Weekly Meal Plan 2/25/22 to 3/3/22: Feeding the Family

 

Lent starts this week!  I'm actually very excited to start Lent.  I'll do a whole other post on what I'm doing this year.  It's actually quite scaled down.  I usually try to do too much, and I end up failing at most of it.  I'm getting wiser in my old age (lol).  This week is going to be incredibly busy too so the meal plan is a must for these people to eat.  One thing we all decided on, as a family, is that we will have two meatless days (and the Middle Son wants to do to one or both of those dairy free also.  We'll see...).

Friday:  Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup  This is the same one I make all the time.  It's a family favorite.  Because it was Friday, I did not include the bacon; rolls

Saturday:  Naan Bread Pizzas:  These are so easy, and everyone loves them.  I just purchase the naan bread and top it like I would a regular pizza crust.  This week we had red sauce with mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni, and a white pizza with olive oil, garlic, green pepper, onion, mushroom, and topped with mozzarella cheese.  I made a gluten free Dr. Schar pizza shell topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni for the Middle Son.

Sunday:  Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, Mashed Potatoes, and oven Roasted Asparagus:  I rubbed the turkey breast down with olive oil and sprinkled it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning.  Then I baked it in the oven at 400 until the internal temperature was 180 degrees F (about an hour and half).  It was like a mini Thanksgiving dinner.

I'm not a big turkey eater, so I added a salad to my plate.

Monday:  Lasagna (using GF lasagna noodles), salad, rolls

Tuesday:  Shrove Tuesday:  Pancakes, sausage, and hash browns.

Wednesday:  Ash Wednesday:  Spanakorizo and baked cod for the guys, rolls

Thursday:   Clean up or Poor Man's Meal

I didn't make anything extra this week for lunch or breakfast.  We still have quite a few egg sandwiches in the freezer, and we have a lot of leftovers, and we can have those for lunches. 

I did cut up a bunch of fruit to have with breakfast or as a snack.  We have a few containers of honey dew melon and pineapple.  

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed week.  

Wednesday Words

 

Weekly Meal Plan 2/18/22 to 2/24/22: Feeding the Family

 What day is this?  Tuesday?  I'm all confused because of the day off for Presidents Day.  Yesterday seemed like Sunday, and today seems like Monday.  I'm sure by Friday I'll get it all figured out.

This week's meal plan is ever changing.  The meals are the same, but they are getting shifted around thanks to an ever-changing schedule.

Friday:  Baked Salmon, veggies, and tater tots

Saturday:  Chili, rolls

Sunday:  Red and White Mostaccioli from The Food Nanny, rolls

Monday:  Mediterranean Turkey Burgers from Budget Bytes, cucumber salad

Tuesday:  Mexican Pizzas

Wednesday:  Saucy Hungarian Red Potato Goulash from The Cozy Apron 

Thursday:  Cleanup day or Slow Cooker Sticky Garlic Chicken from Six Sisters Stuff

I also made the Potato Leek soup for this week.  It's perfect for lunch.  The recipe can be found in Twelve Months of Monastery Soups Cookbook.  If you love soups like I do, this cookbook is the BEST.

Wednesday March 2nd begins Lent.  We usually do meatless Mondays AND meatless Fridays during Lent.  I also try to do fewer complex meals during Lent.  I have a new cookbook on the way, and I can't wait to see how the recipes are.  But I do have a meal plan for next week already put together.  Ash Wednesday is strict fast and abstinence, so that meal will be meatless and very basic.  The boys need their protein though, so they will probably have fish to go along with their meal.  We are supposed to get hit with snow toward the end of the week, so I have a Walmart pick up scheduled for Wednesday.  

Do you have any plans for Lent??

Have a blessed week!

Five On Friday

 5 Favorite workout Items:

1.  Brooks Running: Best Shoes Ever.  I love these shoes and they fit my feet the best.  They have great arch support and they typically don't rub the back of my heel.  

2.  Enell Sports Bra:  As a "full figured" lady, having a sports bra that covers and supports is important, and this one is my favorite.  I bought my first one 20 years ago, and I still have it and still use it, and it's the only one that I have routinely used through the years.  I first heard about it on Oprah.  And if Oprah liked it, I knew I would too.

3.  Fitbit:  I love my Fitbit.  I have a really old Charge 2, but it still works well and covers all the things I need it to.

4.  The Peloton App:  I know I've posted about this before, but it really is my favorite way to work out. I used it at the gym even though they don't have Peloton equipment.  I can use any treadmill or bike and it's still amazing.

5. Under Armour work out shirts :  These shirts fit great and are moisture wicking.  They really are the best.  I'm still working on finding pants that I love, but at least I have the shirts under control.

What are your favorite gym items?? 

I Went To The Gym This Week

 We joined a new athletic club February 2020.  And then the world shut down.  I went there one time before Covid hit.  And I thought I would really use this gym.  But Covid...  And even worse than Covid is my being an introvert and having anxiety over new things.  I went to this club last summer for a few times but to the outdoor lake with my kids. But I just couldn't bring myself to go to the gym area.  Why?  Why would someone pay money monthly and not use the facility?  Oh, the joys of being an introvert and having anxiety (and I think I might have a tad of social anxiety disorder). But I went today.  And it was great.  And I'm mad at myself that I didn't go earlier.  But what were my excuses??

1.  I'm too fat for the gym:  I KNEW this was so totally stupid. Overweight people should go to the gym.  But I'm out of shape and embarrassed on how I look, so I put all of that over the fact that going to gym could get me healthy.  It's such a disordered way of thinking.  Did I feel any less fat today?  NO.  In fact, I looked at myself in the giant wall of mirrors and thought that I actually look fatter than I thought I was (not a good feeling).

2.  I don't know how to use the machines:  I used the treadmill.  It's not rocket science.  I have a college degree.  I figured it out.

3.  I don't have the right equipment:  I have shoes.  I have clothing.  That means I have the right equipment.  Looking in that giant wall of mirrors, I realized that my work out clothing is sad and ill fitting.  That's ok though.  I still had clothing.  And it covered "all the things' even if it didn't look very good (why are my pants "floods"?).  

4.  I don't know anyone:  I survived.  I didn't need to know anyone to get on the treadmill.

So, I survived day one.  And I will be going back (hopefully tomorrow).  And I hope I keep going.  I need to get healthy.  It's important for my physical and mental health (I'm tired of hating how I look.  It's exhausting).  

Please don't use my lame excuses for not going to the gym. GO TO THE GYM.  I'm with you in spirit and I'm cheering you on... flood pants and all.

Wednesday Words

 

Weekly Meal Plan 2-11-22 to 2-17-22: Feeding The Family

 My eldest's birthday is in early February and fell on the Super Bowl several years.  At age 16, his birthday became the "super bowl party".  This is his second year in college and due to being away from home and Covid, we have not had a Super Bowl party for a few years.  But this year, the middle son took over.  Although he's a July birthday, we felt the Super Bowl tradition needed to continue.  Due to his food allergies, I didn't order food, but made it.  And boys are easy please.  Walking Tacos were a hit.  Costco sells actual Walking Taco bags of chips, and that made it extra fun.  It's his senior year so once again, we will not have a Super Bowl get together for the boys for a while (the youngest is 9, by the time he gets there, I'll be in bed before the Super Bowl even begins).  I planned on cooking Potato Leek Soup for lunch this week, but due to all the Super Bowl cooking, that did not happen.

Fri:  Late baseball practice.  I had a Costco black bean burger and the guys had fast food

Sat:  Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Sun: Super Bowl Food:  Walking Tacos, queso dip, various chips (just a giant fat fest)

Mon:  Grilled Chicken Salad

Tues:  Cowboy Grub (THM recipe)

Wed:  Chicken thighs and Broccoli

Thurs:  Clean up (probably tacos because we have a bunch of meat left over)

Have a blessed week!!

Five On Friday

 

5 things I am grateful for this Friday:

1.  Hot Tea:  It's so cold here and winter is starting to drain me.  Hot tea helps

2.  The Bible in a Year Podcast with Father Mike Schmitz:  I LOVE hearing God's word every day.  I'm on year two of this podcast and I'm getting just as much, if not more, out of it as last year.

3. Soul Core's online streaming membership:  I just signed up for this a few weeks ago.  I love being able to stretch/exercise and pray the rosary at the same time.  

4.  Peloton's streaming service:  I used this service (app) during Covid lockdown.  And I really enjoyed it.  There are so many excellent workouts, and the trainers are motivating. So, I kept the subscription going even after things opened back up again. I would love a Peloton machine, but it's not in our budget.  But the streaming service is perfect for me right now.

5.  Grocery Pick Up:  I used the Walmart pick up for several years.  Then our grocery stores starting offering pick up options during Covid.  It's just so quick and convenient.  There are times that I would like to choose my own groceries, but on busy weeks, the pickup saves me so much time and makes my life easier.

What are you thankful for today?

Recipe: Vegetable Soup

 Two snow days and temperatures below zero called for some warm, comforting soup.  The last two weeks I made Italian Wedding Soup which I LOVE, but this week I decided to make something meatless.  I had a craving for vegetable soup, and I had a lot of vegetables in my fridge that needed to be used, so vegetable soup won out.

Ingredients:

1. 3-4 garlic cloves, minced

2. 1 sweet onion, chopped

3. 1 large or 2 small turnips, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces

4. 1 zucchini, chopped into bite sized pieces

5. 2 small tomatoes, chopped

6.  2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces

7.  2 celery stalks, diced

8.  1 tsp. of Herbs de Provence

9.  1 Tbs. of Italian seasoning

10. 2 cartons of low sodium vegetable stock (8 cups total)

11.  1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

12.  salt and pepper to taste 

13.  2 cups of baby kale, chopped

14.  1 Tbs. olive oil

Optional ingredients:  1 Tbs Better Than Bouillion, 1/4 tsp. of smoked chipotle pepper powder

Directions:

1.  Heat 1 Tbs. of olive oil in a large stock pot and add the garlic until fragrant.
2. Add the onion, turnips, zucchini, carrots, and celery and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
3.  Add the tomato, seasonings, vegetable stock, and beans and simmer for 30-40 minutes (taste after 15 minutes and if you feel it needs more flavor, add the Better Than Bouillion and the chipotle pepper... I like a little heat, you may not)
4.  Add the baby kale and stir until wilted. Salt and Pepper to taste.
5.  Enjoy!

Wednesday Words

 

Weekly Meal Plan 2-4-22 to 2-10-22: Feeding the Family

Oh, the weather outside is frightful!  Two snow days last week and it's snowing again!  Winter is letting us know who is in charge.  We still have a wrestler concerned about making weight, and this same wrestler will be going on a retreat this week (Wednesday thru Saturday).  The meal plan for this week will look a bit different than usual.

Friday - Eating Out:  Three of us had sushi, the wrestler (with food allergies) ate leftovers

Saturday:  Burgers and sweet potato fries in the air fryer

Sunday:  Air fryer Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs, brown rice, and salad:  This was a huge hit and they asked me to add this to the rotation (recipe from skinnytaste.com)

Monday:  Cajun rice and beans with sausage

Tuesday:  Turkey Tacos

Wednesday:  Pasta and meatballs with rolls

Thursday:  Eating Out 

Breakfast:  Egg and cheese sandwiches (freezer)

Lunch:  Vegetable Soup

The son going on the retreat has food allergies.  Everyone else will be fed by the retreat, but my son can't eat there so I'm sending food for him.  The following is the meal plan that he and I decided on for him (and it tries to make sure we take his wrestling weight into account). There is a refrigerator and microwave for him to use.

Breakfast: Turkey sausage, fruit, yogurt

Lunch:  Grilled chicken salad

Dinner:  Turkey tacos, left over Asian Glazed Chicken thighs with rice, GF Pizza

Have a Blessed Week!

Wednesday Words

 

Weekly Meal Plan 1/28/22 to 2/3/22: Feeding the Family

Last week's meal plan got completely blown out of the water.  We have a wrestler in the family, and last week his coach changed his weight class and our wrestler needed to cut 10 pounds.  That made all of my meals with cheese or cream, or beef obsolete.  So, I pivoted.  And that's the beauty of meal planning.  You have food in the house, you may just have to change how you use it depending on changes that occur during the week.  Usually, it's a schedule change that causes me to pivot, but last week was a new one for me.  This child is still cutting weight, so you'll notice that this week's meal plan is heavy on chicken.  They told him to concentrate on eating chicken or eggs, and since he's anaphylactic to eggs, we stuck with chicken.

Friday:  Leftovers for the wrestler, and the rest of us ate out due to a late indoor baseball practice.

Saturday:  Chicken Au Champagne, baked potato, and vegetable

Sunday:  Chicken Italian Sausage and Peppers in Rao's low sugar marinara sauce

Monday:  Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with gluten free ramen noodles

Tuesday:  Hot Dogs and Veggies (requested by the wrestler)

Wednesday:  Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Thursday:  Chicken and veggie sheet pan meal

Lunches:  Italian Wedding Soup (meatballs made with no egg, gf breadcrumbs, and ground chicken)

Breakfast:  Cinnamon toast for the 9-year-old and egg and cheese sandwiches (in the freezer) for the hubby.

This is a very chicken heavy meal plan.  I tried to keep it interesting and tasty while keeping it low fat/low carb for the wrestler.  Any meal that included carbs were for the others and the wrestler had the option to eat them or not.

For most of next week, he'll be at an overnight retreat, so our meal plan should look a bit different.

Have a blessed week!!