I’ll make these S’mores Brownies that are so decadent.

What are you making this week?

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.

How is it nearly the middle of August? I’m not quite ready for back to school fever and just want to enjoy my summer meal planning with easy dinners and ice cream for dessert. The week started off right with an impromptu BBQ with our neighbors. In addition to an heirloom tomato salad, I made an awesome dessert from Shutterbean, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake. Topped off with cream cheese frosting it really did hit the spot if you love cookies and cake!

August meal plan week 2

Sunday~ BBQ with Heirloom Tomato Salad

Monday~ Steak Tips with Teriyaki dressing. (Making my own tips from “Flap Steak” I got at the farmer’s market.)

Tuesday~ In-laws visiting and I have two meetings at night to head out to so heading to the freezer for our favorite Honey Balsamic Drumsticks from my Wildtree stash.

Wednesday~ Meatless Wednesday anyone? Omelets with herbs, tomatoes and peppers from our garden. My quest for more meatless meals is going to be a bit more challenging as I won’t be able to eat any more bean dishes while I’m nursing. (poor little guy!) I asked my readers what they suggested and you can join in the conversation on Facebook here. Read about our success (and fail) in my Black Bean Taco post.

Thursday~ Clean Out Refrigerator Night

Friday~ Pizza Night. In addition to our usual pepperoni, I may try a new zucchini pizza

In case you  missed it, Pinterest highlighted my Lunch Love board this weekend. I’m excited to share some healthy living tips with new readers and encourage them to get cooking in the kitchen with their kids. What are some of your kid’s favorite lunch box meals?

 

For more inspiration, see my past menus here, or the Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans.