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Weekly Meal Plan

We have just two more weeks to cook in our family kitchen. A part of me is excited to head off to the beach and take a step back from planning. The other part of me looks around and sees all the food we have left in the house and gets slightly overwhelmed. I guess I’ll be having a donation party in the near future! I also discovered that you can often have your local food pantry come pick up any unopened goods that are appropriate for donation. Great tip for people moving or clearing out for the summer months.

Weekly Meal Plan June

On to this week’s meal plan…

Sunday: Grilled chicken over fresh lettuce from the garden. Topped with red onions, avocado and cucumbers. Finally found a quick and easy ranch dressing recipe in Brown Eggs and Jam Jars. I could eat this dinner once a week for a good long while.

Monday: Roasted shrimp topped with feta and cilantro. Using up some pasta on the side plus more salad (and ranch dressing.)

Tuesday: Chicken Teriyaki Kabobs (last week’s kabob recipe was a HUGE hit-double the recipe), with orzo and green beans.

Wednesday: Quiche with whatever veggies are left in the fridge to use up. If I had extra time, I would make this Carmelized Pear and Blue Cheese quiche. Maybe in the fall…

Thursday: End of School Year Picnic!

Friday: Pizza night

Chicken Teriyaki Kababs

For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner plan here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of weekly meal plans.

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Weekly Meal Plan

This week’s meal planning session moved outside to the back porch. The early afternoon is so beautiful and is a perfect time to leisurely go through some magazines and cookbooks for a little while. It worked out so well after the kids were exhausted from playing outside all morning. Finding a quiet time to do your meal planning makes all the difference to feel prepared and organized to take on a new week.

Another handy tool to make meal planning easy is to write down all your family favorites. Categorize them into Chicken/Fish/Meat/Vegetarian/Pasta and you have a great start to planning dinners each week. This printable is one of my favorites as it can help you come up with some dinner ideas you may have forgotten, such as soups and sandwiches. (print it here and pick your favorite color combo!)

Family Dinner Favorite List

On the menu this week…

Sunday~ Sweet Basil dinner with our dear friends

Monday~ Broiled Salmon  with Asparagus and Mushrooms. (recipe and image source below). Do you know why you want to pick wild salmon versus farm raised? (hint-it’s because they often dye farmed raised salmon to make it pink. Creepy!) 

Tuesday~ Pineapple Chicken Kebabs with Cilantro Lime Slaw. (Cooking Light recipe) A little jasmine rice on the side.

Wednesday~ Whole Chicken cooked in the slow cooker. Super easy and then shred the chicken to use for tostadas. Toppings of everyone’s choosing. Yum.

Thursday~ CORN (also known as Clean Out Refrigerator Night)

Friday~ Off to Storyland with family-like friends for a fun-filled weekend!

When do you try to plan your recipes for the week ahead?

salmon-asparagus-recipe

For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner plan here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of weekly meal plans.

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Weekly Meal Plan: Pantry Challenge

This week’s meal plan is a little different. My challenge to you is to head to your pantry first to see what you need to use up. As summer approaches, now is a great time to clean out the kitchen. That includes the pantry, the shelves and the freezer stock ups. Get through those piles of random grains on your shelves…or is that just mine? As we prepare to move, it’s a major goal to clean through our kitchen inventory by the end of June.

Kitchen Spring Cleaning Checklist

Need some direction to clean out the kitchen? Try this cute printout. (source)

I’m taking a peek at past meal plans and remembering some favorites so I can use up what I have on hand. Check out what I end up making over on Instagram.

  • Use up the rest of the quinoa and make this awesome Mexican Quinoa recipe again.
  • Clear through the coconut milk, chicken thighs and extra veggies with our favorite slow cooker meal.
  • This corn dip looks like a delicious way to use up the extra corn on the cob we cooked up. Served with some eggs it looks like an easy dinner.
  • Elderberry muffins and pancakes are in my future. I have a gallon bag of frozen berries. Any else need some elderberries?
  • Pasta tuna salad. Uses up a ton of canned items.
Corn dip recipe

Corn dip recipe (recipe source)

What are some of your favorite pantry clean out quick tips? If you are leaving town for the summer, don’t forget to clean out your deep freezer and let it defrost.

p.s. Need a dessert recipe? Check out this awesome Strawberry Cookies and Cream cake I made for Connor’s birthday. It was awesome!!

For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner plan here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of posts.

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Weekly Meal Plan

Happy unofficial first week of summer! The weather around here certainly looks like summer for the week ahead. I tried to add in some fun summer dinners you can make all season long. We spent the weekend at barbeques with family and friends. I think the rest of my days need to be filled with green smoothies to detox from all the extra deliciousness I indulged in this weekend.

Did you notice something a little different around here this week? I updated the Random Recycling site a bit and cleaned it up. You will find I’ve pulled out a lot of the ads as I just didn’t love seeing what I’ve been recently searching for all.the.time. I thought maybe some of you didn’t want to be reminded of them either. What do you think of the new look?

Halibut Fish Taco Recipe

On to the menu plan for the week…

M- BBQ with friends…which is why this is arriving on Tuesday.

T- Morro Bay Fish Tacos. This recipe just looks pretty doesn’t it (image above). And tasty. And just a little healthy which we all need right now.

W- New BBQ Chicken in the crockpot recipe. Going out on a limb and trying this paleo/whole 30 friendly recipe. The sauce is made with dates…so curious to taste the end result.

T- C.O.R.N. (also known as Clean Out Refrigerator Night)

F- Pre 100 mile Best Buddies Bike Ride for Jim. I’m offering moral support and Chicken Piccata and pasta. Plus some lemony green beans on the side.

S- Someone turns 2 on this day. Our littlest guy will get pizza for dinner, his favorite.

S- Birthday gathering for Connor. BBQ to round out the first week of summer to use up lots of our cow still frozen in the deep freezer.

Which recipe is going on your meal plan this week?

Weekly dinner meal plan

For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner plan here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of posts.

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Weekly Meal Plan

This week’s meal plan focuses on vegetables. As the weather heats up it feels like the right time to make veggies a bigger focus on our plates. Plus it makes it easier to serve the kids a wide range of colors from the rainbow at each meal. They have been getting a little picky lately and the dinners this week are some of their favorites.

On a personal note, we recently shared with friends that we are moving to Canada. Toronto in fact. As we start sorting through our home, I found myself looking through my cookbook collection. There were some old favorites tucked away and I look forward to enjoying some recipes from them again. Which cookbooks are the must haves in your kitchen?

Weekly dinner meal plan

On the menu this week…

Monday: Veggie Fajita Tostada Bowl (recipe from Iowa Girl Eats )

  • Everyone will get the same bowl and maybe this time our four year old will eat avocado slices

Tuesday: Roasted Shrimp with White Beans (recipe from Cooking Light)

  • Serve over a bed of mixed greens
  • Remember to soak the cannellini beans overnight!

Wednesday: Thai Chicken Salad (recipe) from Gimme Some Oven

  • Such a winner topped with a peanut butter dressing. Switch to a seed butter for nut allergy households.

Thursday: Fajita Chicken Kebabs (recipe from Well Plated)

  • This will be a great recipe to use up any of the vegetables we have leftover this week.

Friday: Pizza Night

  • The timing for making your own pizza dough…start making it around 3:30 and then it will be ready after 4:30. Let it rise a little longer for a lighter crust.

 

Enjoy the week ahead friends. Thanks for stopping by.
Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner plan here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of posts.

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Monday Meal Plan May 11

I hope all the mothers reading this had a lovely Mother’s Day. We took off for the first beach day of the season. On most Mother’s Day we are wearing jackets and just walking the beach but we were all surprised with hot sunny weather yesterday. We could barely get the kids out of the water!

This week’s dinner meal plan has some fun new recipes. After getting breakfast in bed and having some quiet time to read the newest Cooking Light magazine, the meal plan came together rather quickly!

Rainbow Veggie Pizza

On the menu…

Monday: Over the Rainbow Pizza. Keeping my fingers crossed the kids will love these! (recipe)

Tuesday: Meatball Bake with caesar salad. (recipe from June’s Cooking Light)

Wednesday: Chicken Tortilla Soup (slow cooker recipe). (kid-tip–> strain the broth and just serve the shredded chicken and veggies.) I’m using a recipe from my favorite slow cooker cookbook, but you can also head over to Pinterest and get some easy ones to follow.

Thursday: Thai Basil Chicken stir fry with basmati rice. (again, June Cooking Light)

Friday: Pizza night with bread maker pizza dough.

Saturday: Grilled halibut with lemony green beans and couscous.

Have a great week! 

p.s. Check out the latest smoothie recipe post the kids are loving!

 
Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner plan here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of posts.

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Monday Meal Plan May 4

Happy May to all! Spring has finally sprung. (and May the fourth be with you for my Star Wars friends) This week’s meal plan will be easy for me with my mother-in-law lending a hand with the kids. The dinners are very kid-friendly so no one should be giving Grandma any problems. Right?

On the menu…

Sunday: Grilled chicken and zucchini with salad.

Monday: Leftover chicken tossed into quesadillas, with sliced avocado and corn on the cob.

Tuesday: Cinco de Mayo! Ground beef tacos are always a winner, plus a special side treat of guacamole and chips!

Wednesday: Teriyaki chicken in the slow cooker (recipe from Not Your Mother’s Crockpot Cookbook) with steamed broccoli and a test run of the Horizon Organic Mac n’ cheese.

Thursday: Grilled steak with broccoli slaw salad.

Friday: Pizza night!

Saturday: Dinner with friends. I’ll bring dessert!

What’s on your dinner menu this week?

 

p.s. Last week’s Honey Lime Drumsticks were awesome!

 
Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner plan here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of posts.

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Monday Meal Plan April 27

Today was a day for rambling through the woods and enjoying the tiny glimpses of spring coming into our lives. It’s hard to believe May begins at the end of this week. The chilly air continues and the hats and gloves still can’t be put away. At least there is some order in the kitchen as I have discovered the one thing that makes everything easier when it comes to meal prep.

An empty sink.

It’s so simple. As long as my sink is empty and clean, I can get the next meal done. The counters will never be completely clear, but if the sink is clean, another feast can be served. Try it…tell me if it works for you in your kitchen.

Family dinner plan

 

On the menu this week…

Sunday: Grilled Rib Eye, salad and Back to Nature macaroni (we used to buy Annie’s shells until they got bought up by General Mills, who is actively against GMO labelling. I still miss Annie’s, but I like to think my purchasing power has some leverage. Yours does too.)

Monday: Meatless Monday Omelets. This may be one of Madison’s favorite meals.

Tuesday: Honey Lime Drumsticks (recipe), Corn and Grilled Polenta.

Wednesday: Weather looks good for grilled swordfish, Alexia Oven Fries and salad. (recipe)

Thursday: Coconut Chicken Strips (recipe), Jasmine Rice and Sesame Broccoli. (If your kids don’t like coconut, you can make this mild version of homemade chicken nuggets.)

Friday: An extra set of hands arrive in the form of my mother-in-law as I disappear into the depths of the semi-annual Parent Talk Sale this weekend! Pizza night for the family.

Saturday: Family dinner out

Sunday: Beef chili. We have one more eye of the round roast to use up in our freezer (from our 1/4 cow share). I can’t bring myself to make a true roast so I’ll chop it up and make one last chili for the season.

Honey Lime Drumsticks

 

What’s on deck in your kitchen this week? Do you have a homemaking tip that makes life easier in your kitchen? 
Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner plan here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of posts.

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Monday Meal Plan April 20th

Sometimes you get thrown a curve ball and you need to make adjustments to your routine. Having some back up meals can be a huge help. This weekend I was so excited to get back on my bike and ride for the first time this season. Just a few miles in, I feel off my bike and ended up in the ER. A stitch and an X-ray later, I’m recuperating. My apologies on getting the meal plan out a little later than usual as I couldn’t type yesterday with my left hand. Or change diapers, which was the one bright spot in this mishap.

Freezer meals are one of my favorite ways to be ready when our routine gets disrupted. I know I can rely on these meals, or one from this dinner cheat sheet, to get us through a couple days. When you make a large dinner and have a lot of leftovers, pack them away in a freezer safe glass dish. You can then thaw it a bit when needed and pop it right in the oven to reheat. The flavors will stay in tact better than if you microwave it. Easy peasy.

Fish cakes for lunch or dinner

Don’t these fish cakes look yummy?! (source)

On the menu this week…

Monday: Cheeseburger Casserole (from this meal plan). Note- this is going to be in our rotation a lot next winter; it is amazing.

Tuesday: Pork carnitas leftovers, (from this post) cubed for a Mexican salad with avocado, corn, greens, tomato, peppers and cheese.

Wednesday: Chickpea and apricot stew (from here). Serve over couscous which I love since it only takes 5 minutes to make.

Thursday: Fish cakes from Dinner: A Love Story. The dip looks awesome! Plus lemony green beans on the side.

Friday: Pizza night!

Saturday: Arroz Con Pollo, also from Dinner a Love Story. (can you tell which cookbook I picked for my Sunday meal planning session?)

Sunday: Grilled rib eye, spinach salad and Israeli couscous.

 

What are you making for dinner this week?

Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner plan here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of posts.

 

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Monday Meal Plan April 13

Spring is in the air! It’s been a long wait, but it certainly is delightful. Kids played outside for hours and it was refreshing to watch them explore the backyard all over again. It’s like a whole new world without snow covering it. It’s so nice to plan our dinner menu with a little more variety as the weather improves.

With Sunday’s sunny skies, we finally opened up the grill. I had forgotten that my favorite part of grilling is the clean up. No pots and pans to wash. Happy day. If the weather cooperates, there will be lots more grilling in our future.

Grilled sweet potato fries and burger

On the menu…

Sunday: Grilled burgers, sweet potato fries and coleslaw.

slow-cooker-enchilada-recipe

Monday: Slow cooker Enchilada bake. This recipe looks amazing. And easy. And my kids will eat it. It’s a meatless meal that we can put in tacos for the kids or whole wheat tortillas. Last week we tried Mexican quinoa and my picky boys ate  it all up!

Pecan crusted fish sticks

Tuesday: Pecan crusted fish sticks. (recipe-although I’ll use local cod instead of farm raised tilapia.)

Crock Pot Carnitas

Wednesday: Crock pot carnitas. Super easy for a busy night. This will make a lot so we can save half in the freezer for another meal. This recipe is Paleo friendly and has lots of side dish suggestions.

Meatball Casserole Recipe

Thursday: Meatball Casserole. New recipe that looks great for a rainy day. Steamed spinach on the side, kids will eat it raw.

Friday: Pizza night with homemade dough.

What’s cooking in your kitchen this week? Any new favorites? One last week’s meal plan, the one pot Mexican quinoa dish was a winner. 

Monday meal plan to help organize family dinner

For more dinner ideas, see three years of past menus here,

my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of meal plans every Monday.

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