Our Breakfast Rotation

My previous Themed Dinner Planning post has been so helpful that I decided I need a breakfast one too. If I don't have a plan, we end up having cereal way more than we should, so hopefully this helps avoid too much cereal and get breakfast going before the kids empty the fruit bowl every morning.

Monday - Oatmeal

Chocolate Banana Sweetened Oatmeal - still a favorite

Overnight Steel Cut Oats - my favorite way to eat them is with frozen sweet cherries

Plain oatmeal with various toppings - frozen blueberries and sliced banana is the kids' favorite. My current favorite is this cookie in bowl form with brown sugar, craisins, coconut, and if I have them, a few white chocolate chips

Tuesday - Eggs

Scrambled eggs and toast, muffins, or smoothies. Lauren finally likes scrambled eggs, especially since she can make them herself.

Wednesday - Pancakes or Waffles

Perfect Pancakes - my favorite everyday recipe
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Blender Pancakes - now that I have a decent blender, I can make these
Classic Buttermilk Waffles - I double so I have enough to freeze for another meal
Overnight Buckwheat Oat Buttermilk Waffles - I haven't made these yet, but I really want to

Thursday - Yogurt

I'm not a big yogurt fan, but the kids are, so I'm trying to make it regularly using my Instant Pot, following these tips. We have it with toast, muffins, or granola.

Friday - German Pancakes, French Toast, or Baked Oatmeal

German pancakes seem like a special breakfast, but I find them really easy for a weekday morning since you just mix and stick in the oven - no standing over a griddle or waffle iron. And, I tried to figure the cost and with current prices found that a pan equals just about $1 to make. I cut our 9x13 pan into four pieces and it is devoured fast. I might have to start doubling the recipe soon.

Lauren learned how to make french toast and now thinks she's ready for the Kid's Baking Championship.

Themed Meal Planning

I enjoy meal planning and cooking, but lately, it has become a chore and I have felt the need to simplify. I have friends who have used one or two week meal plan rotations and have had good luck with that, but I like a little more variety. So, this is what I have come up with. Each day has a theme and I simply choose one of the meals on the list for that day and make sure we have everything we need for it. All of these meals are, or easily can be, gluten, dairy and egg free and they are all tried, tested, and approved (by Preston and me - kid approval not necessary). Most of the meals we eat regularly fit into one of these categories, but if I feel like switching it up, I'm in charge and I'll do it. If you can think of any other meals to add to the list, let me know and I'll add it.

Monday - Beans and Rice

Classic Black Beans and Rice
Fiesta Rice
Bean Curry
Mush
Asian Lentils and Rice from Allred cookbook

Tuesday - Soup or Salad (or Taco Tuesday, per Lauren's request)

The Best Ground Beef Tacos
Big Salad
Taco Salad
Spinach Lentil Soup - from Mom's cookbook
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Colorful Chicken and Squash Soup
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Broccoli and Cheese or Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup - not for us :(
Chicken Tortellini Soup - also not for us :(

Wednesday - Pasta or Potatoes

Baked Potatoes
Cottage Pie
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
Spaghetti  - with or without meat
Quick Chili Mac - from Mom's cookbook
Meatloaf and potatoes
Pork chops and sweet potatoes
Potato Broccoli Sausage Dinner - from Mom's cookbook
Veggie Pasta Stir Fry (add chicken or shrimp if desired)
Asian Beef and Noodles - from Allred cookbook
Eggs and Noodles
Loaded Enchilada Pasta

Thursday - Chicken and Rice

Basic Stir Fry
Honey Baked Chicken and Baked Brown Rice
Coconut Chicken Curry
Hawaiian Haystacks
Chicken Fried Rice or this version
12-minute Chicken and Broccoli
Chicken Rice Enchilada Skillet
Crockpot Thai Yellow Curry

Friday - Beans or Quinoa

Refried bean and cheese burritos
Sloppy Lentil Joes
Chili
Vegetarian Asian Lettuce Wraps
Lentils Ole - from Scoresby cookbook
Spicy Pintos
Zesty Veggie Enchiladas
Little Quinoa Patties
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos
Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

Five meals my kids will always eat

I don't take what the kids like into much consideration when I'm planning our meals, but I can usually guess pretty accurately what they will and will not eat. The following are always sure winners.

1. Nachos. I like Mel's recipe for refried beans. It's easy and tasty and it makes enough for three meals. If I have some ground beef or turkey, I brown a third or a half a pound, then I add several big spoonfuls of refried beans right into the pan, mix it all up and add some taco spices. It works just fine without the ground meat as well. Then I layer the bean mixture, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and tomatoes in a bowl. Sometimes I use individual bowls and sometimes I do it family style. Then we dig in with tortilla chips. The bowl is emptied every time.  I serve some carrot and pepper sticks on the side. I also use this mixture for burritos sometimes, but nachos are less messy and they work better for a wheat free diet. This is also the only way my darlings will eat beans without threats being uttered.

2. Salmon (from Aldi and either simply sauteed or baked) and baked sweet potato. Lauren and Andrew love salmon and they ask for it frequently. I wish we could afford fresh salmon and afford to eat it more often, but we do what we can.

3. Baked potatoes. Of course they eat them with plenty of cheese and sour cream and Andrew tries to just eat off the toppings, but I mix them into the potato so he eats a good amount of potato too.

4. Spaghetti. I don't make it very often because I just don't like it that much, but the kids will always eat a plateful. Helpful hint: make life easier for yourself and let your kids eat naked.

5. Big salad. I feel lucky that my kids like salad and as long as there is a variety of ingredients they eat this meal really well.

Other meals that are well received include some obvious ones like hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, and meatloaf, which earned me a thumbs up from Lauren the last time I made it. They also like whole chicken as long as they get a "handle." Meals that are not well received include anything with rice (rice and beans, stir fry, chicken and rice), which grace our table at least a couple times a week, and soup.

What are some meals your kids enjoy?

Weekly Menu (times two!)

Over the past few weeks I have picked up grocery items that were on sale, and realized this week that we have a lot of stuff in the fridge and freezer to use up: chicken breasts and thighs, a turkey, pork chops, and five dozen eggs (they're so much cheaper in bulk). We also have potatoes, carrots, a pumpkin, and apples to use up, so I was able to plan two weeks of menus almost entirely of things we already have. Guess I'll use the money we save on groceries on stocking stuffers!

M: Chicken Taco Soup and Pumpkin Cornbread
T: Potato & Egg Skillet
W: Pumpkin Soup, Bread
Th: Shepherd's Pie
F: Baked Pumpkin and Banana Oatmeal
S: Eggs & Noodles
S: Turkey & Wild Rice Soup
M: Pork Chops and Rice
T: Quick Chili Mac
W: Turkey Shepherd's Pie
Th: Chicken Stir-Fry
F: Beans & Rice
S: Blueberry Coffee Cake & Scrambled Eggs

also make: apple pumpkin muffins, granola

That's what we'll be eating over here. What are you having for dinner this week?

Weekly Menu Planner

Monday: Red Beans & Rice - this was on the menu last week and it didn't happen. It did happen tonight, however. I thought it was okay, but several factors (I roughly cut the recipe in half, but didn't measure very carefully; I used turkey polska kielbasa; I did it on the stove top instead of the crock pot) made it not as good as it could be. It's worth another try, though.

Tuesday: Chicken Tortilla Soup using the leftovers of last week's chicken tacos - another recipe I just wasn't wild about, but I'm optimistic about the soup.

Wednesday: Lasagna. From a box. From the freezer. Requested by the hubby and I am not about to buy lasagna noodles, ground beef, ricotta, cottage cheese, tomatoes, whatever else goes in lasagna and spend all afternoon cooking it. Some things are not worth cooking in my book (although I usually don't complain when other people cook them...).

Thursday: Baked chicken drumsticks with a corn flake coating, along with some vegetable sides.

Friday: Stir fry - this will be one of those weeks when I throw together whatever's in the freezer. I know we have pork, zucchini pieces, red pepper, carrots, snap peas.

Saturday: Turkey burgers. I don't know what possessed me to buy extra lean turkey burgers a few weeks ago, but I did, and they are in the freezer, and they do not taste good. But we will top them with bacon and avocado and be grateful we have food on our plates.

Sunday: Something in the crock pot. Probably Spicy Pintos unless I think of something more toothsome (Definition 1, if you please). Any ideas?

What are you having for dinner this week?

Weekly Menu Planner

Our computer was out of service for quite a while, so this blog got put on the back burner (pun intended). But I plan to start posting here regularly again, most likely for my own eyes only, but I'm okay with that.

Here is our meal plan for this week, with links to specific recipes where possible. I am only posting dinner because we usually have oatmeal or something equally simple for breakfast and lunch is usually leftovers or sandwiches.

Monday: Fish, sweet potatoes, spinach

Tuesday: We will be out of town and will have dinner out

Wednesday: Pineapple Pork Stir-Fry - I will definitely report back on this stir-fry recipe.

Thursday: Spaghetti Carbonara - excited to see how this turns out and is received

Friday: Red Beans 'n Rice - We have a bunch of half bags of beans sitting in the cupboard, so I am devising a plan to rid us of them. Plus, I've been wanting to try this.

Saturday: Crock-pot Chicken Tacos

Sunday: Ham, Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus

I also have a sweet bread recipe to try out sometime this week. What are you having for dinner this week?