weekly meal plan

Happy Monday!  Monday means that it’s time for another meal plan. If you are looking for some dinner time inspiration, my weekly meal plan is the place for you.  Each week I showcase what was on my previous week’s meal plan, with pictures, recipe links and most importantly, my family’s review of each dish.  There are so many food blogs, cookbooks and recipes out there and I am always on the lookout for new family-friendly recipes that are quick and easy!  If you are new to meal planning, read more about how I make my weekly meal plan.  Here’s a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday: We were out snow tubing up in Warwick, NY.  We stopped at Eddie’s Roadhouse for dinner before we headed home.  They have a great craft beer menu.  While the food menu looked great, we were a bit disappointed with the food.

Sunday: For some reason, I was craving Eggplant Parm.  I told my husband and he said he’d make it for dinner.  My son helped him cook dinner while complaining that he didn’t like eggplant.  Well, both kids had seconds of this deliciousness! He served it with some garlic bread.   It was so cheesy and good that we finished the whole pan!

Monday: I went out to dinner with a friend.  However, I made Chicken Noodle Soup for the rest of the family for dinner.  I had made a whole chicken in the slow cooker last week and had leftover chicken.  I poured two 32 ounce cartons of chicken stock into a pot.  I sauteed the carrots, onion and celery a little bit before adding them to the stock.  I then added some leftover chicken.  Then I added some egg noodles and let them cook in the broth and seasoned with some salt and pepper.  It was very quick and easy and they all enjoyed it!

Tuesday: I made Sonoma Chicken Salad Wraps from Eat Laugh Purr.  Tanya made it as a salad.  However, I turned it into a wrap by just putting everything in a tortilla.  My son helped me prep dinner and was in charge of cutting the grapes in half.  I used the rest of the leftover rotisserie chicken so this was a super quick and easy dish to prepare. I served this with some kettle potato chips and both kids enjoyed this meal a lot. My husband ate this as a salad and enjoyed it as well.

Wednesday: I made Brunch Ham Enchiladas from Taste of Home.  Breakfast for dinner is always a hit in our house and it’s been awhile since I made something breakfast-y for dinner.  I made these the night before and then just had to pop them in the oven to cook.  We found these to be best eaten the day of.  I microwaved one for breakfast the next day and thought it was okay.  My daughter who usually eats leftovers was not a fan of them the next day.

Thursday: I made Upside-Down Shepherd’s Pie from the January/February 2017 issues of Cooking Light.  I ended up pre-chopping all the veggies.  When my husband got home from he cooked everything while I was at piano lessons with the kids.  This was pretty quick and easy to prepare and we all enjoyed it!  My kids even ate the turnip without complaint.

Friday:  We had our weekly homemade cheese pizza.  Quick, easy and tasty!

What are you having for dinner this week?

Happy Monday and happy first day of Spring!  I hope you had a great weekend!  If you are looking for some dinner time inspiration, my weekly meal plan is the place for you.  Each week I showcase what was on my previous week’s meal plan, with pictures, recipe links and most importantly, the family’s review of each dish.  There are so many food blogs, cookbooks and recipes out there and I am always on the lookout for family-friendly recipes that are quick and easy!  If you are new to meal planning, read more about how I make my weekly meal plan.  Here’s a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday:  We normally have homemade pizza on Friday nights, but last Friday I had made a Tater Tot Casserole instead.  Since we had the ingredients on hand, my husband made regular cheese pizzas for us Saturday evening.

Sunday: My husband made Turkey Meatball Subs on garlic bread which he served with roasted asparagus.  He doesn’t use recipes when he cooks, he just throws stuff together, like he did with the meatballs for these subs!

Monday: I made Turkey and Swiss Sloppy Joes from the January/February 2017 issue of Cooking Light.  From past sloppy joe making experience, hamburger rolls get soggy from the filling.  My kids hate a soggy roll so I ended up buying kaiser rolls instead. I thought it was too much bread for these sandwiches, so I served them open-faced.  I found the filling to be tasty and different from what you’d expect of a traditional sloppy joe.  The kids enjoyed this as well.  I served these with fries.

Tuesday: I adapted this recipe from With Salt and Wit and made Creamy Garlic Parmesan Tortellini instead of gnocchi.  I omitted the kale and cooked the tortellini in water instead of the chicken broth recommended in the recipe.  I feel like I’ve made a recipe very similar to this recently.  Overall, this was an okay, quick and easy dinner.  I probably won’t end up making it again though.  I served this with salad and garlic bread.

Wednesday: I adapted this Cooking Light, March 2017 recipe and made Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Pizza.  This was tasty and different from our normal cheese pizza.  Yes, homemade pizza twice in one week.  But there were no complaints!  And this one was very different in flavor than the cheese pizzas we had earlier in the week.

Thursday:  My husband prepped a whole chicken for the slow cooker before he went to work.  Then I heated up some leftover veggies from the week and served it with Simply Potatoes mashed potatoes.  My kids love these potatoes!  We haven’t cooked a whole chicken in the slow cooker in awhile.  It’s so easy and tasty and we end up with lots of leftover chicken that can be used in other recipes.  I’ll be using some of the leftover chicken in a recipe this week, which you will see next in next Monday’s post!

Friday:  Since it was St. Patrick’s Day we had the traditional corned beef, cooked in the slow cooker.  We’ve adapted our St. Patrick’s dinner to included mashed red potatoes and sauteed cabbage and onions, instead of the traditional boiled cabbage, carrots and potatoes.  My kids love corned beef so much that I buy a second one while there on sale this time of year and freeze it for another dinner.

Happy President’s Day Monday!  We enjoyed a fun weekend in Rhode Island and are headed back home to New York today.  Every once in awhile, it’s just nice to get away.  We stayed at my parent’s house, even though they weren’t there this weekend.  As my son said, “so, the four of us are going from our house to another house with just the four of us?!”  Yup, that’s pretty much how it went.  However, as my husband pointed out, this house didn’t have a bedroom that needed to be cleaned, or a piano that they had to practice on.  So, it was a mini vacation for everyone! We are headed back home now and will be back to our normally scheduled dinners!  Here’s a look at what was on last week’s menu:

Saturday –  We went out for Chinese, at my daughter’s request, before we headed to the West Point ice hockey game.

Sunday – On the weekends, my husband will usually run out to the grocery store to pick something up to cook. However, it snowed all day Sunday so he didn’t get to the store.  I had some frozen crab cakes that I cooked up with some fries.  Quick, easy and no real cooking!

Monday – I  was out at The Crooked Knife for a #foodiechats dinner event.  My husband made the Chicken Cacciatore recipe from Closet Cooking that I had put on the menu.  I had leftovers for lunch and it was good.  I’m not a big chicken-on-the-bone eater, so I cut my chicken up and threw it in with the pasta and sauce.  I heard my son wasn’t a fan because he didn’t like the mushrooms, olives and peppers that were in the sauce!

Tuesday – We had a Dinner Thyme meal delivery service delivered Tuesday (see a review tomorrow on the blog). The kids made Pineapple Salmon Tacos with a Sour Cream Sauce for dinner (with supervision!).  This meal was a hit with both the kids and adults!

Wednesday – I made Chicken and Waffles with Braised Kale and Butter Syrup, also from the Dinner Thyme meal kit delivery service.   This was another dinner winner in our house!

Thursday – I made Barbecue Turkey & Apple Hash Crispy Burritos from Every Day with Rachael Ray, June 2016.  I ended up cooking the ground turkey and hash fillings earlier in the afternoon.  My husband got home from work before I got home with kids from piano lessons, so he ended up frying the eggs and assembling and cooking the burritos.  It was a team effort for dinner Thursday night!

Friday – I made Salami & Brussels Sprouts Pizza from Every Day with Rachael Ray, August 2016.  I was in the mood for something different from our normal regular cheese pizza!  This was easy to put together and tasty!

Monday, Monday…..back again.  Which means that it’s time for another weekly meal plan.  I’m sorry to say that this past week  was filled with a bunch of “eh” meals.  There was a good amount of comfort food though which was good with all the snow and cold weather we had last week!  Does anyone have any special dinner plans tomorrow for Valentine’s Day?  We are trying a new to us meal delivery service, so hopefully we will have a homemade tasty dinner!  Stay tuned for more details!

Saturday – We went to a Westchester Knicks game and ate there.

Sunday – My husband made Sausage and Pepper wedges for the Super Bowl.

Monday – I made 20-Minute Moo Shu Pork from Gimme Some Oven.  Every now and then I’ll order Moo Shu Chicken when we get Chinese takeout.  So, I’m very familiar with the dish.  This recipe had Asian flavors, but in my opinion, didn’t really taste like the Moo Shu that I’m used to eating.  I served the filling in flour tortillas with a side salad.  We had leftovers for lunch on Thursday, during snow storm Niko, which I served over rice.

Tuesday – I made Monte Cristo Waffle Strata from Half Baked Harvest.  I had high hopes for this dish.  I prepped it Monday night, so all I had to do Tuesday was stick it in the oven.  I only served it with syrup….not the powdered sugar, cranberry preserves and fresh fruit that was recommended.  And I used frozen waffles (which I toasted first, as directed!).  I mean, c’mon, it’s a Tuesday night here!  After cooking, the bottom was super soggy.  The top layer was good though with the meat and cheese.  I normally like a salty/sweet combo, but this didn’t execute well for me.

Wednesday – Have you ever made a recipe that you found on the back of a food product?  I rarely do, but ended up making this Mexican Potato Sausage Casserole from Simply Potatoes.  The only change I made was not adding diced tomatoes and adding salsa at the end.  Which I found to be a good change.  However, this was another dish that was just “eh” this week.

Thursday – I made Slow Cooker Beef Stew from allrecipes.  It was a perfect meal for a snow storm!  I’ve made beef stew in the slow cooker many times, though this may have been the first time that I used this particular recipe.  It was tasty enough, but didn’t get thick.  I served the stew with some biscuits.

Friday – I made Bacon Tortellini Bake from Fake Ginger instead of our usual homemade pizza.  This was a nice comfort meal to make and eat after spending an hour outside at the elementary school watching my kids go sledding with friends.  It was easy to prepare as well.

Happy Monday!  Not sure how many of you stayed up to watch the Super Bowl.  I’m not a football fan…..like at all.  The Puppy Bowl was more my speed!  But I did enjoy watching the commercials and the half-time show.  Here’s another weekly meal plan for you guys.

Saturday – We had our monthly supper club on Saturday.  This month’s theme was fittingly Chinese New Year.  I picked to make dessert and ended up making two.  I made Nian Gao (traditional Chinese New Year Cake) and Chinese Almond Cookies.  We had a tasty dinner!

Sunday – My husband was in charge of dinner tonight.  At my son’s request he made tacos, which ended up being nachos when he discovered that I had thrown out the tortillas that had been sitting around for awhile.  We were all fine with this audible though.  I was in heaven with the homemade guacamole!  He made cilantro-lime rice as a side.  Yum!

Monday – I made Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce from How Sweet It Is.  This is not a quick meal to make.  Easy….yes.  However, there’s some prep work in cutting the peppers and making the filling and sauce.  Then, the peppers have to cook for almost an hour.  Overall, this dinner was okay.  We weren’t huge fans and if I’m going to make stuffed peppers, I’d rather make them in the slow cooker.  I served these with mashed potatoes, as recommended.

Tuesday – I made Crispy Sesame Beef from Damn Delicious.   While the beef had good flavor, mine didn’t actually quite get crispy…..more like a mushy, cornstarchy mess.  I served this with rice and broccoli.  We all ate it, though I think next time I’d just omit the cornstarch and just marinate the beef in the sauce.

Wednesday – I made Shrimp Alfredo Gnocchi from The Little Kitchen.  The only time-sucker in prepping this meal was de-veining the shrimp.  Otherwise, it was quick and easy to prepare.  I liked this meal.  However, my son had lots of complaints.  He doesn’t like mushrooms (which this dish has) and thought the gnocchi tasted, “weird.”  So, he didn’t eat much of his dinner.

Thursday –  Leftovers!  This rarely happens, but this week we had so many leftovers from earlier in the week.  Everyone got to make a plate of whatever they wanted.  This was super handy, since Thursday is so busy!

Friday – I made our usual homemade pizza.  This week I made pepperoni pizzas.  Quick, easy and tasty!

Happy Monday.  I hope everyone had a nice weekend!  It is time once again for another weekly meal plan.  I hope our menu gives you some dinner inspiration.  It’s always fun to try a new recipe or cuisine.  If you haven’t in awhile, I challenge you to give it a try!  Here’s a look at what was on our menu this past week.

Saturday – My husband and I got a rare date night out and met up with his brother for a long over-due dinner.  We went to Rivermarket Bar and Kitchen.  I had these Scallops with Wild Mushroom and Butternut Squash Risotto.

Sunday – My husband “made” fish and chips.  Actually, he heated up some Gorton’s fish patties and fries.  It was a quick and easy meal and I didn’t have to cook.  So, a win for me!

Monday – I made Shrimp Scampi Garlic Bread Pizza from I Wash You Dry.  This dinner was so good!  My daughter, who says she doesn’t like shrimp had seconds of this and complimented me on how good it was!  Instead of using grated parm, I sprinkled shredded mozzarella on top.  I served this with Caesar salad.

Tuesday – I made Reuben Grilled Cheese from Damn Delicious.  I didn’t make these in a waffle maker, like the recipe recommends.  They were still delicious and another dinner winner this week!  These were so easy to make too.  I served them with fries.

Wednesday – I made Potsticker Noodle Bowls from Iowa Girl Eats.  I used some rice vermicelli noodles that I had instead of the noodles recommended.  I’ve made Egg Roll in a Bowl before which, I’ve posted on the blog.  I think the Egg Roll in a Bowl is more flavorful than this recipe.  However, the kids really enjoyed this.  This is another quick and easy recipe.

Thursday – I made Crockpot Creamy Cashew Chicken from Half Baked Harvest.  This required a little bit of prep in the morning, have to make the seasoning paste.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t wowed by this.  Overall, I found it just okay. I was happy that both kids both ate it without complaint.  I served with rice and naan.

Friday –  Instead of our usual homemade pizza, this week I made Lasagna Soup from Cuisine at Home.  I added a bit more pasta than called for.  The kids and I had soup but by the time my husband ate dinner the pasta had soaked up most of the “soup” liquid.  Regardless, it was a tasty dinner!

What is on your menu this week?

It’s Monday again and time for another meal plan!  If you haven’t tried meal planning, I highly recommend it.  You can read all about my meal planning process to help you get started.  It really helps in making your evening routine run smoothly as well as keeping your food budget in check!  Here’s a look at what was on our meal plan this past week:

Saturday  –  My daughter spent the night at her friend’s house.  My husband and I ordered Chinese takeout and watched movies with our son.

Sunday –  We loved the latkes my husband made last week and since he didn’t make nearly enough, he made some more for dinner Sunday evening.  He picked up a rotisserie chicken to have with the latkes.   We had our fill of latkes and this time there were leftovers!

Monday –  I went to  the gym Monday evening.  My husband, who was home from work, made the Spinach and Artichoke Tortellini from Rachael Ray’s Express Lane Meals cookbook that I had planned to make, while I was out.  Of course the kids liked everything……but the spinach and artichokes!!  So, they basically had tortellini in a cream sauce, as they ate around all the “stuff.”

Tuesday  – I made a Rosti of sorts with the leftover latkes that I served with sauteed zucchini.  Rosti is a Swiss potato pancake dish.  I added a slice of ham, a slice of swiss cheese and two fried eggs on top of some latkes. When I tell you that this dish was a hit with the kids is an understatement.  I’ve never seen my son eat his dinner so quickly and offer so many compliments!

Wednesday – I made Simmered Cabbage with Beef, Shan Style from Cooking Light, November, 2011.  This was fairly easy to make.  I didn’t add the red pepper to the main dish, for fear it would be too spicy for the kids.  Unfortunately, I found the dish as a whole to be lacking in flavor.  This was even after I added the red pepper to my own bowl.  The kids weren’t big fans of this dish and my daughter commented on the neon color of the dish (from the turmeric).  This is definitely not a repeat dish for us.

Thursday – Thursdays are currently our busiest evening of the week.  I made Crock Pot Creamy Lemon Chicken from i heart eating.  During the day I made Spaghetti Aglio E Olio (spaghetti with olive oil and garlic and I added some broccoli) to go with it and we just warmed it up when it was time for dinner.

Friday – Friday was a busy night.  We picked my daughter up from her Girl Scout meeting and then went to my son’s tae kwon do board break-a-thon at the elementary school.  I made our usual homemade pizza.  My son had to eat his dinner super early and my daughter had to eat her dinner late….but everyone got fed!

What is on your menu this week?

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  If you have off today, I hope you are enjoying the three day weekend and remembering the great work of Martin Luther King Jr.  Meal planning plays an essential part in making our week run smoothly.  Here’s a look at what was on our menu this past week:

Saturday:  We went to a neighbor’s birthday party and ate dinner there.

Sunday:  We had a very belated Hanukkah celebration!  My son was upset that we didn’t have latkes, so my husband cooked a pork loin and latkes.  Do you join me in seeing the irony of our dinner?!  Regardless, it was a delicious dinner and we were upset that my husband didn’t make extra latkes.  So we he made some more latkes last night for dinner as well!

Monday:  I made Crockpot Italian Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Chili from Half Baked Harvest.  I have loved everything that I have made from Half Baked Harvest….until this recipe.  I thought it sounded really different.  I left out the cannelini beans, since I’m not a fan of them.  But I found this dish to be really bitter from all of the balsamic vinegar.

Tuesday:  I made Hoisin Glazed Meatball Subs from Every Day with Rachael Ray, October 21, 2016.  We like anything with Asian flavors and especially love hoisin sauce.  My son rolled the meatballs for me while I was shredding the Brussels sprouts.  This was an easy to make (minus the shredding of the Brussels sprouts!) and tasty dinner.  I served the sandwiches with fries.

Wednesday:  I made French Onion Chicken from Closet Cooking.  Of course i hadn’t read the recipe through prior to making.  When I got ready to cook dinner at 5:30 I discovered that the onions were supposed to cook for an hour!  That was not happening.  I cut it down to about 25 minutes.  The chicken dish still tasted really good and everyone enjoyed it.  It really did have all the flavors of French Onion soup!  I served it with roasted sweet potato wedges, frozen, bagged veggies and leftover kale salad that my husband had brought home.

Thursday:  Thursday is our super busy evening.  I made an audible in our menu plan and used some of the leftover pork loin in pork fried rice.  I served the rice with some frozen dumplings and everyone was happy!  Super quick and easy! That red sauce is chili garlic sauce.  We put it on almost all of our Asian dishes to add some kick.

Friday:  I made breakfast nachos.  No recipe.  Just cooked some bacon and scrambled eggs which we put on top of tortilla chips along with salsa and shredded cheddar cheese.  I served with additional salsa and sour cream.  Yum!

What is on your menu this week?