I typically start a new "week" on Fridays because this is when the husband's work begins their work week. So many times, we think of Fridays as Mondays around here. I know....that's pretty awful. Fridays are CLEARLY not Mondays. However, since the husband and I work most weekends, we've found that this way of thinking works for us and my menu planning is no different! Just do what works best for you.
This week I'm planning 6 meals, 2 breakfasts and 2 desserts. Normally I only do one dessert but I was working on a new recipe for cobbler so I planned another one just in case the new cobbler recipe was a total disaster. Here we go!
Evening Meals
- The Pioneer Woman's Au Grain Potatoes. Alright, so I make scalloped potatoes THE EXACT SAME WAY except that I layer in the white sauce between the potatoes. However, these au gratin potatoes are made even easier by just cutting up the potatoes into chunks and pouring the sauce over the top. Serve with a big salad or oven roasted veggies and you've got a great and easy meal!
- Crock pot Vegetarian Chili and Grandma Janice's Mexican cornbread. The crock pot recipe is new but the cornbread recipe is a family favorite. Sorry folks- it's a secret recipe!
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| Photo Courtesy of TriedandTasty.com |
- Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas with Spanish Rice. The kiddo LOVES "Taco Tuesday" so I try my best to make a yummy Mexican dish on Tuesdays. This week, I'll be making up a double batch of these healthy enchiladas and popping the second pan in the freezer for another night. Since our schedule is much slower in the summer time, it's a great opportunity for me to build up my freezer stockpile! *Please note, this is a personal recipe of mine that I have yet to post to the blog. I will update here once it's up!
- Mini Lentil Shepard's Pies. Another original recipe that I will do my best to put up this week. These are SO simple and ridiculously cute! If you can make a shepards pie, you can make this! Just substitute your meat for lentils- that's it! Here's a photo to give you an idea of how simple these are to make. I'll prep my crust a day ahead of time and then when it's time to assemble, just pull it out of the fridge and roll out. You can also make your mashed potatoes a day or two ahead as well. Easy Peasy!
Photo Courtesy of Tablespoon.com - Kale Pesto Pasta and salad. This was on my menu last week however the kiddo wasn't feeling well, so I subbed out this pesto pasta with a plain Orzo and Veggie Soup. So I've still got all this kale to use up!
You can easily make this pesto ahead of time
for a quick & healthy weeknight meal! - Cauliflower Fried "Rice" bowls. Cauliflower is perhaps the most wonderful veggie of all! Did you know that it can make a fake "Alfredo" sauce, a base for a cheese sauce, works great as "taco meat" and now....well, now you can use it to make fried rice! Add in a ton of veggies to your cauliflower rice and it's a guilt free meal. Seriously- it's just all veggies!
Photo Courtesy TheKitchn.com
Breakfasts
- Pancakes and fresh fruit. I will mix up a HUGE batch of pancakes in my super large mixing bowl and then whenever the kiddo wants a pancake in the morning, he'll just pull out the bowl, stir it up and pour it into the pan. Super easy!
- Strawberry Banana Bread Muffins. These are made with yogurt to reduce the sugar content and I'm going to try making them with my frozen bananas since I seriously have a butt load of them!
Photo Courtesy Juliasalbum.com
Misc
- Roasted Garlic Parmesan Hummus. This week I'm trying out a new recipe in the hopes that I can convert the husband to loving the hummus. He likes my black bean hummus but let's be honest- it's not a true hummus since it doesn't have tahini. I've made a few other dishes from this site so I'm excited to give this snack a try!
- Blueberry Peach Cobbler. I posted above about working on a new cobbler recipe, well this is the final result. The husband has labeled it "damn good" and I'm pretty impressed with my awesome self. It turned out great!
- Brownies. I am on the eternal quest to find THE PERFECT brownie recipe. It took me years upon years to find the best chocolate cake recipe so now I've moved on to finding just the right brownie recipe. This one is pretty close. I do not make with the frosting and just sprinkle the M&M's right on the top before baking. If anyone has a favorite brownie recipe to share, I'd love that!
Photo Courtesy AverieCooks.com
Ok guys, that concludes this week's menu. Have you been following along the previous weeks? Given any of the dishes a try? I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments!
