I have started doing a new exercise and nutrition plan and it's made most of my meals super simple as I'm basically eating the same thing each day. But dinner is another story! I don't know about you guys but deciding what to make for dinner is the worst part of making dinner! So I've decided that we're going to have the same 14 dinners and just rotate them throughout the summer. This will substantially cut down on the brain power for deciding what's for dinner, what I need to shop for, and what I need to prep for the upcoming week. This will be the first week of doing this so I can't tell you how well it's going to work but I'm excited for it! In the fall, winter, and spring we'll pick new dinners so we won't get bored.
Breakfasts
I do not follow my meal plan for breakfast day by day. What I like to do is make sure I have the items on hand to make the different breakfasts listed. We have 15 laying chickens and are getting around a dozen eggs a day so eggs are ALWAYS for breakfast. I make waffles, muffins and french toast on my "Baking Saturdays" after checking our stock in the freezer. I've been using THIS recipe to make yogurt and Our Best Bite's cinnamon rolls recipe.
Lunches
Lunch is the same as breakfast in that we don't necessarily follow this meal plan but I have the supplies on hand. I make our bread using a DealsToMeals recipe. I love this bread recipe! I can grind whole wheat and make whole wheat bread. I can use white flour and make white bread. I can either make 4, 2, or 1 loaf at a time and it always turns out!
Dinners
Monday: Salad made from romaine, iceberg, and spinach greens. Toppings include cubed ham, hardboiled eggs, peas, cheese, croutons, and ranch dressing. We buy whole hams from Costco for $2.89/lb and can slice it for lunchmeat, or cube it for salads and pasta. The chickens are laying a ton of eggs right now so using hardboiled eggs at dinnertime is a win! BONUS salads are on my nutrition plan and everyone likes it.
Tuesday: I bought flour tortillas when they were on sale for 79 cents a package and froze them. They thaw wonderfully. We have canned refried beans (I've tried to make them from scratch and they have yet to turn out for me - please share your tried and true recipes!) that I'll mix with homemade taco seasoning. Top with cheese and cook. I may do this on the grill to not heat up the house.
Taco Seasoning
1 T flour
1 T chili powder
1 T paprika
3/4 t salt
3/4 t minced onion
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t sugar
1/8 t oregano
Wednesday: This is a family favorite and takes use of the ham from Costco. The name came from my Mom using spinach egg noodles to make the dish. I now use whatever pasta we have on hand. I've had a bunch of evaporated milk leftover from purchasing it during caselot before I really knew how to shop for our food storage. I'm down to my last can! I purchased the parmesan cheese at Costco when it was on sale for a better price per ounce than generic.
Green Eggs & Ham
16 oz pasta (Fettuccine traditionally)
1 C cubed ham
1 C sour cream
1 C whipping cream (I use evap milk)
1/2 C parm cheese
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Mix remaining ingredients. Drain pasta and toss with sauce mixture. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Thursday: I'll make taco meat by browning ground turkey (I can get it $1.99/lb or less) and mixing in a can of kidney beans. I make our own taco seasoning.
Taco Seasoning
1 T flour
1 T chili powder
1 T paprika
3/4 t salt
3/4 t minced onion
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t sugar
1/8 t oregano
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. In large skillet, brown 1 pound ground turkey until crumbly; drain fat. Add taco seasoning and 2/3 C water; mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil: reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Friday: I'm going to make the dough for our pizza. I still need to compare prices and see if buying pepperoni whole at Costco and then slicing it will be cheaper than buying it pre-sliced. I have mozzarella in the freezer purchased at $2.50/lb or less. I'll also make the pizza sauce. We'll be making these on the grill to not heat up the house.
Saturday: One of my favorite meals. I love breakfast food. We'll definitely have eggs, but also some kind of breakfast meat, hashbrowns, pancakes or french toast. Whatever it is- - it'll be delicious!
Sunday: I'll make our pork roast in the crock pot. I have an instant pot but the roast never turns out as delicious. I sear the roast on all sides in a pan before adding it to the crockpot with 1 cup of water. Verdicts still out on whether we're going to go savory or spicy with the roast! Absolutely will be serving this will mashed potatoes and vegetables. Maybe some homemade rolls depending on how ambitious I feel!
What are you eating this week?
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