Meal Plan Monthly: February 2016

How is the first week of February already almost over???? This week flew by faster than I had anticipated and I meant to have this post up earlier but I became an AUNT! and celebrated my wonderful husbands birthday so life took over :) So sorry it's a bit late but here is what we are having this month:

Chicken Recipes

Ham and Cheese Stuffed Chicken (we baked our instead of frying) Grilled Chicken and Veggie Burritos (we add the grilled chicken into the burritos) Coconut Chicken Strips Chicken Quesadilla's with Bell Peppers Greek Chicken and Homemade Pita (so good!!!) Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

Beef Recipes

Spaghetti and Meatballs (premade and frozen for a fast dinner) Salisbury Steak Beef Stroganoff  Corned Beef and Sautéed Cabbage and Brussel Sprouts Sloppy Joes Mongolian Beef Seven Layer Dip Thai Marinaded Flap Steak (I use a similar marinade from this recipe)

Pork Recipes

Pork Chops with Apples Scalloped Potatoes and Ham Kalua Pork Pulled Pork Sandwiches (using Kalua Pork Leftovers) Breakfast Pizza (crust recipe with eggs, bacon and cheese on top: bake as crust recipe instructs) What are you having this month? Please share in the comments below!!
If you are looking for more ideas or are interested in how I meal plan for a whole month, check out my Meal Planning page.

Lunch....What to have for Lunch?

One question friends ask me often is what I do for lunch. When it was just Max and I and I was working, we'd both take leftovers because there always were some but now that we have more mouths to feed and I haven't added too much extra to my recipes, Max always gets first dibs on leftovers.  Since staying at home, I've struggled to really get myself to eat a good lunch. I want good food but I either need time to make it (which doesn't always happen) or I just can't think of anything that sounds good. The struggle is real let me tell you!!! Anyways, since being pregnant and starving and since the kids are in school 3 half days a week, I've had more time to think about lunch for myself and its a necessity that I eat a good one. I've come up with a list of options and thought I'd share them with you all.

What's for Lunch???

Taco Salad Chinese Chicken Salad Chicken Taco Salad

Apple, Pecan, Blue cheese and Dried Cherry Salad

Fall Chopped Salad

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Corn Chowder-make ahead and freeze in small portions Pastina Soup Chicken and Rice Soup-make ahead and freeze in small portions

Chicken and Noodles-make ahead and freeze in small portions

Split Pea Soup-make ahead and freeze in small portions

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Pasta with Spaghetti Sauce

Veggie Hash and Eggs

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad

Chicken Salad with Crasins

Tuna Salad

Egg Salad

Tortellini Primavera

Summer "Spaghetti"

Cheese and Crackers with Fruit or Veggies

Hummus and Tortilla chips and cut up Veggies

A variety of salads from my Salad Pinterest Board

Tips:

• If I make a pot of soup with lots of leftovers or a soup that only I like, which I usually half the recipe for anyways (Corn Chowder, Split Pea, etc) I package them into quart sized ziplock bags and freeze them laying down flat until frozen. Then I stack them in a plastic container in the freezer. Then when I feel like a certain thing, I just pull out the bag, place it in some water and let it defrost. You could also pull it out before you head to work and then heat it up there.
• Cut up some lettuce earlier in the week and put it in a bag with a damp paper towel. Then cut up some other veggies and put them in separate containers. Emily Ley calls it the Sunday Chop :) Too much liquid from all the veggies can make a mess but having stuff separately packaged will help you not have any soggy salads. You can do the same with some of your fruit.
• Buying frozen tortellini or ravioli and splitting them into single serving sizes (since they are normally packaged for families) then just cook up what you want and use a jared sauce you like or a frozen sauce you have on hand. Something else I do, is if I have left over veggies from the night before, I just toss the tortellini with the veggies, some olive oil, garlic salt and some parmesan and it's a great lunch. 
• If you have a salad you like to eat often and make a dressing for it you like, make extra and store in a mason jar that way you have a dressing already made on hand when you want it. I eat Chinese Chicken Salad often so I always have the dressing in a jar waiting for me.
• If making Tacos or grilling up some chicken breasts, I always take out a bit extra meat to plan for a lunch for myself. If you aren't sure when you will eat the meat, package it again (once cooked) in a single serving size and freeze it until you are ready to eat it. Slice up the chicken breast so that it defrosts faster and is already ready to put on a salad. I also do this if we have some leftover meat that has been sitting in the fridge a few days and no one seems to be eating it. Cut it up or slice it (steak, grilled chicken) and package for a salad another day.
• Keep some of your favorite cheeses on hand for a quick salad. I like feta and dry goat cheese on salads. I keep those on hand since they last awhile in the fridge and then I can throw a salad together with fruit or veggies we have from the garden or the store. Add some nuts and a vinaigrette and you have a great salad!

I hope this helps you get some ideas for lunch. It's always a challenge for me and I tend to forget myself when taking care of the kids but having these little short cuts have helped me a ton! It takes a little prep work at one point but then you are set for a while!
What do you have for lunch? Any ideas to share?

Meal Plan Monthly: January!!

Happy New Year everyone! 2015 ended with a slam of busy as it always does and on top of it all, I've just been exhausted. Pregnant with two little kids is exhausting :) On top of that, I didn't really get an appetite back until mid-December making it very hard to meal plan. So now I'm feeling more normal and food actually sounds good so I'm back here with another Meal Plan Monthly. I hope this helps in your planning and as always, I'd love to hear what you are having! Chicken Dishes: Chicken Marsala Crock Pot Whole Chicken Sweet and Sour Chicken Chicken Tortilla Soup Chicken Tacos Shake and Bake Chicken with Stuffings and cranberry sauce Chicken Parmesan Casserole (We dice the chicken instead of leaving it whole) Chicken Cacciatore Oven BBQ Chicken  Pork Dishes: Pork Chops with Pineapple fried rice Lasagna Soup(We have actually modified this recipe for our tastes using ground beef but it's good with the italian sausage if you like that.) Beef Dishes: Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes Sloppy Joes We do this recipe with ground beef and half it Teriyaki Flap Steak Ground Beef Nachos Chili and Cornbread Sweet and Sour Meatballs Beef Stroganoff Beef with Snowpeas   Happy Cooking!!

November 2015 Meal Plan

Can you believe it's November already????? Christmas shopping, Christmas music, cooler weather for us(hopefully), Thanksgiving dinner!!...I cannot wait! November kinda snuck up on me so sorry I didn't get this up before the month started like I usually try to do but here it is. I really hope this helps you in your planning and gives you some inspiration. I was lacking in the inspiration department this month but I hope this helps you.
Spaghetti and Meatballs Ham and Pineapple with Mashed Potatoes Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie Beef with Snow Peas (and Broccoli) Grilled Veggie Burritos with Grilled Chicken Honey-Orange Chicken Stir-fry Noodle Bake Sloppy Joes (We use the sauce from this recipe cut in half and ground beef because thats just our preference.) Steak with Roasted Pumpkin Puree and Mixed Veggies Fried Rice (We add any meat we have leftover and make this a complete meal) Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Thanksgiving Casserole- I'm ready for thanksgiving flavors so I may be making this soon! Thankgiving Day!!! And Leftovers the next day Enchilada Casserole Chicken and Noodles Chicken Parmesan using Parmesan Shake and Bake Fresh Ham with Maple Balsamic Glaze with Veggies and Potatoes Breakfast for Dinner once a Week As always, I'd LOVE to hear what you are having for dinner! I need some more on my list but can't think of things that sound good. Hoping that next month I have a bit more inspiration and recipes for you!

October 2015 Meal Plan

Hello everyone! Happy first of October! Today is Meal Plan Monthly day over here! It is still super hot (in the 90's) here in Southern California and I'm kinda tired of it! So some of the meals are full blow summery type meals and others have the fall flair because I'm just ready! If you want to know more about how I meal plan, please visit the Meal Planning section to the right. I've written out my method in hopes that it can be of some help! I hope this helps you with your meal plans for the month and I'd love to hear what you are having for dinner this

September Meal Plan

Eeek! This is the first official Monthly Meal Plan Post since the blog redesign! I'm so excited to share my meal plan with you each month! You can see my method here. You will also be able to find the past meal plans each month on the Meal Planning page along with my how-to method of meal planning! I've created some downloadable, editable tools for you so that you can make it work for yourself :)

I know the month is halfway over but here is what we have had or will be having for dinner this month! Here is