Cold Plate Dinners

The hot days are getting closer and sometimes we just need a quick and easy meal for dinner. I love the idea of cold plate dinners because most of them can be prepared ahead of time, thinking of my Meal Prep Mondays, and then easily plated when dinner time rolls around.

I loved the idea of the cold plate special when I worked at a little diner because it was something I could actually help with very easily and I got really good at making the plates look very nice. I think these would be great to prepare in advance for the Sabbath as well!

Continue reading “Cold Plate Dinners”

Put your Meal Planning on Auto-Pilot with the Perpetual Meal Plan for Winter – FREE Printables! (Updated)

Yay! I did it… my first big project of the year. I actually finished the Meal Plan that I’ve been working on and I wanted to share it with you. I know it’s not perfect and I’m sure there will be some changes made to it but it’s a place to start and I’m happy with that. These were inspired by The Dinner Calendar written by Fannie Merritt Farmer in 1915 but they have some modern recipes, most of which can be found on the blog. I love that I can pull/print recipes one time and be able to use them again and again over the next few months! The kids are also working on a list of muffins, oatmeal, quick bread, cookie, and dessert recipes as an add-on to this meal plan.

Why plan for the week or month when you could plan for the years to come all at one time? We have been using this for a week or so now and it has helped tremendously! I’ve also been able to simplify my Cozi calendar by using this meal planner… so nice!


Continue reading “Put your Meal Planning on Auto-Pilot with the Perpetual Meal Plan for Winter – FREE Printables! (Updated)”

Holiday Meal Planning Made Easy With The Deck The Freezer Party!

As you all probably know I am a big fan of Meal Planning here at our home. We stay so busy and we are constantly on the go so it can be hard to figure out the ‘What’s for dinner?’ question every single day. I have found it so helpful to have a stash of freezer meals on hand for those super BUSY nights and when I saw this Deck the Freezer Party pop up in my email I was so excited that I just had to share!

I know that even though our schedules are already BUSY things always seem to get busier around the holidays… and this year will be NO EXCEPTION as we are preparing for OUR NEW HOME, which has had yet another delay… y’all please say a prayer that I don’t lose my sanity over here!

On top of all of that NONSENSE, I know we will have a lot of planning, crafting, and baking going on for the HOLIDAYS. I also planned to host a Polar Express Party in our new home but it is looking like we might not be able to do that either… I am seriously about to cry because I really want to do this again.

One thing I won’t need to cry about is what we will be having for dinner. I just downloaded the FREE Meal Plan and boy do is it look good! I will probably add a few more recipes to my list because we have a lot of people to feed and a lot of busy days ahead but this party is going to be a great way to get started!

 

What are you waiting for?

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I know I’ll feel good knowing that I have some healthy meals ready to go because during the hustle and bustle of the holidays it can cause us to throw out meal plans out the window and we may find that we are eating more fast-food which is not good for our budgets or our health. That’s where this Deck the Freezer Party comes in to save the holidays and make things a little less stressful!

What will you get?

When you sign up for the Deck the Freezer Party you will get a meal plan, recipes, shopping list and everything you need to prepare up to 6 freezer meals for those busy holiday nights.

The party begins on November 4th, so be sure to sign up for the Deck the Freezer Party today. I hope to see you there!


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 **This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. If you happen to click through a link and make a purchase we may earn a teensy-weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission. This means that we can keep bringing you great recipes, ideas, and tips for FREE! Click HERE for a full disclaimer.

 –Thank you!

Chicken Bacon Avocado Wraps

These things are amazing and good for you too! You could add a variety of other things to them but they are so easy and simple to make I’m sure they’ll be added to our menu plans on a regular basis. This recipe is for one to two people but can easily be doubled or tripled to fit your family.

You can prep a lot of these ahead of time to make these super easy to throw together. These also work great for any meal or as a quick snack when you need a little boost. Continue reading “Chicken Bacon Avocado Wraps”

Meal Plan: June 30 – July 6, 2019

This is our basic meal plan for the week. Sometimes we will switch the days around if I forgot to set something out or put something in the crockpot. Please feel free to use this or change it around to suit your family’s needs.

I have started trying to do easier meals on days that I have square dancing obligations. This helps me to be able to put a nice meal on the table without feeling guilty about having some much needed ‘Mommy Time’. Some of these meals may also help with those that have busy or irregular schedules due to work or extracurricular activities.

I do have ‘Snacks/Desserts’ listed as well. I always try to keep a bowl of fresh fruit out on the counter or table for the kids to snack on. Sometimes I will make a special snack or treat for us to enjoy.

We have also been using the Trim Healthy Mama books to try to convert some of our favorite recipes to be healthier. Meal planning really does help keep this tired Momma from completely losing her sanity. It also helps when I can quickly locate the recipe and ingredients I need for grocery lists and meal prep. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the supplements and such that we are using. You can always buy them a few at a time or many of them can be substituted or even omitted, if necessary.

Some recipes are from the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and the  Trim Healthy Mama’s Trim Healthy Table. These will have a link to the product on Amazon as I can not post the recipes online without prior permission. In many cases, I have tried to tweak our recipe to be more in line with THM but I can’t guarantee that they would be 100% on the plan but I can say that they are healthier than their previous versions.

I do still have a lot of recipes that I need to convert so this will be a bit of a process for us as well. Some recipes are better as they are and we will try to make them work as best we can. I know the kids need a few extra calories and nutrients so we do usually have a few extras (like bread and rolls) that us grown-ups will need to exercise caution with but other than that it has been pretty easy to follow along with this plan so far.

I know the THM plan says that you may not see any weight loss at first but that your body will be healing from the inside. I know that we are eating much healthier than we were before and I’ll try to be content knowing that we are getting healthier one meal at a time.

I also love to utilize the grocery pickup services from Walmart and Sam’s Club not to mention that Amazon Prime Deliveries can make life so much easier as well.

Scroll to the bottom of the page for Meal Prep Ideas to make this week a little easier.


Sunday 

Breakfast:

Banana Crumb Muffins or Banana Nut Muffin (S) p. 277

Scrambled eggs

Lunch:

Super Simple Egg Salad with or without bread

Sliced Cucumbers

Dinner: ++

King Ranch Cauliflower Chicken

Green Beans

Baked corn tortilla chips

Snacks/Desserts:

Popcorn

Fruit


Monday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and the  Trim Healthy Mama’s Trim Healthy Table both have some great ideas for cereal alternatives you can make at home.

Lunch:

Scrambled Egg Sandwiches w/Cheese

Veggies

Dinner: ++

Creamless Creamy Chicken Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook p. 78

Rice

Pan Fried Green Beans

**(This is usually a fairly quick meal to put together as we have a class/dance in the evening)

Snacks/Desserts:

Fruit

Cookies (** I will try to make a few extra to take along for refreshments at the dance.)


Tuesday

Breakfast:

French Toast

Lunch:

Soup

Oven Toasted Cheese Sandwiches

Dinner: ++

Upside-Down Meatloaf

Super Yummy Caulitaters

Salad

Snacks/Desserts:

Boiled Eggs

Fruit


Wednesday

Breakfast:

Basic Muffins or Blueberry Muffins with Lemon Glosting (S) p. 364

Lunch:

PB & J sandwiches – Use the Peanut Junkie Butter recipe (FP) p. 481

Fruit

Dinner: ++

Poppy Seed Chicken

Brown Rice

Veggies

Rolls w/butter (As long as you aren’t on the weight loss plan. I am working on a few bread recipes because I know it is one of the hardest things for me to give up.)

Snacks/Desserts:

Muffins

Fruit


Thursday

Breakfast:

Protein Power Pancakes (3 variations) or Trim Healthy Pancakes or Waffles (E) p. 259

Blueberry Syrup (with healthier options) or Pancake Syrup (FP) p. 480

Lunch:

Leftovers

Dinner: ++

Free Day (July 4th)

**Cook extra for tomorrow

Snacks/Desserts:

Holiday Themed dessert

Fruit


Friday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and the  Trim Healthy Mama’s Trim Healthy Table both have some great ideas for cereal alternatives you can make at home.

Lunch:

Tuna Salad Sandwiches w/or without the bread

Veggies

Dinner: ++

Leftovers

**(This is usually a fairly quick meal to put together as we have a class/dance in the evening)

Snacks/Desserts:

Cookies (** I will try to make a few extra to take along for refreshments at the dance.)

Fruit


Saturday

Breakfast:

PB Toast w/ Fruit

-or-

Stuffed Mushroom Omelet

Super Simple Sauteed Spinach

Lunch:

Hot Dogs

Veggies

Dinner: ++

Breakfast for dinner

Snacks/Desserts:

Banana Splits

Fruit

++I have a few kids who seem to be going through growth spurts right now and are always HUNGRY. I have been keeping a pot of beans, blackeyed peas, or another vegetable as a side. I also have been buying a few extra snacks like fruit, veggies, yogurt, etc. 


Meal Prep Ideas

You could also mix up the pancake and muffin batters the night before to make your mornings a bit easier.


**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy-weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.

 –Thank you!