On menu planning and perhaps a little of my own insecurities

Confession: I do not like to spend time in the kitchen.

I do like to bake, but when it comes to food prep or regular ol' cooking, I'm not really a fan. I'm surrounded by many friends & family that are really good at this, some of them being self-professed foodies (the hubs included), so all of that combined has kind of intimidated me about mealtimes.

Well, a few months ago (I know, I'm ashamed to say that it's really only been this year that this has started!!!), I began meal planning in earnest.

I finally feel like I'm starting to get into the swing of things. I'm not dreading, even, I dare say, enjoying preparing meals sometimes because I'm not as stressed about figuring out what to make or if I have the ingredients.

A large part of this came about because of Pinterest, and in particular, my menu board. I pin things during the week that we'd like to try, and every Saturday, I sit down and peruse my selections and fill out our menu plan.

To make things easier, I use this free printable as my menu planner. I have great plans of making something "cute" one day, but this works for us now.

After a little discussion I had today on facebook with a few friends, I decided I would *gulp* start sharing my menu plans here each Saturday after I make up my list.

It's kind of scary for me to do this, because I'm afraid of people thinking I'm a bad mom (because not everything is super healthy) or that I'm gross (because I am not eating super healthy). Just being 100% honest. Eating/food & body image issues are, I think, pretty sensitive topics for a lot of women, myself included. So on that note, I ask you to throw me a little grace and pray for me that I continue to grow in what we put in our bodies, and that it be with the purpose to take care of what God's given us. :) And that I don't worry so much about what other people think about me. Ha!

With all that craziness aside, here's this week's plan! :)

Breakfasts:

We rotate between low-sugar cereals (plain cheerios, chex, kix), muffins (apple cinnamon is a big hit around here; we just buy the little bag mixes from the store and they are fast to make), and we're going to try these yummy sounding banana biscuits this week.

Lunches:

Monday- Faux lunchables (I put together crackers, cheese, and turkey slices in a little container for the kids, along with a go-gurt and some apple slices. I use a tiny cookie cutter on the cheese and turkey. It makes it fun and it's way cheaper than buying them.)

Tuesday: Hot Dogs, Pringles, String Cheese

Wednesday: Tortilla Roll Ups (turkey and cheese rolled up in a tortilla and then sliced), Veggie Straws, Go-gurt

Thursday: Grilled Cheese & Pretzels

Friday: PBJs, Veggie Straws, String Cheese

*I work on Tuesdays & Thursdays, and I bring granola, guacamole dip & tortilla chips/or/hummus & pita & cucumber slices, and string cheese for my lunch. It's easy to throw together.

*I usually throw a few other things in with the kids lunches, but I don't know what it'll be yet. We eat a lot of fruit, so I'm sure some grapes or strawberries will show up in a few of those lunches.

Dinners:

Monday: Crunchy Garlic Chicken & Corn Fritters

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner (waffles, eggs, & "green" smoothies: strawberries, bananas, milk, a little honey and two handfuls of fresh spinach leaves in the blender)

Wednesday: Homemade Pizza Rolls & Fresh Veggies (cut veggies in a cup with ranch dressing at the bottom)

Thursday: Cheesy Ranch Potato Bake, Green Beans, and Lemon Crockpot Chicken

Friday: Stacked Tacos & Tortilla Chips

*Saturdays are usually a scrounge around the house day, and Sundays we have community group with church members and we have a potluck lunch or dinner.

I hope this is fun and gives you a few suggestions for your week. I would LOVE to hear some of your family's favorite mealtime items. :)