Meal Plan for December 15th - December 21st

Monday, December 15th
B - Pumpkin Honey Wheat Muffins
L - Salad with Feta & Grapes
D - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Green Beans

Tuesday, December 16th
B - Yogurt with Blueberries & Granola
L - Meatloaf sandwiches, Salad
D - Baked Onion Chicken over Rice, Broccoli

Wednesday, December 17th
B - Eggs, Toast, & Banana
L - Chicken & Rice with Broccoli
D - Blackbean Burritos with Guacamole

Thursday, December 18th
B - Blueberry Pancakes
L - Turkey Sandwiches, Carrot Dippers, Grapes
D - Portobello Penne Pasta Casserole

Friday, December 19th
B - Oatmeal, Pears
L - Leftover Pasta Casserole
D - Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Turkey Melts

Saturday, December 20th
B - Yogurt, Blueberries, & Granola
L - Soup, Grilled Cheese, Grapes
D - Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

Sunday, December 21st
B - Veggie Omelets, Pears
L - Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Carrot Dippers, Grapes
D - Leftovers (Pumpkin Pancakes if there aren't leftovers)

Baked Lemon Spaghetti

We thought this recipe sounded really good, but nobody liked it that much. We won't be making it again, but here is the recipe in case someone wants to try it. I did change it to whole wheat spaghetti like we normally eat and added a bit of garlic powder but those are the only changes I made. I served it with broccoli and a Caesar salad.

Baked Lemon Spaghetti

1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti

1/3 cup unsalted butter

1 (8 ounce) carton sour cream

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain and place spaghetti in a greased 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, and stir in sour cream, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Mix until smooth. Pour mixture over spaghetti in casserole dish. Mix well Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through. Remove from oven, and add grated parmesan cheese and parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Bacon, Spinach, & Mushroom Quiche

We ate Bacon, Spinach, & Mushroom quiche in a whole wheat pie crust. It was really yummy! We all enjoyed it. We had salad with it and also some roasted potatoes since we have so many potatoes around here! You can find the recipe for my quiche here.

Cobb Sandwiches with Roasted Potatoes

Well you guys probably know by now, we love these Cobb Sandwiches. :) We eat them at least once a month or so maybe more. These were made from organic ingredients: Rudi's Whole Wheat English Muffins (toasted), Ranch Dressing, Lettuce, Tomato, Provolone Cheese, nitrate free Turkey, Avocado, and Bacon. They are so yummy. My three year old eats two of these (they are big!). He had his with grapes, salad and peas (his request). I made these roasted potatoes for the adults to go along with the salad, and we are having the grapes for dessert. The potatoes are super easy, just scrub them, cut into bite sized pieces and toss in a little olive oil, salt, and herbs of your choice. Sometimes, depending on what we are eating them with, I will also put parmesan cheese on them (I didn't do that tonight, though).

So, sorry to show you these again, but I'm sure it won't be the last time! Whenever I ask for my husband's input on the meal plan, this is the first thing he requests.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

I made up my own stroganoff recipe last night as I went along because I didn't have the stuff for the normal one I make, and it turned out great! I took a picture, but it is all blurry, so I'll just post the recipe here.

Ground Beef Stroganoff
written by Rachel L - http://cookingformyfamily.blogspot.com/
-organic ingredients preferred-
1 pound (give or take a little) of ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
8oz sliced "baby bella" mushrooms (you probably could use just plain white mushrooms, but these gave great flavor)
8oz sour cream
1 tablespoon (or close) worcestershire sauce
1 can of beef broth
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups uncooked rice

Prepare your rice per the package directions. While it is cooking, brown your ground beef in a large skillet along with your onion and mushrooms on medium heat. When those are almost done add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and worcestershire sauce. Allow it to finish cooking then push everything over to the side and add in your butter into the empty spot. Let it melt and then turn the heat down and add the flour onto the butter. Mix well until it's not lumpy (add a little more flour if you have a lot of liquid from the other ingredients, it should make a paste type consistency with no visible liquid left in the pan) and then mix it back into the rest of the ingredients. Once it's mixed, slowly add the can of beef broth and stir while adding. Let this reduce down on medium heat while stirring frequently until it thickens up (almost to gravy consistency) and then turn the heat off and add your sour cream. Serve immediately over rice. Enjoy!

Meal Plan for December 8th - December 14th

Monday, December 8th:

B - Yogurt with blueberries & granola

L - Leftover Lasagna

D - Chili with toppings & Cornbread

Tuesday, December 9th:

B - Banana Pancakes

L - Leftover Chili

D - Stroganoff over Rice with Broccoli

Wednesday, December 10th:

B - Oatmeal & Pears

L - Leftover Stroganoff, Rice, & Broccoli

D - Cobb Sandwiches with Green Salad

Thursday, December 11th:

B - Yogurt with Blueberries & Granola

L - Chicken Salad Sandwiches & Carrot Dippers

D - Spinach & Bacon Quiche with Green Salad

Friday, December 12th:

B - Eggs, Toast, Banana
L - "Chef" Salad with Chicken & Avocado, Carrot Dippers

D - Blueberry Pancakes, Turkey Sausage, Homefries

Saturday, December 13th:

B - Egg Sandwiches & Fruit
L - Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas with Guacamole
D - Baked Lemon Spaghetti, Broccoli, Caesar Salad, Garlic Bread

Sunday, December 14th:

B - Breakfast Casserole

L - Broccoli Cheese Soup & Turkey Sandwiches

D - Leftovers

More Ways to Help You Plan

I just wanted to post about these magnetic pads I found at Michael's craft store. I use them for meal planning, sometimes, too, as an alternative to the template I posted a few days ago. They were only $1 each. I thought someone might like to use them if you prefer to have something you can tear off and throw away that you can keep right on the fridge. They had some specifically for meal planning with a shopping list on the side, too, but I liked these because there was more room to write in each day.

They also had these family organizers that looked neat.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Tonight we tried a new recipe, Chicken Tetrazzini. It's not that pretty of a dish but it tastes good! I had this once before when my mom made it almost a year ago (after I had my daughter) and I've wanted to try it again ever since but hadn't. I couldn't find a recipe that I liked so I pretty much made up my own using the same method. We thought it came out great.

Chicken Tetrazzini

written by Rachel L - http://cookingformyfamiliy.blogspot.com/

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti noodles (we like Healthy Harvest or Starletta brand, those don't taste like carboard :) )

2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken

1 cup of cream

1 cup of chicken broth

1 cup of frozen peas, defrosted

8 ounces of mushrooms

1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)

1/4 cup of flour

2/3 cup of parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Break the pasta strands up into 4ths and then cook per the package directions. Right before the pasta is done, toss the peas in and then you don't have to use a seperate pan to cook them. While the pasta is cooking, sautee the mushrooms in a little olive oil butter and then set aside. Melt the butter in a skillet on medium low heat(I use one that can also go into the oven so that I can just use one dish, but use whatever you have) and then sprinkle in the flour. Keep stiring to make sure the flour gets incorporated well into the butter and there aren't any lumps. Then reduce the heat and add in your chicken broth. Let it cook down a little and then stir in your cream. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens quite a bit. You want it to drip off the spoon/spatula not pour off to give you an idea of how thick you need it. Then add your chicken, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add your drained pasta and peas and stir well. If you didn't use a pan you can place into the oven, then transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 pan. Top with the parmesan cheese and bake on 350 for 25 minutes.

Meal Planning Template

So, I've had this for a while, but for some reason just never thought to post it here! I hope some of you can use this meal planning template that I made.


Meal Planning Template