Menu Plan Monday 5 - Week of August 15, 2011

This is what our family will be eating this week:

Special Notes: I recently signed up for "The Six O'Clock Scramble," which is a service you pay for that suggests a weekly menu. I like it because you can modify each week's menu according to your family's dietary needs and it helps me to expand my repertoire of dinners. One of the best features is the shopping list. Every ingredient is marked with a key that identifies which meal or side dish the ingredient is meant for. That way, if you are whizzing through the market with small children on the verge of an unexpected meltdown, you can quickly edit the list (in your mind) for the critical items you need for that night's meal, or the next few nights' meals instead of the whole week. Also, if you are a multiple location shopper, like me, you can easily figure out whether or not you have enough ingredients from one store to complete the meal. 

Monday: Black Bean Burgers (The Six O'Clock Scramble) with a side of sauteed yams and corn.


Tuesday: Honey Sesame Spaghetti (The Six O'Clock Scramble)

Wednesday: Black Bean, Fennel and Tomato Stew (The Six O'Clock Scramble)


Thursday: Moo Shu Vegetable Wraps (The Six O'Clock Scramble)

Friday: Apple Bacon Cheddar Frittata (The Six O'Clock Scramble)

Saturday: Coconut Chicken with Mango (The Six O'Clock Scramble)

Sunday: Leftovers (The Six O'Clock Scramble)



Further Inspiration:
Looking for more menu planning ideas? Check out "Meal Plan Monday" on OrgJunkie.com.


Info on Who I Feed:

Our family consists of myself, my husband, our preschool daughter and toddler son. Everyone has different food preferences. I love onions, garlic and peppers and flavors like stir-fries. I'm not fond of meat, but eat it sparingly. I don't ever eat pork (no, not even bacon), lamb, rabbit or veal. I love carbs. My husband is directly opposite - no garlic, onions or peppers, lots of meat. Our children fall in the range between us. 


I try to be budget-minded and healthful, but some weeks are easier than others. Every now and then I get on a diet type of kick. I'm going to label each week's meal plan according to the overall healthfulness of it. 


At the end of the week, I will make notes about whether or not we stuck to the plan, adaptations and how the meal went over.

Freshening Up Our Toddler Snacks

Here's a word you hear all too often as a parent: "snacks," or "'nacks" as my son says it. On the one hand, I think it's adorable how my son says it and how my two little ones light up with delight at the sheer prospect of something as simple as "snack time." On the other hand, I cringe almost every time snack time rolls around because we're definitely stuck in a rut.

My son will eat blueberries until his poops are blue, literally. Both of them will knock back peanut-butter pretzels, cheddar bunnies, raisins or cut up apples, but that sort of brings us to the end of the line. We need more snacks to choose from!!!

This is especially important because my two year old essentially lives on snacks. G-d forbid the boy would deign to eat more than a single bite of a meal, especially dinner. Tell him something is a "snack" though and he'll power it back!

I've been troving for snack ideas and came across a few really good ones. Wholesome Toddler Food lists some great ideas like Energy Balls with grated carrots, yogurt cereal bars and baked apples with muesli.
This site, Alli 'n Son, lists waffle sandwiches as a lunch idea, but I think it would make an equally good snack. Also, I like the simplicity of the idea of Kix and raisins as a to-go snack that's listed on the "Snacks for Toddlers" site.

Do you have any other ideas?

Taco Tuesday, July 20

Tacos work great as a family food because my children get a thrill out of "making" their own tacos - adding all the condiments on top.

Tonight's variety was ground turkey breast with raisins, a mix of the Whole Foods organic southwest seasoning and Bearitos' regular seasoning, along with shoepeg corn and black beans. For toppers we had peach salsa, avocado, onions, cheese and tomatoes.

Miniature Shepherd's Pies

I was inspired to make this when a friend and neighbor showed me how easy it was to prepare ahead of time and freeze for later. I've GOT to remember this as a stand-by for the children this fall! It'll make a great, tasty and hearty dinner on-the-go when things get busy!


Martha Stewart's Shepherd's Pies

(Image from Martha Stewart's site)

Finally! An End to Those Pesky Dinnertime Dilemmas

I've been looking for a tool such as this:

"What the Fuck Should I Make for Dinner?"

Could come in handy, if anything for a laugh at least.

Actually, my "old standards" for "aaaack! I forgot to shop and am supposed to serve dinner to two little children in 10 minutes!!!" are:

• Microwaved fish sticks with ketchup*
• Microwaved Amy's pizza bites thingies*
• Microwaved anything else in the freezer*
• PB&J's*
• Quesadillas*
• Cheesy omelets*
• Canned veggie chili*

*All the aforementioned are usually "served" with: a side of peas / green beans / carrots / whatever's not totally limp, wilted or moldy from fridge


My universal go-to's if I have 20-30 minutes and only pantry / regular fridge fare are:

• pasta with frozen veggies thrown in for last few minutes, tossed with marinara or chicken stock
• oven-cooked fish sticks (wicked classy! we pull out all the stops some nights!)
• veggie chili cooked with frozen ground turkey

What are some of your emergency dinners for little children?