Meal Plan :: Election Week Edition::

 

  Happy Sunday! I hope you get to enjoy a lazy day like we have planned over here.  The weather is gloomy, I got my morning run in (and got soaked during it), got my run to Trader Joe's finished and plan to luxuriate in the "nothing to do" feeling for the rest of the day.  Luna, our new puppy, is already out on her favorite spot - the couch on our screened in porch.  Luna is a rescue dog we adopted back in late August.  Her mother is a lab and her father is a German Shepherd (they were all surrendered).  When we got her she looked a lot like a Labrador, but then one day those ears popped straight up! She's sweet as can be (most of the time), a little too smart for her own good and already a beloved family member.

 I thought I'd share the meal plan I created for this week in case it might help anyway out there struggling with ideas or what to do.  I've said it before, but my weekly meal plan is my salvation. I can't imagine how I would deal with homeschool and all of the other house and family stuff if dinner wasn't already thought out and supplied! Here's the post where I explain how I do it, but you can just save yourself some trouble and use my plan below:

  

Sunday: Salmon, Rice Pilaf and Roasted Asparagus

Years ago I saw Ina Garten's recipe for salmon in House Beautiful magazine.  All she did was smooth olive oil over both sides, season with salt and pepper and bake until it flakes at 350'.  It's seriously so good it's almost the only way I ever make it.  I throw some asparagus (also tossed in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper) in on another baking sheet at the same time.  Both are finished in about 15 minutes and are even better served with a wedge of lemon. My kids go gaga over the Skinnytaste Rice Pilaf recipe linked above, so it's a crowd pleasing way to round out a nice, simple Sunday dinner.

Monday: Buffalo Shrimp Wraps/Shrimp Quesedillas

As soon as I saw the Buffalo Shrimp Lettuce Wraps recipe, I knew my husband and I would love it, but my kids would be crying.  I realized the hot sauce is not added until after cooking, so there's an easy way to make it work for all of us.  Half of the cooked shrimp will go into tortillas with shredded cheese and avocado for the kids and the rest will be used for the lettuce wraps for the adults.  

Tuesday: Somen Noodles with Edamame

This is a new one for us, but I'm hoping it will be good.  I will double the recipe since it feeds two.  My kids love noodles and a poached egg, so I think this will work out well.  My kids love the frozen edamame pods steamed in the microwave with kosher salt sprinked on, so that's an easy veggie side.

Wednesday: Roast Chicken, mashed potatoes and broccoli

There's nothing easier than a whole chicken in the slow cooker, I do sub canola oil in this recipe for butter or avocado oil.  Plus, I make stock by putting the carcass (and a roughly chopped onion, carrots and celery) back in the slow cooker overnight on low. This week I bought frozen mashed potatoes at Trader Joe's but you can also cut up some potatoes and cook them with your chicken.  I make steamed broccoli in the micro by placing it in a corning ware dish with lid.  You need to add a few tablespoons of water and cook for about 3-4 minutes.

Thursday: Tuna Melt on English Muffins with baby carrots

For me this is an excuse to make homemade English Muffins, but there's nothing wrong with the packaged ones! I make tuna salad with canned albacore, a little celery, dill, s&p and mayo. Growing up we called these Tuna Cosmos and had a toasted english muffin with tuna salad, tomato and cheese, open faced and set under the broiler.  Perfect comfort food!

Friday:  Spaghetti with Butternut Leek Parmesan Sauce with simple green salad

We made this last week and I'm super excited to have it again.  Partly because it was so yummy, and partly because I already cut up and froze an extra butternut squash, so the hard part is already finished.  You can also buy cubed fresh or frozen butternut squash to make this recipe easier.

Lunch and Breakfast: I usually don't plan these.  We have oatmeal, smoothies, eggs or waffles for breakfast. The kids love sandwiches for lunch and generally make their own.  My husband and I enjoy leftovers for lunches, but lately I've been planning a lunch item or two to help us out.  The chicken dinner lends itself perfectly to chicken salad lunches the following day, and I will also make some quinoa to do these jar salads when I cook dinner Sunday night.

Let me know if you'd like to see a weekly post like this as a regular feature!  

Have a great Sunday!