Menu Plan Monday 7/6/15

We are in the middle of a particularly early and hot summer here in Florida.  I'm still spending my weekends in a pool for now...however if the thermostat rises much more I'm permanently {at least until fall} staying inside and watching tv or cooking or cleaning or....shoot, I think sweating may sound better than all those chores...sweating it is then, lol.

Speaking of household chores, I didn't get an opportunity to make all of the new recipes I planned last week.  I worked later than usual and had a few days that I just wasn't hungry, so most of my meals this week will be repeats.  However, over this past weekend I did some prep work that makes all the difference in planning easy week night meals.  First I roasted four chicken breasts with bones and skin.  When they cooled I took the meat off of the bones then chopped and stored in freezer bags.  I used all of the scraps eg: bones, skin and put them in my crock pot for a cheap, much better tasting chicken stock that can be stored in the freezer until needed.  I then chopped two pounds of strawberries to add to yogurt, salads or to eat plain.  I also came across some great deals on organic blueberries, blackberries, and cherries at the grocery this week.  Since we love cobbler, I washed and dried the blue/blackberries and froze two cup portions to use for our baking pleasure.  The cherries were washed and separated in to lunch size portions so that I can grab a bag when packing my lunch each day.  I also shredded three or four different types of cheese just for convenience. {hand shredding cheese makes all the difference in recipes even though it's my least favorite kitchen job}

I've found if I do some of these on the weekend, it makes packing my lunch so much easier.  I prefer to bring things from home because of quality control.  The cafeteria where I work is questionable in quality on their best day and my palate has become quite picky in my old age.  Packing my lunch over the years has saved me countless amounts of money {allowing me to splurge on expensive ingredients for dinners or that new shirt I might want}  and has helped keep my weight stable.  I pack the night before so all I have to do is grab and go.  At first it might seem too much of a fuss but give it a week...you will so happy knowing that no "junk" food has been your meal of choice because time constraints and hunger dictate what you grab on your thirty minutes.  You will also experience less heartburn and bloating as a result of overfatty, oversalty foods.

On to this week's plan...Tanner will be home for a couple of days, before heading off to house sit again. I'm going to make heartier meals for the days he'll be eating at home.   When he leaves  for the week, it's fair game for flatbreads, salads, and cereal for me {my personal version of fast/junk food}

SUNDAY

Leftover Ribs and Chicken from our July 4th Barbeque

and Lou Lou Girls Loaded Chicken Pasta

To Do:  Make hamburger patties for tomorrow, put pita bread in the frig for defrost, pack lunch.

MONDAY

Beef and Hummus Kefta

Pasta Salad

To Do:  Put pre cooked chicken in the frig, pack lunch.

TUESDAY

Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein

Adding Chicken {my interpretation}

Roasted Broccoli

To Do:  Put pork in the frig with marinade

WEDNESDAY

Grilled Balsamic Pork Chops

Couscous

Grilled Green Beans

To Do:  Nothing since Tanner isn't going to be home until the weekend, pack lunch.

DESSERT OF THE WEEK

Super Easy Cherry Turnovers

{I'll be turning tart cherries in to cherry pie filling, and replacing the frosting with crystal sugar}

That's it for this week, mainly comprised from the menu I planned last week.  I actually have everything I need to execute it without running to the store for anything.  Even if I do find a missing ingredient, I can use my creative skills to improvise.  I might just create a masterpiece lol :o)

Sunshine and Roses....happy Monday!

This post is linked to orgjunkie.com