Weekly Meal Plan II

Catchy title, huh? I decided to go with Roman numerals to look smarter. We’ll see how many weeks I can go before resorting to Google. I’m pretty sure I can get to at least 20 (XX, right???), so that’ll keep us cooking for a while.

How was your week? Were you able to utilize any of the meals? I brought the quinoa salad to work and got two new blog subscribers just because it looks so pretty. I’m going to include another salad this week because…. well, because I like ’em! Healthy, easy to variate, colorful, yummy! My husband was late eating the homemade beefaroni because of work. S1 jumped up and ran to the fridge saying, “You forgot the sprinkle cheese! I’ll get it for you. You need sprinkle cheese!”

S2 agrees! So yum!

Let’s get this started! You’re going to love this week’s meals, I think. Some of our old family favs, plus a couple of new ones. Enjoy!

Sunday: Spinach Pancakes. Granted, I’ve yet to try these, but I love the concept. I’m forever looking for ways to hide vegetables in food. The color isn’t the issue– kids love green food. Green pancakes will be a hit, I think. I’ll let you know! We’ll probably add some eggs and bacon to have a full “breakfast for dinner” day.

Monday: Split Pea Soup. Mondays are usually long for me, as I’m still recovering from my long weekend nights, plus my husband is away most of the day. My Monday meals need to be pretty hands-off. I’m trying this in the Instant Pot, but it would cook just as easily in a dutch oven or crockpot. Just adjust your cooking time a lot!

Tuesday: Meatloaf. Ironically, my 3yo picked out this meal. Ironic because I’ll put money on the fact that he won’t eat more than two bites. For the grownups in this household, though, it’s a favorite! This recipe is my go-to. The glaze is sweet and tangy and really makes it. I’m also going to include a top secret BBQ sauce recipe entrusted to me just this week by a friend (used with permission). I may sub it for the topping in the recipe. Yum! BTW, the picture on the link is horrible, but don’t let it fool you. I plan to serve mine with new potatoes and steamed green beans. Cooking tip: I’ve always hated cooking meatloaf in a loaf pan and one day had a brainiac moment. Now, I spread it in a 8×10 pan like brownies. Takes much less time to cook, and the pan is a lot easier to clean! You’re welcome.

Terry Blackstone’s famous BBQ sauce:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 T + 1 t Worcestershire sauce
• 1 t Liquid Smoke (mesquite)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 t Louisiana hot sauce
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper

Blend together and increase any of the ingredients to taste.

Wednesday: Pasta Salad. Here’s that salad! I love a good pasta salad and detail how I make mine in this post. Recipe tip: the secret to a good pasta salad is to make it NOT MUSHY! Cook your pasta just to al dente, drain well, then spread it out on a baking sheet to dry out for a couple of hours. You”ll taste the difference!

Let me try a pepper… um, no. Do you want it? No, really! You can have it.

Thursday: Stuffed, Rolled Turkey Breast. That’s a very unappealing name. I should rename it after I’ve cooked it. Probably to something like Turkey Breast Flop. I have great faith in my meat-stuffing skills, as you can see. This is for my next Gilmore girls Friday Night Dinner post, which should hit your inbox on Friday if you subscribe to the blog!

Friday: Beef Gyros. This is an Instant Pot recipe. I’ve made it once and it was SO easy and SO good! Don’t know the fuss about an Instant Pot? You can buy one here, and read my rave about it here. OH! I just saw that as of today, at least, the Instant Pot is $10 less at Amazon. If you’ve been on the fence, grab it!

Saturday: Naan Pizza. No recipe here, but this is our favorite way to make easy pizza. Buy some pre-made Naan or flatbread, let your kids go at it with the toppings, then pop into a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes or less. Hidden veggie tip: I can get S1 to eat a lot of veggies on this pizza if I pulverize them. Customize it to your tastes— I put fresh spinach, black olives, and mushrooms in the food processor, mix with the sauce, and hide it all with a bunch of cheese. Voila!  Easy, cheesy!

Want to come back to it later? Pin it! Here’s a good image to pin to your boards to keep it all organized.

Well, that’s a wrap, friends. Happy eating! If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss a menu. If you know anyone who would enjoy these posts, please share with them using the links below!

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