What's for dinner??

Here's what I have planned for meals this week.

I've decided to plan breakfast, lunch, and dinner since we are trying to save money by not eating out.  And it's just over all healthier.  The only way to do this is meal plan and be prepared.  Makes it so much easier to eat in when I have everything I need readily available.  And putting it here helps me keep track of the menu.  Hopefully, you can get some ideas for your family as well.

For breakfast, I picked things that make a good amount so AB can just pop them into the microwave in the morning & hopefully last throughout the week.  Also picked some toddler friendly options.  Eggs, bacon, and waffles/pancakes get boring after a while.  I will freeze whatever we don't eat so we can have for another time/week.

Breakfast:

Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups
Toddler Muffins - this would be great for a snack as well
Breakfast Burritos (or tacos in our part of the world)
Frozen waffles- already made & frozen
Eggs, bacon, & fruit

Lunch & Snacks:

Chubby Chicken & Cream Cheese Taquitos
Bacon Wrapped Baked Apple Slices
Mini Paleo Pizzas
Sandwiches or Wraps with fresh fruit or chips & avocado
Leftovers

Dinner:

Monday: Italian Chicken Casserole - This was my 1st time to make this.  It was really good and easy to make.  Makes a 9x13 so great for lunch and left-overs.  Next time I will probably split it up and freeze half.

Tuesday: Roasted Whole Chicken - Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Take a whole chicken, rinse and pat dry.  Season with Nature's Seasoning Blend and black pepper.  Put onions and celery into cavity of bird.  Drizzle olive oil on bottom on heavy roasting pan (I use an enamel roasting pot) with a layer of onions, carrots, and celery.  You can also add potatoes if you wanted or any veggies really.  Lay chicken on top and drizzle with a little more olive oil.  Put lid on pot and roast in oven for 2-3 hours until chicken is done.

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Pioneer Woman's Perfect Salmon with asparagus

 

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Nancy on Pinterest

Friday: Cheesy Chicken Tator Tot Casserole in the crockpot.  This is a new recipe I'm trying.

Saturday: Homemade pizza with hamburger meat & various toppings.  I already have a can of pizza dough & HEB pizza sauce so we will use that with traditional pizza toppings.

Sunday: Taco Salad - browned hamburger meat, flavored with taco seasonings served with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, homemade guacamole, cheese & sour cream piled on top of tortilla chips.  Easy!!!

Now to get working on my grocery list and get to the store.  What's on your menu this week???

Menu Planning - Paleo style

We have slowly been transitioning to a Paleo or a "real food" type of eating.  It seems the more I find out about the food we consume the more ill I become.  Really it's more about what we don't know about the food we are consuming...even scarier.

But either way, I thought it was time to start being a better example to Brady since he is now eating what we are eating.  Also, I had a slight addiction to Dr. Pepper!  I found myself finding an excuse to leave the house so I could stop through a drive-thru to get one.

So a new year always brings new goals, etc so I decided it was time to make a change.  But not go on a diet...because I.will.fail.miserably!  Instead I decided to do a "lifestyle change" and really it hasn't been so hard to keep it up.  Other than the days, I've been sick.  Which seem to be a lot lately.  It's almost like my body is revolting against this "lifestyle change."  And actually I feel so much better!  And haven't even been taking my thyroid meds.

We are simply cutting out processed foods, grains, and Dr. Pepper.  Don't get me wrong, I still have my occasionally handful of M&M's, or girl scout cookie (I couldn't say no when she rang the door bell, that would be just rude!), and I even have carbs on occasion.  For it's easier to have just a little, than none at all.

All in moderation...is what I tell myself.

I am always looking for new dinner ideas and this week I am trying all new recipes.  So here is what's on the menu for this week.

Monday - omelets...momma was still under the weather.

Tonight, we had Coconut Chicken Nuggets.  We all thought they were tasty & easy!  Even B. ate some and lately he hasn't been wanting meat.

Source: multiplydelicious.com via Nancy on Pinterest

I didn't make the bbq sauce to go with it, we just used some sauce we had.  I'll be honest, we had Chick-fil-A sauce - yum!!  Not healthy at all but we had it and so we used it.  We still have food we are trying to eat up without wasting or throwing it away.  These would definitely be some thing I'd make again.

Here's the rest of the week:

Meatloaf Cake - I'm doubling this recipe because I'm not sure 1 lb is enough??
Southwest Turkey Burger Sliders
Spicy Coconut Shrimp

We are eating out Friday night with friends so I'll probably do the burger sliders Saturday on the grill.

For breakfast, we've been making these smoothies and they are yummy!!

Source: foodgawker.com via Nancy on Pinterest

I've pinned all of these recipes here!  So feel free to pin them and I hope to keep up this weekly menu planning.

Do you have any favorite Paleo or "whole foods" recipes??