Weekly Meal Plan!

1.  Tacos - from a package.  

2.  Hamburgers - cooked from frozen on our new barbecue!

3.  Rush Hour Pork Stirfry - quick and easy

4.  Baked Butter Chicken - another quick and easy one and hopefully for a cooler night with having to use the oven.

5.  Pasta With Bean Sauce - from a cookbook and can't find the recipe

6.  Tuna Cakes - for the kids for lunch

I will also be making Cranberry Apple Muffins.  I like to try and make my kids baked goods rather than buy them from the store and I keep seeing this recipe in magazines and such so thought I'd try it.  They look pretty healthy too.  

Super Easy Cooked Chicken

Whenever a recipe called for cooked chicken I would always be prepared to cut it up and pan fry in a little bit of oil and I'd avoid such recipes (unless I just adding to the chicken in the pan) because it seemed like a lot of work.  I found an easy recipe to make this task really simple.

You take the chicken breast (s) and place in a pot then cover with water (can add salt, pepper, garlic powder etc) or chicken broth until chicken is completely covered.  Then put a piece of wax paper on top to keep the steam in (I've also just used the pot lid and it came out fine).  Bring to a boil then simmer for about 8 min or until chicken is cooked through!  No turning or flipping required.  The chicken comes out nice and moist and is perfect for any recipe needing it cooked ahead of time or for salads and wraps!

I promise this week I will have a meal plan.  Last week work schedules got a little messed up so shopping was done later during the week and everything was thrown off.

Weekly Meal Plan!

This week because summer has finally arrived I'm trying to make meals that don't require my oven which can be difficult as I like using the oven because I can put something in there and it doesn't require my constant attention.  So here it is:

1.  Creamy Pesto Chicken and Bowtie Pasta - quick, easy and good!

2.  Eggs, toast and potatoes - who doesn't love breakfast for dinner and I need to try my 1 yr old with eggs again

3.  Zucchini Pizza Casserole - ok so this is done in the oven so will try and save for a cooler day because it's so good!  

4.  Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken - really easy.  Throw in slow cooker and turn it on!

5.  Fries and Chicken Nuggets - for that day I don't have time to cook.  A treat for the kids and something they'll usually eat.

Menu Plan for the Week

Not doing a meal plan this week.  We had my daughters birthday party on Monday and were expecting more people than what came so too much food was bought.  People also brought stuff and as you probably know people usually make way more food then is needed.  Everything was left with us so we're spending the week eating leftovers!  Also two dishes from last week weren't made so I still have the ingredients for those as a back up plan or if my kids get sick of eating the same stuff all week!  I really don't like to waste food.

That time again to see what's on the menu this week!

1.  Moroccan Stew - from a cookbook so can't find online

2.  Chili With Barley - can't find online but it looks like a pretty basic chili with barley and recipe doesn't call for beans but I think I'll add some

3.  Quick Salsa Chicken and Rice - quick simple and easy though I may use quinoa instead of rice as my kids don't seem to care for rice.

4.  Creamy Chicken Enchiladas - a family favourite.

5.  Sausage with Peppers and Pasta - another yummy one lightened by using turkey sausage.

6.  Chicken Nuggets - the kids LOVE them so it's almost a weekly meal for when I'm feeling lazy.

I start working a longer shift at work soon and won't be home to make lunch for the kids so I'm hoping to incorporate lunches into my meal planning.  Right now we usually have leftovers or I have soup and make them sandwiches or something quickly thrown together but I definitely need a better plan in mind since I won't be the one doing it.

Feeding The Smallest Food Critics

My kids are 1 and 2.5 years old so when looking for recipes and ideas for dinner I try and look for something that is quick, not too unhealthy for me and BOTH kids will eat.  It's a tall order but after work I like to spend as much time with the kids as possible (out of the kitchen) and I don't like having to make multiple meals.

They both seem to like pasta and by that I mean most of the time they will eat it but being toddlers because they ate it yesterday doesn't mean they'll eat it today!  Last night I decided to try out the Minestrone Casserole.  It used ingredients from the pantry and required minimal chopping.  Everything was quickly thrown together than while it baked I had that extra time to play.

Apparently I wasn't quick enough with the camera before hubby dug in!  

The pint-sized portion.

Hubby and I loved it, in fact he went back for seconds.  My 2 yr old son had a few bites and my 1 yr old daughter ate the beef and threw the rest of the floor!  Now had I served it again today they might have gobbled it up.  

Life Made Delicious has plenty of quick and easy recipes such as this one for all occasions.

“Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.”

Weekly Meal Plan!

1.  Minestrone Casserole - there will be a separate post soon about this dish.

2.  Morrocan Stew - there's many variations but I can't find the one I'll be using as it's from a cookbook.

3.  Creamy Chicken Soup - from a cookbook and can't find it online

4.  Turkey Sausage Pasta -  I love sausage and pasta!

5.  Chicken Divan - I have made variations of this but this one has been lightened.

6.  Spinach Lasagna Rolls - a favorite in this house!

So again I've been trying lots of new recipes with the family as I work my way through old cookbooks copying good recipes then getting rid of them.  Stay tuned for more exciting posts featuring food and new recipes in addition to my weekly meal plan for the next year!