Eating at this time of year is so delicious! When I can go out to the garden and pick vegetables, prepare them, and eat them all within about 30-minutes, it?s absolute heaven. Well, even better is when I get someone else to prepare them!
With a very small, city yard, my gardening space is not big ? and don?t forget ? the chicken coop in the backyard taking up space ? but by gardening up and sticking pots in every available spot, it?s giving us lots of fresh, wholesome food to eat and to freeze for winter.
Meal planning saves money, minimizes food waste, and ensures healthy, home cooked meals for the upcoming week. Meal planning is my frame work or agenda of what home cooked meals we?re going to have for the upcoming week. It only takes about 10 minutes to meal plan and involves a quick view of the week ahead and checking to see what staples I already have at home in the refrigerator, in the pantry, and the freezer. Once the meal plan is made, then I make a grocery list of what items are needed.
The bounty of the garden! I love summer and the fresh food we grow.
With weekly meal planning, there?s an efficient plan of cooking for the week, I know what nights we?re having leftovers and I can keep track of what nights my kids are scheduled to cook ? and clean up! By eating at home, we?re able to avoid unhealthy, processed foods. If we have a plan, we eat healthier at home ? skipping fast food restaurants.
Weekly meal plan from Monday, July 29, 2013 to Sunday, August 4, 2013
Monday: shrimp scampi and green salad
Tuesday: picnic chicken and pinto bean salad
Wednesday: garden eating ? greens, squash ? basically, whatever is ripe gets dressed or grilled!
Thursday: grilled pork chops and pinto bean salad (leftovers)
Friday: whole wheat pasta with pesto and green salad
Saturday: pork ribs (leftovers and in the freezer), potatoes and green salad
Sunday: grilled fish, brown rice and green salad
Weekly meal plan from Monday, August 5, 2013 to Sunday, August 11, 2013
Monday: clean out the refrigerator eating ? nothing fancy but we ate eggs from our backyard chickens and anything that was ripe in the garden!
Tuesday: clean out the refrigerator eating ? nothing fancy but we ate eggs from our backyard chickens and anything that was ripe in the garden!
Wednesday:? camping: sandwiches
Thursday: camping: hot dog and baked beans (from a can)
Friday:? camping: tomato soup, salami and cheese
Saturday: camping: soup bowls ? just add hot water!
Sunday: camping: baked beans (from a can), crackers, smoked meats, cheese
Weekly meal plan from Monday, August 12, 2013 to Sunday, August 18, 2013
Monday: dinner at our friend?s house ? they grilled chicken and we had a delicious meal but I can?t remember what else we ate!
Tuesday: grilled salmon, quinoa salad and green salad
Wednesday: bbq dinner at Phil?s restaurant in San Marcos
Thursday: dinner at Shelley Miller?s house*
Friday: dinner at our college friend?s house
Saturday: lunch was at In-n-Out burger on our 17-hour road trip drive home and no one felt like eating dinner. Yes, we had fries ? animal style!
Sunday: garden eating ? greens, squash ? basically, whatever is ripe gets dressed or grilled!
Weekly meal plan from Monday, August 19, 2013 to Sunday, August 25, 2013
Monday: tuna (grilled), vegetables and quinoa
Tuesday: summer dinner (my son made dinner this night)
Wednesday: chicken roasted on the grill, quinoa and vegetables (my son made dinner this night)
Thursday: chicken salad (leftovers) (my son made dinner this night)
Friday: rehearsal dinner ? my sister got married!
Saturday: wedding reception dinner ? my sister got married!
Sunday: fish tacos with tzatziki, tomatoes from garden and lettuce
Weekly meal plan from Monday, August 26, 2013 to Sunday, September 1, 2013
Monday: garbanzo beans ? sauteed with tzatziki sauce and tomatoes from garden
Tuesday: pork dumplings (homemade and so good! I have to post this recipe) roasted corn on the grill
Wednesday: grilled chicken, vegetables from garden and quinoa
Thursday: pinto beans, brown rice, fresh salsa and cheese bowls
Friday: fish, brown, rice salad
Saturday: kids made pasta for dinner ? and ?forgot? to make a green salad ? my husband and I went to a very fun birthday party ? where there were hula hoops!
Sunday: salmon, quinoa and kale from garden (my son made dinner this night)
What?s for dinner at your house?
?Go Gingham related links:
11 reasons to meal plan every week ? save money, save time and reduce food waste
How our freezer gets used - what I keep in our freezer and how I utilize the space
Grocery shopping soon? Plastic grocery bag alternatives
My non-gardener-gardening-strategy ? yes, non gardeners can fake it
Easy grids for your garden - get square foot gardening!
*Special shout-out: Shelley Miller, the Home Exchange Expert, invited our family over for dinner while we were in San Diego. Shelley and I had never met in person but had communicated through Twitter and had talked over the phone. We?re both alum of the same college and I had read about her in the alumni magazine. We have so much in common ? including our love of home swapping! She and her family made a delicious meal and were wonderful hosts. Thank you, Shelley, for sharing your home and family for the evening!
Sara Tetreault
Sara Tetreault writes and speaks about living well on less with thoughtful spending, smart use of resources, and efficient use of time. Sara loves good food, travel, and cashmere. With home swapping, cooking at home, and buying items second-hand, she hopes to inspire you with her stylishly frugal ways. Sara keeps a home, one husband, two children, and three chickens in her backyard.
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Go Gingham {stylishly frugal living} suggests:
Source: http://gogingham.com/2013/09/monthly-meal-plan-5/
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