Menu Plan Monday, 29 feb. - 6 mar.

I won't lie: one of the things that went out the window when I got sucked way too deep into this illness was menu planning. This meant that our nutrition went downhill too, because it meant that, as we had nothing planned, I would cook nothing and we'd make do with scraps or junk food. Thankfully, Oath had lunch (the big meal around here) at daycare, and now he's having it at kindergarten, so he did not suffer much from our bad diet. I knew that shouldn't be happening, but I had no energy to change it, so that was the state of things for about two and a half years.

I tried to start that habit again and again, but I never could keep it going for longer than a couple of weeks at a time. Partner wasn't particularly interested in helping me plan it out, and when I did he wasn't particularly interested in cooking his share, either, which coupled with my lack of motivation... well, let's say it was doomed from the beginning.

But then, I started my bullet journal.

I started it because I felt the need to do something towards organization without being too tied up to one strict method. It doesn't make much sense, I know, but it has somehow worked for me. Since then, in January, meal planning started to happen again. At first, it was slow-going, but then I found my pace and I am so glad I did! We spend much less, we eat much better, and there is less stress and frustration for all involved.

So, this week's menu plan is:

Monday:

• "A la cubana" rice
• Fish sticks + red cabbage salad 

Tuesday:

• Spaghetti carbonara
• Nachos 

Wednesday:

• Oven-baked mackerel with veggies
•  Hot-dogs

Thursday:

• Peas and ham
• Noodle soup 

Friday:

•  Mushroom and shrimp cream
• Chickpeas with "chorizo"

Saturday:

 We've planned a day-trip with Oath and his cousin/our nephew, L., so we won't have lunch at home. Probably not dinner, either.

Sunday: 

• Macaroni with tuna.
• French omelettes   

 Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie's weekly "Menu Plan Monday".

Oath's Mom

May 6th Menu plan

Hello, hello! I'm back on track.

 

Partner is not dieting this week, and Oath is already eating mostly what we do, so no need to do a different menu plan for each of us. You can't imagine how happy this makes me.

For all of us (yay!):

Monday

• Lunch: Fusilli salad
• Dinner: Puff-pastry roll

Tuesday

• Lunch: Chicken fajitas
• Dinner: Fish with caramelized onions

Wednesday

• Lunch: Vegetable soup
• Dinner: Scrambled eggs with mushrooms

Thursday

• Lunch: Pasta with tuna
• Dinner: Homemade pizza

Friday

• Lunch: Fried rice.
• Dinner: Mixed berry muffins with chocolate milk.

Saturday

• Lunch: Lunch with the in-laws.
• Dinner: Pork ribs with garlic, parsley and white vine.

Sunday

• Lunch: Pasta with bacon and cream.
• Dinner: Ramen or Leftovers, if any.

Possible breakfasts in no particular order

• 3 minute chocolate cake-in-a-cup
• Fried banana with chocolate ice-cream and drizzled raw honey
• Mixed berries and strawberry yoghurt smoothie.
• Chocolate and strawberry muffins
• Yoghurt with diced fruit
• Chocolate milk with cookies
• Puff pastry roll leftovers

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday and at Erin Branscom's Menu Monday!

Oath's Mom

April 15th Menu Plan + Baby menu plan!

It's been nearly a month since the last time I menu planned, which means I am really out of shape doing it now!

Back to basics, as I always do when I am feeling stressed (which is too often, sadly).

For me (and, sometimes, Partner):

Monday

• Lunch: Onion soup chicken drums
• Dinner: Puff-pastry roll

Tuesday

• Lunch: Chicken strogonoff + rice
• Dinner: Scrambled eggs with mushrooms

Wednesday

• Lunch: Broccoli and cauliflower with white sauce
• Dinner: Hake fillets with caramelized onions

Thursday

• Lunch: Ground beef fajitas
• Dinner: Homemade pizza

Friday

• Lunch: Pasta with tuna.
• Dinner: Roasted peppers and eggplant salad with tuna.

Saturday

• Lunch: Vegetable soup (zucchini, carrots, onion, cabbage and potato)
• Dinner: Fried rice with shrimps.

Sunday

• Lunch: Pasta with bacon and cream.
• Dinner: Ramen or Leftovers, if any.

Possible breakfasts in no particular order

• 3 minute chocolate cake-in-a-cup
• Fried banana with chocolate ice-cream and drizzled raw honey
• Mixed berries and strawberry yoghurt smoothie.
• Chocolate and strawberry muffins
• Yoghurt with diced fruit
• Chocolate milk with cookies
• Puff pastry roll leftovers

For Oath (baby menu plan):

Monday

• Mid-morning: Baked apple.
• Lunch: Chicken pieces and bread crust.
• Mid-afternoon: Baked apple, again.

Tuesday

• Mid-morning: Cereals with breastmilk
• Lunch: Chicken, onion and carrot soup with rice.
• Mid-afternoon: Pear.

Wednesday

• Mid-morning: Orange
• Lunch: Steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
• Mid-afternoon: Hake.

Thursday

• Mid-morning: Cereals with breastmilk
• Lunch: Beef, peppers, carrot, onion. Cut in small bits.
• Mid-afternoon: Apple.

Friday

• Mid-morning: Cereals with breastmilk
• Lunch: Pizza.
• Mid-afternoon: Pear.

Saturday

• Mid-morning: Cereals with breastmilk
• Lunch: Vegetable soup, without salt.
• Mid-afternoon: Banana.

Sunday

• Mid-morning: Cereals with breastmilk
• Lunch: Fish, peas and zucchini, pureed.
• Mid-afternoon: Baked apple.

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday and at Erin Branscom's Menu Monday!

Oath's Mom

March 18th Menu Plan + Baby Menu Plan

Another week is beginning, and we need a new menu plan. Last week I managed to follow it nearly every day, no scrambling without seemingly nothing to eat. I've had some tasty breakfasts, too! I never thought I would like to have breakfast (for many years, my body rejected any food that came my way the first three hours after waking up) but now it does not feel right to skip it. Everything changes, I guess.

What also changed is that we've borrowed a Babycook (today!) and now I feel the need to use it. Weaning Oath has been a difficult and emotional journey for me, but now that he does not shut his mouth tight at the first sight of a spoon and seems to be enjoying it, I think I should let go of the fear of him becoming less mine (does that make sense?) by eating solids. So, time to use the Babycook to make steaming and pureeing (if need be) easier. But I am short on ideas, so I'll add it to the menu plan. We'll see how that goes.

For me (and, sometimes, Partner):

Monday

• Lunch: Chicken fajita mix
• Dinner: Fish with caramelized onions.

Tuesday (Father's Day!)

• Lunch: Baked potatoes with seafood, bacon and salad.
• Dinner: Pizza.

Wednesday

• Lunch: Spaghetti al pesto
• Dinner: Hamburgers with salad

Thursday

• Lunch: Steamed broccoli and cauliflower, Caesar dressing and shrimps.
• Dinner: Chicken strogonoff

Friday

• Lunch: Pumpkin soup
• Dinner: Egg-plant rolls.

Saturday

• Lunch: Rice "a la cubana"
• Dinner: Puff-pastry roll

Sunday

• Lunch: Leftovers
• Dinner: Ribs with chimichurri or Soup

Possible breakfasts in no particular order

• 3 minute chocolate cake-in-a-cup
• Fried banana with chocolate ice-cream and drizzled raw honey
• Mixed berries and strawberry yoghurt smoothie.

• Chocolate and strawberry muffins

• Yoghurt with diced fruit
• Chocolate milk with cookies
• Puff pastry roll leftovers

For Oath (baby menu plan):

Monday

• Mid-morning: Cereals with breastmilk
• Lunch: Chicken, onion, carrot and red and green pepper, pureed.
• Mid-afternoon: Steamed pear and apple, mashed.

Tuesday

• Mid-morning: Cereals with breastmilk
• Lunch: Fish, peas and lettuce, pureed.
• Mid-afternoon: Mashed banana with orange juice.

Wednesday

• Mid-morning: Cereals with breastmilk
• Lunch: Beef, potato and carrot, pureed.
• Mid-afternoon: Steamed apple and banana, mashed.

Thursday

• Mid-morning: Rice with breastmilk
• Lunch: Chicken, broccoli and cauliflower, pureed.
• Mid-afternoon: Pear with breastmilk, pureed.

Friday

• Mid-morning: Cereals with breastmilk
• Lunch: Beef, pumpkin, onion and carrot, pureed.
• Mid-afternoon: Banana, by pieces.

Saturday

• Mid-morning: Cereals with breastmilk
• Lunch: Chicken, onion, carrot and red and green pepper, pureed.
• Mid-afternoon: Baked apple with orange juice, pureed.

Sunday

• Mid-morning: Rice with breastmilk
• Lunch: Fish, peas and lettuce, pureed.
• Mid-afternoon: Apple, by pieces.

Woah, planning such amount of things is hard on my poor brain! But it's over for a week now... whew!


Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday and at Erin Branscom's Menu Monday!

Oath's Mom

March 11th Menu Plan

Meal planning is taking over my life: first dinners, then added in lunch, a few weeks ago breakfasts... and now I'm thinking about planning snacks and Oath's menu. If I don't stop soon I'll end up planning everything!

But hey, if it works...

Also, I wanted to share another recipe with you, but halfway through it I forgot to keep taking pictures, so I have no pictures of the finished dish. I nearly took one of our used plates but... uh... not so nice. So it will have to wait until next time!

Monday

• Lunch: Penne with tuna.
• Dinner: Scrambled eggs with shrimps and mushrooms.

Tuesday

• Lunch: Steamed broccoli and cauliflower with cheese and cream.
• Dinner: Fried rice.

Wednesday

• Lunch: Peas with cured ham.
• Dinner: Fish with caramelized onions

Thursday

• Lunch: Spaghetti with bacon, cheese and cream.
• Dinner: Hamburgers and salad.

Friday

• Lunch: Chicken fajitas
• Dinner: Stuffed eggplants

Saturday

• Lunch: Rice "a la cubana"
• Dinner: Puff-pastry roll

Sunday

• Lunch: Leftovers. Or maybe lunch at my in-laws, it's not sure yet. (again, we're not sure when we're going to my in-law's anymore)
• Dinner: Chicken strogonoff

Possible breakfasts in no particular order

• 3 minute chocolate cake-in-a-cup
• Fried banana with chocolate ice-cream and drizzled raw honey
• Mixed berries and strawberry yoghurt smoothie.
• Eggs and bacon
• Lemon yoghurt and mandarines
• Chocolate milk with cookies
• Puff pastry roll leftovers

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday and at Erin Branscom's Menu Monday!

Oath's Mom

March 4th Menu Plan + Fried bananas recipe

Monday is here again, and we're back to being only three. So, this week I've had no help menu planning, so it's been back to my old and trusted recipes. I loved having G. around last week, and I so wish she could have stayed longer, but what can't be can't be, and I have to accept it.
Pity, because she was such a help!

I've decided to keep the "possible breakfasts" list, as I did last week, because it helped me a lot to actually eat breakfast! Also, I grabbed some dinner and snack ideas from there, so even when we felt like not following the plan, we had something loosely planned and did not have to run to the store for extras.

Monday

• Lunch: Maccarroni with beef fajita's leftover sauce.
• Dinner: Pork loin with salad.

Tuesday

• Lunch: Strogonoff chicken
• Dinner: Fish with seafood and caramelized onions.

Wednesday

• Lunch: Fried rice.
• Dinner: Mixed sandwiches (ham&cheese, Nutella)

Thursday

• Lunch: Spaghetti with bacon, cheese and cream.
• Dinner: Puff pastry roll.

Friday

• Lunch: Meat loaf.
• Dinner: Breakfast for dinner: chocolate cake-in-a-cup.

Saturday

• Lunch: Onion soup baked chicken drums.
• Dinner: Scrambled eggs with whatever I have on hand.

Sunday

• Lunch: Leftovers. Or maybe lunch at my in-laws, it's not sure yet.
• Dinner: Soup

Possible breakfasts in no particular order

• 3 minute chocolate cake-in-a-cup
• Fried banana with chocolate ice-cream and drizzled raw honey
• Mixed berries and strawberry yoghurt smoothie.
• Eggs and bacon (this is so rare around here that we're not sure we'll dare!)
• Oreo and chocolate milkshake.
• Chocolate milk and biscuits.
• Homemade lemon sponge-cake.
• Mixed berry muffins.
• "P ão de queixo" (I have the packet there, the just add water and egg kind, and I need to use it soon)

And today, as an extra and because I've been asked about it a few times, my decandent calorie-laden fried banana recipe:

For two servings (or a generous one!), you need:

• Two bananas
• 4 tsp honey
• 2 scoops ice cream (I prefer chocolate or, in second place, stracciatella, but others should work too)
• Oil to fry. I use olive oil, but any oil should work. The healthier the better, though!

Cut the bananas in half and then in half lengthwise. In a pan, heat enough oil to nearly cover each banana portion (in the photos you can see better how much; maybe a cm deep) and when it's hot, put the bananas. 

Lower to medium heat and fry for 2-3 minutes, then flip them and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes more. 

One side done, golden and crispy.

The less you cook it, the less sugar will be released; the more, the more sugar will get caramelized, so the bananas will get crispier. If you overcook them, though, they'll get soft instead of crunchy: not that they are bad this way, just harder to get out of the pan.

Chocolate and bananas go so well together.

While they are cooking, put one scoop of ice cream in a bowl. Top it with the fried bananas and drizzle a bit of honey on top. If you, like us, have raw honey that crystallizes in winter, put 4tsp or so in a microwave safe container and microwave it for 10 seconds. That should be enough.

Doesn't this honey look yummy?

 Eat fast so you can enjoy the cold and hot extra-sweet goodness.

Excuse the mediocre photo, I could barely wait to eat it.

A dollop of whipped cream on top would make it even better, but I opt to skip it so I can pretend it's a healthier dessert. What do you think? Want to try it? If you do, let me know!

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday, at the Stone Gable blog and at Erin Branscom's Menu Monday!

Oath's Mom

February 25th Menu Plan

I am back on track!

To be honest, I've had this menu planned for about a month: my little sister G. is here this week, and we decided together what we were going to eat while she stayed with us. We also included a list of breakfasts she'd like to have, and so I'll share it with you too:

Monday

• Lunch: Green beans with potato, peppers, zucchini, eggplant and tomato sauce.
• Dinner: Meat and peas pies. Typical where I am from, my grandmother sent some with C.! So good.

Tuesday

• Lunch: Macarroni with tuna, tomato and cheese.
• Dinner: Sandwiches. Both Nutella and ham&cheese ones.

Wednesday

• Lunch: Chicken fajitas.
• Dinner: Fish with onions.

Thursday

• Lunch: Rice "a la cubana" (egg, sausage, tomato sauce. She's not a fan of fried bananas)
• Dinner: "Pizza-bread". Homemade (by my grandpa!) bread slices used as pizza bases. Easy, fast, and good!

Friday

• Lunch: Burgers in buns with some extra salad.
• Dinner: Puff pastry roll. Or braid, maybe.

Saturday

• Lunch: Spaghetti with bacon
• Dinner: Scrambled eggs with shrimps and surimi

Sunday

• Lunch: Chicken Strogonoff & rice
• Dinner: Salad

Possible breakfasts in no particular order

• 3 minute chocolate cake-in-a-cup
• Fried banana with chocolate ice-cream and drizzled raw honey
• Mixed berries and strawberry yoghurt smoothie.
• Croissants.
• Eggs and bacon (this is so rare around here that we're not sure we'll dare!)
• Oreo and chocolate milkshake.
• Chocolate milk and biscuits.
• Homemade lemon sponge-cake.
• Mixed berry muffins.
• Pancakes!
• Crepes with sugar and lemon, courtesy of Partner. 

As you see, we have many more ideas for breakfast than days in the week, but it will all work out in the end (we can eat some of those as a mid-afternoon treat, can't we?)

Also, so I won't forget: I love it when somebody helps me meal plan! I can't wait until Oath is older and helps me with it (because Partner isn't much interested in it. As long as there's food on the table and it's not the same as the last day, he's fine.)

What about you? Do you prefer menu planning alone or are the other members of the family welcome to help?


Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday!

Oath's Mom

And so Wednesday came to an end...

...and Oath's mom still hadn't menu planned.

Why?

Because she was very busy counting calories.

It's true. I've embarked myself in an eating journey that it's being, among other things, very interesting and quite surprising. I don't know where it will take me, hopefully to a healthier weight. As soon as I have found my footing in this new adventure, I am going to share it with you all, because I am sure I am not alone. And no, I am not trying to loose weight. Or just eat more healthy.

I am trying to gain weight. It maybe does not sound like a big deal to you now, but it is. Being underweight can be as unhealthy as being overweight. But that's something we'll discuss another day. Now, on to the food!

Monday

• Lunch: Fried bananas with chocolate ice-cream and a drizzle of raw honey. I know, I know. I was too tired to cook, though.
• Dinner: Fajita chicken. Because Partner looked at me weird when he knew what I had for lunch, so I was trying to make up for it.

Tuesday

• Lunch: Cauliflower with cream and cheese.
• Dinner: Hot dogs. Possibly followed by a cup of chocolate milk and some biscuits.

Wednesday

• Lunch: Chickpea salad
• Dinner: Fish with onions

Thursday

• Lunch: Pasta with cheese and bacon
• Dinner: Strogonoff chicken

Friday

• Lunch: Rice with Taiwanese sauce (I should look the name up, shouldn't I?)
• Dinner: Bread with olive oil, brewer's yeast and sun-dried tomatoes.

Saturday

• Lunch: Spaghetti with bologna sauce
• Dinner: Scrambled eggs with shrimps and surimi

Sunday

• Lunch: Fried rice
• Dinner: Roasted peppers with tuna

Have you noticed that I am repeating past week's menus a lot? That's because lately I am not able to stick to the plan at all, so dishes get from one week to another to another without actually being cooked. Which, I have to admit, saves me time planning, but makes me feel kind of unsuccessful.
Oh, well. As long as I am eating well and enough...!

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday and at Erin Branscom Menu Monday link-up.

Oath's Mom

Menu plan 02/11

Here I am again!

I skipped another week but, thankfully, things didn't go too bad. We've eaten every day, mostly healthy food, with some scrambling the days that Oath refused to follow any kind of routine. Ah, that boy, he's stubborn! I'm afraid, though, that for the menus to really work for us, I'd have to go deeper and plan them in a completely different way. But not this week. This week the kid and the kid's room have me so tired that I can barely think straight. So a regular old menu plan it is.

Monday

• Lunch: Pasta with tuna
• Dinner: Oven chicken drums with onion soup

Tuesday

• Lunch: Rice "a la cubana" (tomato sauce, fried eggs, sausages, fried banana. Yum!).
• Dinner: Fish with caramelized onions

Wednesday

• Lunch: Chickpea salad
• Dinner: Pizza-ed bread slices

Thursday

• Lunch: Pasta with cheese and bacon
• Dinner: Strogonoff chicken

Friday

• Lunch: Cauliflower and cabbage cream
• Dinner: Rice with Taiwanese sauce

Saturday

• Lunch: Beef fajitas
• Dinner: Caesar Salad

Sunday

• Lunch: Spaghetti with bologna sauce
• Dinner: Spanish omelette

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie and at Erin Branscom link-up!.

Oath's Mom

That thing I used to do on Mondays

Have I ever told you that I am not good at cooking for one? Well, just in case I haven't: I am not good at cooking for one. Not even at meal planning just for one. And, if that one is me, all the worse.

Partner is dieting again (or, now that we're two weeks into it and I've seen it work, I should rather say "eating better and healthier than me") so I am quite lost on the eating department.

You see, I am one of the (un)lucky people that do not have much hunger. I crave some things sometimes (mostly Nutella, to be honest), and there's food I like and I don't mind eating. But I don't like eating per se. I can skip meals without a second though, I can even forget that I am supposed to have those meals. This, and the fact that even when I eat much I do not gain weight easily, end up in the fact that I am underweight. And breastfeeding. So I am rapidly spiralling down and loosing too many pounds, too fast, when I should be gaining them. Damn.

So, I can't follow along Partner's diet, because I need carbs to (at least) maintain my weight. I even need junk food (note that junk food for me is, basically, Nutella sandwiches, boxed juices, soda and chips, not "real" junk food) to try to gain a bit.

But, at the very least, what I need is to suck it up, meal plan and follow the plan alone. Even if I don't like to.

Monday

• Lunch: Farfalle with bacon, cheese and Caesar salad dressing
• Dinner: Ham and cheese puff-pastry roll

Tuesday

• Lunch: Rice with a "Taiwanese beef noodle sauce that I don't know the name of".
• Dinner: Fish with caramelized onions

Wednesday

• Lunch: Meatballs with mashed potatos
• Dinner: Chicken fajitas

Thursday

• Lunch: Pasta with tuna
• Dinner: Homemade cheeseburgers

Friday

• Lunch: Vegetables cream (possible brocoly, yuck, but I need to eat veggies too!)
• Dinner: Ramen (with an extra egg, and maybe some Taiwanese sauce).

Saturday

• Lunch: Chickpea salad
• Dinner: Oven chicken drums with onion soup.

Sunday

• Lunch: Homemade roasted pepper pizza
• Dinner: Fish and cheese sticks, and salad

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie and at Erin Branscom link-up!.

Oath's Mom

No menu plan for Christmas

Not a real one, at least.

I've been having some busy weeks (and still haven't done much Christmas shopping... I fail completely at this. I am thankful Oath is young enough that he won't notice it much this year.) with all the studying and preparing of presentations. Oath has been cranky all week, too (he's got his first tooth! I'd be cranky too.), so everything in the house has been put on hold, so it is a huge mess. It would be after the holidays, anyway (we're going home again to spend the new year with my family), so I don't mind much. I'll survive. We will survive.

And I'll get to start again (again!) when I come back mid-January.

Monday 24

• Lunch: Pasta & tuna. Fast and easy!
• Dinner: At my in-law's. I've heard something about sirloin... pity I don't really like meat.

Tuesday 25

• Lunch: At my in-law's again. Some kind of chicken stew. I'm in for a difficult Christmas food-wise, it seems.
• Dinner: Sandwiches (probably I'll be cooking just for myself, we'll see)

Wednesday 26

• Lunch: Green beans with prosciutto.
• Dinner: Soup

Thursday 27

• Lunch: Probably eating at the airport, or maybe not eating at all (I know how traveling alone with Oath is, and he does not make it easy!)
• Dinner: I'll be home! I don't know what will we eat, but mom will cook, and that is always nice.

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie!.

Oath's Mom

Menu Plan Monday: first week of December

Ah... December. This month has sneaked up on me, leaving me all dumbfounded when I realized November was over. As in *really* over. Somehow, even with all the writing of NaNoWriMo, I hadn't assumed that the month was over yet.

But December is here, a month of buying presents (why didn't I do it before?), being with family, handing in papers, trying to deep clean again so I can start the new year in a clean house... With all that, a menu plan is in order if I want to achieve anything:

Monday

• Lunch: Spaghetti with bacon
• Dinner: Ham and cheese puff-pastry roll

Tuesday

• Lunch:  Pumpkin cream
• Dinner: Fish with caramelized onions

Wednesday

• Lunch: Fried rice
• Dinner: Chicken soup

Thursday

• Lunch: Fajitas
• Dinner: Nachos

Friday

• Lunch: Stuffed eggplant/zucchini/potatoes
• Dinner: Ramen

Saturday

• Lunch: Going to in-law's
• Dinner: Sushi

Sunday

• Lunch: Penne with tuna and tomato
• Dinner: Sausages with mashed potatoes

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie and at Erin Branscom link-up!.

Oath's Mom

Menu plan Monday

We totally didn't follow our menu plan last week, but having it planned made such a big difference. This week will probably be no different

So:

Monday

• Lunch: Pizza
• Dinner: Leftovers

Tuesday

• Lunch:  Spaghetti with bacon
• Dinner: Pork "aux fines herbes" and french fries

Wednesday

• Lunch: Chicken fajitas
• Dinner: Sea-food "raoles"

Thursday

• Lunch: Stuffed eggplant/zucchini/potatoes
• Dinner: Nachos

Friday

• Lunch: Fried rice
• Dinner: Probably ramen, as Partner is not home and cooking for one is "bleh".

Saturday

• Lunch: Penne with tuna and tomato
• Dinner: Fish with caramelized onions

Sunday

• Lunch: Vinegar and honey ribs
• Dinner: Chicken soup

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie and at Erin Branscom link-up!.

Oath's Mom

Menu Plan Monday... on nearly a Tuesday

Menu planning comes late this week, but only because we haven't been home since Friday, and the menus planned for the weekend have been reorganized for this week's beginning. Some are still carried over in this plan.

Anyway, that's what we have eaten today and we'll eat the rest of the week:

Monday

• Lunch: Lentil soup
• Dinner: Chocolate milk and nutella sandwiches (mom needs comfort food!)

Tuesday

• Lunch:  "Fabada" (white beans soup/stew/thingie. My mother in law brought it to us today.)
• Dinner: Chicken nuggets and french fries

Wednesday

• Lunch: Fried rice
• Dinner: Sea-food "raoles"

Thursday

• Lunch: Spaghetti with bacon
• Dinner: Puff pastry cheese-and-ham braid

Friday

• Lunch: Chicken fajitas
• Dinner: Nachos

Saturday

• Lunch: Pasta with tuna and tomato
• Dinner: Fish with caramelized onions

Sunday

• Lunch: Vinegar and honey ribs
• Dinner: Leftovers or stuffed eggplants (depending on how many leftovers there are)

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Oath's Mom

Menu Plan Monday: doomed to fail

Last night, as Oath fell asleep early and kept sleeping until feed time, I took a moment to get back on menu planning. It was harder than expected, as we had gone grocery shopping on Friday and I am used to buy according to the plans, not the other way around. Anyway, I managed.

And this morning, when I was announcing what I was going to cook for lunch...

"Oh, by the way, I am going to skip eating carbs again"

Hello Mr. Partner. And oh, by the way, couldn't you have told me yesterday?

So, this weeks menu plan is doomed to fail, one way or another: either he skips most carbs (and so we end up following another completely different menu plan) or I trump his dieting efforts (which is not nice).
We should find a middle ground, don't you think?

Anyway, that's what I planned:

Monday

• Lunch: Rice "a la cubana"
• Dinner: Fish with shrimp and caramelized onions, and garlic bread as a side

Tuesday

• Lunch:  Sausahes and mashed potatoes
• Dinner: Burgers

Wednesday

• Lunch: Spaghetti carbonara
• Dinner: Sea-food "raoles"

Thursday

• Lunch: Chick-peas with chorizo
• Dinner: Soup and chicken nuggets

Friday

• Lunch: Beef fajitas
• Dinner: Noodles

Saturday

• Lunch: Pasta with tuna and tomato
• Dinner: Puff pastry cheese and ham braid

Sunday

• Lunch: Fried rice
• Dinner: Vinegar and honey chicken legs

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Oath's Mom

Menu plan Monday again, finally!

I had certainly fallen off the wagon with meal planning too, hadn't I? All the changes that Oath is going through (like any other baby) throw me off a loop and I have a hard time picking myself back up and get going. Lets try again.

The diet menu did not work, mostly because Partner was so stressed he could not and would not cook his meaty meals, so it was left to me and... well... when I see blood on the meat I can't help but cringe, and he was fed up with chicken and does not like pork, so...

Anyway, we'll try again when he's mustered the willpower again. That means no diet meal plan this week. Instead, we'll have the usual dishes with some new recipes I want to try:

Monday

• Lunch: Beef fajitas
• Dinner: Honey and vinegar chicken legs

Tuesday

• Lunch: Chick-pea salad
• Dinner: Hamburgers

Wednesday

• Lunch:  Spaghetti carbonara
• Dinner: Fish with shrimp and caramelized onions

Thursday

• Lunch: Sea-food "raoles"
• Dinner: Sausages and mashed potatoes

Friday

• Lunch: Chicken strogonoff with rice
• Dinner: Soup or leftovers

Saturday

• Lunch: Pasta with tuna and tomato
• Dinner: Puff pastry cheese and ham braid

Sunday

• Lunch: Meatballs
• Dinner: Stuffed potatoes

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Oath's Mom

After vacation menu plan

After all those weeks not thinking (much) about menus, it has been a bit harder to plan this one. If you add that Partner has decided to start a pseudo-diet today (which includes more meat and less carbs, and tries to remove most carbs from dinner), I am a bit insecure of how this week will work out.

But we have to try, right?

Right.

Monday

• Lunch: Sausages with mashed potatoes, topped with cheese
• Dinner: Soup

Tuesday

• Lunch: Chicken strogonoff
• Dinner: Ham and cheese omelettes

Wednesday

• Lunch:  Spaghetti carbonara
• Dinner: Vegetable cream

Thursday

• Lunch: Lentil soup
• Dinner: Hamburguers

Friday

• Lunch: Rice "a la cubana"
• Dinner: Scallops and squid

Saturday

• Lunch: Lunch with inlaws
• Dinner: Mini pizzas

Sunday

• Lunch: Pasta bolognesa
• Dinner: Fish with shrimps and caramelized onions

I've never planned a "diet" menu before, have you? Was it easier or harder? Any tips you can share?

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Oath's Mom

An ideal menu plan

I should have posted this yesterday, I know, but I was busy assembling a crib and then discovering I do not have sheets of the size I need for it. But we're a family of great improvisers, so a solution was found and Oath slept in his co-sleeper crib for the first night (or, truth be told, the first half night: I missed him and did not put him back in after the second feeding).

So, menu planning.

Last week I did not follow my plan at all, only on Monday and even then only half of it. We did not buy groceries, so there wasn't what I needed to cook, so I just resorted to using what was in the pantry. The result? Very crappy meals, indeed.

Tomorrow we leave on vacation, so there's no need to plan meals. I will, however, share with you what would be my ideal meal plan, as in a meal plan that has all the meals that I love.

Monday - Home food

• Lunch: "Salpicón" (Octopus salad)
• Dinner: Ratatouille with pork chops

Tuesday - Easy food

• Lunch: Spaghetti with bacon, onion and egg
• Dinner: Honey and vinegar ribs

Wednesday - Asian food

• Lunch:  Sushi
• Dinner: Spicy soup and dumplings

Thursday - Hindu food

• Lunch: Paneer naan (I need nothing more, yum!)
• Dinner: Basmati rice and chicken jalfrezi

Friday - Partner's food

• Lunch: "Tortilla española" (potato and onion omelette)
• Dinner: Mushroom lasagna

Saturday - Grandma's food

• Lunch: Meat and peas pies
• Dinner: Roasted pork

Sunday - Mom's food

• Lunch: Snails (I know it sounds gross, but I LOVE them)
• Dinner: Chicken soup

Any foods you love that gross out others? I've had my share of shocked stares when I mention the snails and the octopus!

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Oath's Mom

Food for a longer week

This past week the menu has gotten changed and moved around a lot, which means that we didn't eat some of the dishes. Which is all good, really, because we hadn't gone grocery shopping so part of the food wasn't in my fridge or pantry.

This week I'll plan till the end of the month (that is, Tuesday after the next), because then we go on vacation (back to my homeland!) and it wouldn't make much sense to menu plan next week just for two days.

So, this week-and-a-bit's meal plan in our home is:

Monday

• Lunch: Soup
• Dinner: Fish sticks with baked potatoes

Tuesday

• Lunch: Sausages over mashed potatoes, grated.
• Dinner: Fajitas

Wednesday

• Lunch:  Cheese and ham omelettes
• Dinner: Honey and vinegar ribs

Thursday

• Lunch: Caesar salad
• Dinner: Rice "a la cubana" (with tomato sauce, fried eggs, sausages and banana)

Friday

• Lunch: Chick pea salad
• Dinner: "Frutti di mare" fried noodles

Saturday

• Lunch: Lunch with the in-laws (if not, move Sunday's lunch here)
• Dinner: Stuffed baked potatoes

Sunday

• Lunch: Rice and chicken curry
• Dinner: Braided pizza

Monday

• Lunch: Sandwiches
• Dinner: Ratatouille with fried fish

Tuesday

• Lunch: Lasagna
• Dinner: Scrambled eggs with vegetables and bacon

Linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Oath's Mom

Some days I'd rather not eat...

...so I could pass without cooking.

The truth, though, is that I need to eat, and Partner too, so I have to cook everyday. Luckily, Oath is breastfeeding, so I do not have to prepare any bottles and keep track of how much formula is left on top of everything else. But it is hard to find the time and motivation to cook when you would rather sit down for a minute when the baby sleeps! Specially, when you have to do it twice a day because lunch is the big hearty meal, and dinner is around when Partner comes back from work, exhausted and hungry. No way I can sneak regularly an easy dish (like soup, or instant noodles)! If I had to think what to cook I am sure we would end up eating out far more than our budget allows, and then there would be problems.
This leads clearly to one thing: menu planning.

I started some months ago, when I still had time to cook, but was lazy enough that thinking what to cook was a hassle I did not want to go through twice a day. Menu planning allowed me to stress myself with that only once a week, and also helped cut drastically on the amount spent on groceries and restaurants. I did not expect it, to be honest, but it was like magic. Suddenly everything was better: the kitchen was less messy, we weren't spending as much, we did not fight over who got to decide, it was easier to follow a healthier diet...
Well, there's no need to tell you all who are menu planning all the ways it can change our lives. And to those who still haven't tried it... you just need to know that it makes living easier, in many ways. Go for it and you'll see.

So, this week's meal plan in our house is:

Monday

• Lunch: Cold potato salad
• Dinner: Fusilly with tuna and tomato sauce

Tuesday

• Lunch: Sausages over mashed potatoes, grated.
• Dinner: Hake fillets with caramelized onions

Wednesday

• Lunch:  Cheese and ham omelettes
• Dinner: Chicken strogonoff

Thursday

• Lunch: Caesar salad
• Dinner: "Frutti di mare" fried noodles
  

Friday

• Lunch: Honey and vinegar ribs
• Dinner: Nachos
  

Saturday

• Lunch: Lunch with the in-laws (if not, move Sunday's lunch here)
• Dinner: Homemade pizza

Sunday

• Lunch: Rice "a la cubana" (with tomato sauce, fried eggs, sausages and banana)
• Dinner: Fish sticks and baked potatoes

Check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for more on menu planning (and much more!): it was one of the sites that helped me start menu planning, and it can help you too if you want to start.

Oath's Mom