Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Week Plan Wednesday

Wednesday- For the first time in my life, I just flat out gave up and said "Let's order Chinese."  My kids are sick as dogs, so they won't eat anything anyway, and I probably should not discuss what I've actually done all day in the interests of not ruining your appetite. 

Thursday- Homemade from scratch chicken noodle soup (recipe below).  Asian coleslaw because I want something crunchy, too.  Maybe buns.  We'll see how it goes.

Friday- Roasted chicken with lemon.  Mushroom rice pilaf.  Carrot sticks.

Saturday- Cream of potato soup. Salad with lemony lemony lemon juice vinegrette.

Sunday- Peppers and eggs.  More more salad.

Monday- Cabbage rolls.

Tuesday- Chili.  Cornbread. 

For my dear friend who requested recipes: Homemade from scratch Chicken Noodle Soup!
Make maybe a roast chicken or a mess of drumsticks.  Eat all the good meat and stick the leftover carcass in a pot big enough to hold it (a crock pot is awesome for this).  Cover said carcass with water add salt, a splash of white vinegar, an onion, some carrots, maybe some celery, or whatever other veggies that aren't cruciferous.  Then simmer those chicken bones for-ev-er until everything (including the bones) is literally falling apart.  Put a cloth napkin or not-terrycloth kitchen towel in a colander over a pot or bowl as big as the one you used for simmering.  Pour the whole mess into the colander.  If you used a whole carcass, you can let it sit until it's cool enough to handle then pick through the mush for any usable meat bits.  If you used drumsticks, you probably won't have any useable bits, so you can skip that step.
If you have time, stick your stock in the fridge overnight to let the fat rise to the top where you can just skim it off.  The stock should be like jello when it's cold.  That's how you know it's full of awesome.
Put your stock back on the stove.  Chop up some veggies.  Whatever you used in the stock sounds great, or whatever else you've got on hand is fine too.  Add everything to the pot based on how long it'll take to cook.  So, onions and carrots first, fennel or corn later, noodles 10 minutes before dinner, spinach or peas right before you take it off the stove.  Taste for salt and pepper.  This stuff is also so good for you, unlike soup from a can or box.  So nice work!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Week Plan Wednesday

I apologize.  I've been doing a terrible job of posting my meal plans.  I'm getting my butt back in gear, though, 'cuz The Ninja has started a facebook page about healthy eating.  And, seriously, if I'm going to get reminders a couple times a week about other people's healthy meals, I should totally get on my menu plans and just include some recipes.

This "week," however, is a little weird.  We're going on vacation!  Auntie A is going to be here still, so nobody try and break in, but we're taking the littles and heading off on an adventure.  But!  Taking an unpaid week off from The Hubby's jobs means that we can't afford to travel and eat out every meal with all 4 of us.  So the first 4 days are normal around here, but then there's an entire Sunday through Saturday week of every meal and snack item.  *whew*

Wednesday- Ugly Asian Green Beans (toss green beans with a mix of soy sauce, crushed garlic, a little oil, and sesame seeds.  Roast until shriveled and delicious).  Brown Rice.  Slow cooker pork ribs with lime and ginger.

Thursday- Salmon patties, home made bread. Salad.

Friday- Vegetarian Lasagna.  I'm doing nicely sauteed onions, garlic, 3 colors of bell peppers, and 2 kinds of mushrooms plus a tin of tomato puree as the vegetable parts.  Plus ricotta and parmesan cheeses.  So festive!  Also, wine.  Happy day after Valentine's Day.

Saturday- Cabbage and potato soup.  Maybe bread.

We're packing along apples, pears, grapes, oranges, green peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, and celery, plus my handy travel knife.  Every meal that doesn't include a vegetable or fruit otherwise will have one or two of the above added to it.  Also veggies and fruits will serve as snacks.  The Hubby insists on junk food as a travel necessity, too, so I'm bringing home made cookies, tortilla chips & salsa, peanut M&Ms, and Sun Chips.

Sunday- Waffles with blueberries.
            - Red cabbage & vinegar coleslaw, Ham and cheese sandwiches.
            - Eating out

Monday- Bagels & cream cheese
             - Pittas with hummus and cucumbers.
             - Broccoli Salad, roasted potatoes, Pork roast.

Tuesday- Cereal with raisins
             - Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.
             - Rotisserie chicken, deli salad. (Also buy eggs and cheese for later in the week.)

Wednesday- Scrambled eggs with salsa
                  - Cheese sandwiches (Grilled if we're near a toaster oven or broiler at lunch, with leftover chicken if there is any)
                  - Soup from a box (Have you seen the new anticeptically packed boxes of soup?  They're not great nutritionally, but they're as good as most restaurant meals, and they taste better than the old canned ones.)

Thursday- Master Mix muffins
               - Peanut butter and Jelly
               - Black bean quesadilla with salsa

Friday- Bagels with cream cheese
          - Bean dip with pita chips (using yesterday's leftover black beans)
          - Pasta with sauce from a jar, or eating out

Saturday- Cereal with raisins
              - Whatever is leftover from the week's groceries!