8.20.2011

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:


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)


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. :)








2 comments:

  1. wow! you should come to my house and plan my meals for me! can't wait to "work" with you on the authentique team!

    ReplyDelete
  2. So glad you're sharing this. I've been meaning to get more organized about meal planning for quite a while now but have been putting off with the big move & baby. But with school coming up I really need to get better about it & I've already planned this week's menu so thanks for the inspiration...plus I love seeing what other people are cooking so I can get new ideas :)

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I'm so glad you decided to leave me a comment today! Thanks for taking the time to stop by my little corner of the world. :)

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