Menu Plan Monday {01.26.15}

Menu for the week...

Monday
B- Pancakes (I made them with 1/2 millet flour and 1/2 white flour for the kids; for me I made FP Easy Mix pancakes. I ended up adding an additional 1/2 TBS oat fiber and 1/2 TBS protein powder because they were so ...gummy...? Tasted good though; I'm just picky with texture.)
L- Tuna sandwiches (tuna mix has mayo, mustard, olives, pickles, Mrs. Dash, shredded cheese; I made bread following the Bread in a Mug recipe from THM, but I subbed egg whites and omitted the flax. Instead I used 1 TBS parmesan cheese and 1 TBS Pristine Whey Protein Powder. It was truly 'white' bread!)
D- Mixed Bean & Quinoa soup with cornbread (GF)

Tuesday
B- Baked Blueberry Oatmeal (I made this the night before and halved the recipe since it's only for 3 on the weekday mornings.)
L- Chili-Dog Pie (We've had this before for dinner and the kids and I really liked it; hubby not so much. That's why it's a lunch this time *smile* You can see the recipe on page 7 of the latest Weekly Barden.) *Changed the recipe some: Used 4 eggs, 3 TBS water, 1/3 cup FP Easy Mix instead of the coconut flour.
D- Chicken Wraps (super super simple. Cook up chicken tenderloins, or any kind of chicken, with spices. Let cool some then put on a tortilla, top with cheese, lettuce leaves, and add a drizzle of ranch dressing. They usually have two of these apiece.)

Wednesday
B- Breakfast Casserole (found this online a while back {apparently can't find it now!} and while it has way too many eggs in it, it sounds like it might be somewhat tasty. Sausage, cheese, and a 'bread' texture tossed in? Worth a try. Sounds more like a quiche type dish in a casserole dish. )
L- Bean "Burgers" (honestly have no idea how these will turn out... Another experiment *smile* Yeah, you know my family loves me.)
D- Tuna Turnovers with side salad (This is the same tuna mix for sandwiches but put into yummy biscuit dough and baked. Yummy.)

Thursday
B- Oatmeal or Mix-n-Match Smoothie (I'm sure there's lots of people who do smoothies all the time. Not us. And not when it's so cold out. But the kids don't care for oatmeal, so I'll give them the option.)
L- Leftovers
D- Beef stew with garlic bread (Fox made the French bread himself on Sunday; haven't decided what kinds of veggies to have in the stew yet...)

Friday
B- Cereal
L- Leftovers 
D- Homemade Pepperoni/Sausage/Black Olive Pizza (I am going to make a coconut flatbread crust for myself and have some pizza. It's been too long...)

Saturday
B- Eggs/Fox's choice (since it's his day to make breakfast, he can choose something; for me and the Warden it'll probably be eggs)
L- Meat and cheese sandwiches with tomato, avocado, and lettuce
D- Steaks and side salad (we have Omaha Steaks in our freezer, might as well use them!)

Sunday
B- Eggs
L- Church luncheon- we are bringing Arroz Imperial (from Not Just Tacos), peas, and ice tea
D- Crockpot Italian Chicken with veggies

Menu Plan Monday {01.19.15}

Menu for the week of 01.19.2015
Very simple and a lot like usual.

Monday
B- Cereal (off plan) / French Toast in a Bowl (E) there's one online that is an S; I tweaked it to make an E -maybe I'll put the recipe down someday
L- Ham & cheese sandwiches (S) on flax bread (it's called bread in a mug in the THM book)
D- Chicken with veggies and a roll (E without the roll)

Tuesday
B- Banana Cream Cake (E) we all really liked this from last week.
L- Leftovers
D- Salad with cheese (S)

Wednesday
B- THM Pancakes (E)
L- Egg salad sandwiches (S) on flax bread
D- Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches (CO if  I get sprouted bread, but for me it'll be more likely an S because I'll use the flax bread)

Thursday
B- Oatmeal (E)
L- PB&J sandwich (off plan) / mine will be made with the jelly from the book and flax bread (S)
D- Mac & cheese (off plan) / er, no idea what I'll have

Friday
B- Cinnamon rolls (off plan) / eggs (S)
L- Taste of Thai (S)
D- Chicken enchiladas (off plan) -although I may attempt to make this into a casserole without the tortillas; then it might be a CO

Saturday
B- Cereal (off plan) / eggs (S)
L- Tuna turnovers (off plan) / if I make these with coconut flour flatbread for myself, I could have these be an S, otherwise I'll have the tuna on salad (S)
D- Hot dogs and baked beans (off plan)

Sunday
B- Eggs (S) ...it's always eggs for Sunday breakfast!
L- Church luncheon- we are bringing a hot pasta dish and homemade garlic bread. (I'm really unsure what I'll be eating on this occasion...)
D- Pork and veggies (S)

The shopping list for this week should be quite small as we have quite a few items already. Things on the list include:
yeast
cereal
shredded cheese
sliced cheese
eggs
milk
lettuce
string cheese
bread
tuna
peanut butter
elbow noodles
enchilada sauce
relish (optional- I've had my eye open for some for awhile now)
tortillas (maybe not; Fox put them in the cart!)
hot dog buns

Here's the week's groceries. The items crossed out above I realized we already had on hand. And we picked up a few extras that weren't planned, such as pears, avocados, string cheese, crackers, mushrooms, applesauce, cookies, and soup. If I stuck to my list we'd have spent less but we'd probably be wondering why we had no snacking foods! Cookies are for tea time on Friday; for the kids, not me. :)

I don't know what kind of dish we are bringing Sunday for the pasta so will have to wait until the week's end to buy those items.

Menu Plan Monday {01/12/15}

This week was to be an attempt to use what we have and buy as little as possible. And I guess I did alright. I was concerned that it would mean the meals would be off-plan. Surprisingly, we did well. 

I did forget to buy the chicken breasts and tenderloins, and still have to get coconut flour and full-fat coconut milk. Otherwise, I believe we did well!

Here's our menu for this week. The links will be to Pinterest unless otherwise specified. Not all the pins are going to be THM friendly (which is what I go for); pick and choose.

Monday {01.12.15}
Breakfast: Bread pudding (totally off plan. We have so much bread in the freezer that it needs to go. It's heels and breads that no one cared to eat, like hotdog buns when there were no hotdogs.) I will have yummy oatmeal for a nice E meal.
Lunch: Fotato Soup (S, E, FP) I imagine the kids will make theirs S by adding cheese. I rather like it with just a little cheese wedge, which leaves it in the FP category (I think). 
Dinner: Cheeseburger Pie (S) We'd planned this for Sunday night but have so much leftover from meals last week that I just bumped it a day later.

Tuesday {01.13.15}
Breakfast: Banana Cream Cake (E) I found this at Gwen's Nest originally, but it's linked to grainmillwagon. I think it looks yummy. Even my boy, who borders on oatmeal-hater, said it looks like it would be good.
Lunch: Warm Chicken Sandwich (if on sprouted bread it's an E- it'll be at best a CO for us since we have none; at worse, and more realistically, it's off plan)
Dinner: Tacos (off plan, since it will be with flour tortillas and the sauce is filled with who-knows-what. Someday I'll make my own taco seasoning...someday)

Wednesday {01.14.15}
Breakfast: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Scones (S) <The original recipe online has a few too many carbs to put it quite in the S category so I will tweak it a bit...somehow...to make it fit.
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Broth Soup (E)

Thursday {01.15.15}
Breakfast: GF Cinnamon Rolls (S) I think the specific one I printed out is here, and I'll tweak to make it THM (no raisins- bleh!).
Lunch: Egg Salad Sandwiches (CO because of the bread that will be used)
Dinner: Baked fish and veggies (E...or S depending on how much fat I am wanting)

Friday {01.16.15}
Breakfast: Cereal (off plan- but I will have something on plan, just haven't figured it out)
Lunch: Bean soup (E)
Dinner: Pizza with sausage and olives (off plan due to using white flour, and the fat crosses with the carbs)

Saturday {01.17.15}
Breakfast: Cereal (same as yesterday)
Lunch: Ham and cheese sandwiches (off plan for them because of bread)
Dinner: Chicken Tenders and Potato wedges (CO)

Sunday {01.18.15}
Breakfast: Eggs and sausage (S)
Lunch: Church luncheon- soups and salads
Dinner: Chicken and veggies (S)

Menu Planning Monday {1/5/15}

I think the last MPM was in June 2014. No guarantees that I'll get it in every Monday but here's the first for 2015.

Monday {1/5}
Breakfast: THM Waffles [E] (it's THM pancakes made into waffles; but my waffle iron sticks way too much so the last bit were pancakes. I tweaked the recipe by adding 1/4 tsp xanthan gum, 1/2 scoop THM protein powder and 1 TBS oat fiber.)
Lunch: Meat sandwiches [-] (rather the kids did; we ran out of meat so I had a 'salad' of sorts with lettuce and cheese!)
Dinner: Chili dog pie [S (with just a wee bit of chili)] (I followed the recipe at the bottom of the post, using 3/4 cup almond flour and 1/4 cup oat fiber.)

Tuesday {1/6}
Breakfast: Breakfast Burritos [-] (kids will have flour tortillas; I'll have an egg white wrap [S])
Lunch: Tuna sandwiches [-] (bread for the kids; flax tortilla for me [S])
Dinner: Chicken Quesadilla [S] (another recipe found online- it's not your usual tortilla and stuff. It's made from cheese- hopefully it'll be good)

Wednesday {1/7}
Breakfast: Oatmeal with applesauce [E] (I like mine with cinnamon and ginger, a bit of coconut oil and Sweet Blend. Ah, comfort food.)
Lunch: Ranch pasta salad with meat and mozzarella chunks [-] (I am not having this; probably have leftovers from Monday dinner [S])
Dinner: Burritos [-] (I'm going to be all fancy with them and crisp them in a skillet; my burrito will have a thinner coconut flatbread and no beans, more like a taco [S].)

Thursday {1/8}
Breakfast: Breakfast porridge [S] (online it's called Butter Pecan Breakfast Porridge, which is different than the Coconut Porridge in the THM book)
Lunch: Taste of Thai soup [S]
Dinner: Chili with "cornbread" [E] (still have to find a suitable gluten free THM-friendly cornbread recipe)

Friday {1/9}
Breakfast: Waffles [-] (totally not eating these; it's all for the kiddos- I'll have some yummy oatmeal with blueberries [E])
Lunch: Leftovers! 
Dinner: Crockpot Lasagna [-] (sigh, not eating this either. Will figure something for me. If it weren't for those noodles...)

Saturday {1/10}
Breakfast: Cold cereal [-] (I usually make eggs for hubby on Saturday so that's what I will probably have [S].)
Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwich and soup [E] (I'm going to attempt the Trim Healthy Pan Bread for this, so the soup will need to be compatible. And the 'cheese' on this is one slice of less than 5 g of fat cheese. If it doesn't work out that I find a yummy soup that falls in E category, then I'll make coconut flat bread and have fotato soup for an S!)
Dinner: Marinated salmon and veggies [S] (it's pre-marinated)

Sunday {1/11}
Breakfast: Eggs [S]
Lunch: at church, the theme is appetizers...who knows! We are taking a dessert so I'll bring Butterfinger Bars [S], with the edits mentioned in the notes on the recipe.
Dinner: Cheeseburger Pie [S]

And that's the plan. Next week it may not be as THM friendly, although I will do my best. For next week I am going to attempt to not have to actually buy anything for the menu. We'll see how that goes...

Today I went searching for snack ideas. It seems that's where we have some trouble. Perhaps we'd eat more E meals if we had more snacks that were also E (we often are hungry before 3 hours), or FP. I printed off a bunch of short lists that I was directed to from other THMers. Very helpful- and of course, I didn't save a one! No bookmarks, no pins, nada! Sigh. Eh...well. I've got my lists.

Monday Menu Planning {on a Tuesday} 06.02.14

I went grocery shopping late in the day on Monday so it was a fend for yourself day in terms of the menu. 

06.03 Tuesday

B- Eggs {S}

L- Tuna Tortillas {S/CO}

D- Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry {E} 

06.04 Wednesday

B- Cereal {CO}/ Smoothie of some sort {?}

L- Leftovers

D- Crockpot Cabbage Rolls {S}

06.05 Thursday

B- Granola {CO}/ Oatmeal {E}

L- Hot dogs {just bad lol}

D- Tacos {CO/S}

06.06 Friday

B- Cereal {CO}/ Chocomocho shake {S}

L- Salad {S}

D- Hamburgers and bbq {S/CO}

06.07 Saturday

B- Cereal {CO}/ Eggs {S}

L- Meat sandwiches {CO}/wraps {S}

D- BBQ....?

06.08 Sunday

B- Eggs {S}

L- Leftovers

D- Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas {CO}

That's the week's menu. Lots of variety unless you count the mornings with cereal. It's hot; we have no a/c. This morning {Tuesday} when I had my coffee, it was iced. 

Menu Plan Monday- 05.26.14

Menus are my friend. Without a menu there is chaos. Without a menu there are too man "every man for himself!" days. Here's the menu for the week, and some of my food ramblings.  

05.26 Monday 

B- Eggs & bacon with coffee or hot tea {S}

L- Lettuce wrap/meat sandwich with water or iced tea {FP or S/CO}

D- Turkey burgers and kabobs with water or tea {CO}

05.27 Tuesday

B- Savory Skillet Oatmeal with hot tea {E}

L- Quesadilla with GGMS or iced tea {S/CO}

D- Lean turkey sausage with kale over noodles with water, GGMS or iced tea {E}

05.28 Wednesday

B- Refrigerator Oatmeal {E}

L- BLT Sandwich/Salad with iced tea {CO/S}

D- Crockpot chicken- Italian with water or iced tea {E}

05.29 Thursday

B- Breakfast burrito with coffee {S/CO}

L- Sweet potato and salmon with veggies with GGMS {E}

D- Cheeseburger pie {S}

05.30 Friday

B- Cereal/ChocoMocho Shake {CO/S}

L- Leftovers 

D- Undecided BBQ OR chicken wraps {S or E/S or CO}

05.31 Saturday

B- Cereal/Eggs with coffee {CO/S}

L- Lettuce wrap/meat sandwich with water, GGMS or iced tea {FP or S/CO}

D- Undecided Something and potato salad {CO}

06.01 Sunday

B- Eggs with coffee {S}

L- Tuna tortillas with iced tea {S or CO}

D- Undecided

If you've read this far... just a clarification: some of the {designations} have more than one. If it has a "/" then it means at least one of the peoples in the family is having a crossover. And most likely it isn't going to be me. If it says "... or ..." then it means it can be either way depending on what's in it. 

Anywhere it says tortilla or something with a tortilla, that means 1/2 to 3/4 of the family will have store bought flour tortillas with who knows what in them, while 1/4 to 1/2 of the family will have a flax tortilla that I make in the microwave. Sandwiches have wheat bread for most of the family while I have lettuce to wrap mine. 

And I'm trying to make myself drink more water. Not just coffee morning, noon and night {wink}. I linked to the GGMS but I don't quite make it the same as the recipe. It's simple to make and, once you get used to it, it's quite refreshing. Here's what I do if I want it 'ginger':

• Prepare one cup of water for hot tea. Place lemon ginger tea bag in cup and let steep until the water is cold. I think the brand I have is Stash.
• Fill a tall cup with ice {I have nifty plastic cups with lids and a hole for a straw}. 
• Add 1/4 teaspoon Sweet Blend, or one packet stevia, over ice. 
• Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon ACV {this time around I have Bragg's; usually I have Heinz "with the mother"}. 
• Finally, pour cold tea over ice until the cup is 1/2 full. Fill the rest with water. 
• Or I will pour all the tea in the cup and add water as I drink it down. 

If I don't want the 'ginger', I simply forget the tea step and do the rest the same.

I recommend the THMamas Pinterest boards for ideas. I've been stuck in a rut for awhile now.

I read an article the other day, let's see if I can find it, about those with gluten 'sensitivity' but not celiac, are fairly imagining it. It's psychological. The article really made sense because it said that there probably is a sensitivity to something but it's most likely not gluten. The hype with gluten nowadays has programmed some of us to think that is the culprit. 

Gluten wasn’t the culprit; the cause was likely psychological. Participants expected the diets to make them sick, and so they did.- Steven Ross Pomeroy

I went gluten free (gf) for a year, with only an occasional mess up here and there. I have many 'symptoms' that went away when I was gf. However, some of those were coming back even though I was primarily gf. Now I'm not perfect {scoff} and there are times now- perhaps even a week- when I do indulge in stuff I feel I shouldn't have and then 'suffer' for it. It has just got me thinking...

Menu Planning Monday -04.21.14

So last week we switched some things around and had bbq on Friday instead of our traditional pizza. Here's this week's menu- always subject to change *wink* DH insisted on "no fish!" I say tuna fish doesn't count...

04.21 Monday

B- Bagels with cream cheese and orange juice {leftovers from Easter brunch at the church on 04/20} not on plan...at all

L- Tortilla wraps {S/CO} depends on how they are made; mine and dd's will be {S}

D- Chicken Alfredo with veggies {S} this is one that got switched last week and never got made; I think I mislabeled it as {E} last week...ooopsie. Definitely {S}.

04.22 Tuesday

B- Eggs {S}

L- Tuna sandwiches {CO/S} it's {S} when using either the coconut flour flatbread or the low-carb tortilla

D- Hamburgers and baked beans {CO} if I used lean beef I might get this to {E} but marking it {CO} for now

04.23 Wednesday

B- Cereal {CO}/Oatmeal with cottage cheese and berries {E}

L- Quesadillas {S/CO}

D- Sweet potato with sausage (crockpot) I'm not sure if I could make this an {E} or if it will be a {CO}

04.24 Thursday

B- THM Pancakes {E}

L- Brown rice Tabouleh {S/CO?}

D- Porkloin (crockpot) with Brussels sprouts {S}

04.25 Friday

B- Cereal {CO}/Muffin in a mug {S}/Oatmeal with cottage cheese and berries {E}

L- Egg sandwich {CO} mine will be {S} using coconut flour flatbread

Tea-time: 

D- Pizza! {CO} this will most likely change during the summer time since it'll be too hot 

04.26 Saturday

B- Muffin in a mug {S}/Eggs {S}/Oatmeal {E}

L- Salad with cheese {S}

D- Soft tacos {S/CO}

Dessert: 

04.27 Sunday 

B- Eggs {S}

L- Meat and cheese sandwich/wrap {CO/S}

D- Chicken with veggies {E} I'll use chicken breast

As I make these menus I notice how many {S}, {E}, and {CO} there are and am very thankful that with THM's principles each meal is a reset. I think though that I need to try for more {E} meals. Next week. I'll think about that next week. 

Menu Plan Monday 04.14.14

Got the plan made this afternoon before shopping. 

04.14 Monday

B- Crepes {S} ds had honey on his; dd and I had Greek yogurt and stevia {ours were better *wink*}

L- Leftover enchiladas from Sunday {CO} I had oatmeal with blueberries and cottage cheese {E}

D- Cheeseburger Pie {S} It's in the book under Evening Meals. I changed it some by cutting the recipe in 1/2, and subbing 1/2 of the called for mayonnaise with Greek yogurt. Served with salad for dh and I; corn on the side for the kids.

04.15 Tuesday

B- Light White Blueberry Muffins {S} In the book under "Muffins, Breads, and Pizza Crusts"

L- Lettuce wraps with either turkey or ham, cheese, mayo, mustard {S/FP/E} I might make some Trim Healthy Pan Bread for {E} sandwiches if they want something "more" to their sandwich.

D- Taco Salad {S} the kids and hubby will most likely have corn tortilla chips and cheese with theirs; I just have the salad, meat and Greek yogurt pretending to be sour cream. I might have a couple chips...

My lunch; kids opted for lettuce wraps. 
It was super yummy! I had two of those by the way.

04.16 Wednesday

B- Cereal {kids}/Oatmeal with berries and cottage cheese {E}

L- Quesadillas {S} or {CO} for ds with a regular tortilla

D- All Day Lentil Soup {E} I might make biscuits for the family, which would make this a {CO} for them...will see

04.17 Thursday

B- Super Grains cereal OR Oatmeal with berries and cottage cheese {E}

L- Bean and cheese burritos {CO} I eat just the filling without cheese which usually makes it {E}

D- Italian Style chicken (crockpot) {S} In the book under Evening Meals, Clever Crockpot Meals

04.18 Friday

B- Cereal {kids}/Eggs {S}

L- Salad with meat and cheese {S}

Tea-time: Fox is going to make fudgy brownies- definitely not on-plan! Perhaps some Friday I'll make the Special Agent Brownie Cake.

D- Pizza {CO}

04.19 Saturday

B- Cereal {kids}/Eggs {S}

L- Meat sandwiches {CO} I will make mine with the Trim Healthy Pan Bread for {E} since I don't put on the cheese and can go without mayo every so often.

D- Chicken Alfredo (crockpot) with veggies {E} another "in the book" choice, under Evening Meals, Clever Crockpot Meals

Dessert: Ice Cream! in the book- Tummy Tucking Ice Cream {E/FP}

04.20 Sunday

B- Eggs {S}

Brunch at church- Pastries, bagels, fruit (I can only hope), juice, coffee, etc.

D- Leftovers (there better be some!)

That's the menu for this week. I made sure we had some different things to try. Thankfully we are blessed with plenty of chicken in the freezer; many dinners with chicken. 

We have been trying to curtail our 'junk' eating during the week. The weekend is for that now- but not too much! I'm trying to be flexible with some THM desserts, some off-plan desserts. 

Today I made tea with THM Sweet Blend instead of sugar. It's good...but it'll take some of the family some getting used to *wink* Only 2 TBS and it tastes like sweet tea! 

Menu Plan Monday 04.07.14

Another week with a menu. I had one almost done {uh, not really; there were many meals missing} but Lee set me straight: "What's with all these crossovers!?" Yeah, I had to redo it. She's happier now {*wink*}

04.07 Monday 

B- Coffee cake {made by Fox; um yeah, totally "off plan"}

L- Grocery-shopping-get-fast-food {eh hee hee...we had Subway}

D- Hamburgers, minus the bun, with salad {S}

04.08 Tuesday

B- Super Grains hot cereal {E} I'll have coffee, black with stevia- oh! now that THM is carrying their own, I can actually drink my coffee without 'cream' of any kind *smile*

L- Lettuce wraps with turkey or ham, cheese, mayo, mustard, maybe some tomato {E without the cheese; S with}

D- Fried fish with creamy veggies and cheese rolls {S} all from THM; I'd love to give you page numbers but I have the Kindle version

04.09 Wednesday 

B- Eggs {S} with bulletproof coffee! I've been trying to cut down...

L- Taco salad {CO} 

D- Mac and cheese {CO} I might attempt the Macafoni and Cheese in THM but ...they really like my homemade mac and cheese; it might not be safe to switch it; for me...? not sure what I'll have.

04.10 Thursday

B- Waffles {off plan} Fox is making these and he insists they be 'regular'

L- Quesadillas {S} I'm "planning" on making low-carb tortillas for these but I don't know that either of the kids have ever had one. 

D- Crockpot spaghetti sauce chicken {E} maybe with brown rice on the side?

04.11 Friday

B- THM Pancakes {E}

L- Tea-time: assorted fruit, cottage cheese and tea {E}

D- Homemade pizza! {CO/off plan} I think I might just have one too. It's been a long while since I have. 

04.12 Saturday

B- Cereal {CO}/ Eggs {S}/ Muffin-in-a-mug {S}

L- Tuna tortillas {CO/off plan} haven't decided what I'll have.

D- BBQ {S}/ Chicken soup {S} weather dependent and both of those could end up being E depending on what kind of meat we use...
And we're going to have dessert after dinner. It will be the Basic Cheesecake or Tummy Tucking Ice Cream {both from THM}. I got the idea from a family at church that only has sweets on the weekends. 

04.13 Sunday 

B- Eggs {S}

L- Salad with meat and cheese {S}

D- Enchiladas {CO/off plan} I am not having these; oatmeal for me. Yum.

Snacks are the same as usual. 

I am definitely trying to make out menus more diverse. It used to be we had fish, burritos, spaghetti and pizza once a week. So that's 4 dinners always the same every week! Yikes! No wonder hubby vetoed spaghetti... and he's not big on fish either {unless it's tuna tortillas- yum}. And perhaps adding a tradition of a dessert on Saturdays to go with our already established tradition of homemade pizza on Fridays.

Menu Plan Monday 03.31.14

It's so good to have a plan. When we have a menu, then grocery shopping is so much easier as well. 

Here's the plan for the week:
03.31- Monday
Breakfast: Cereal (CO), Eggs (S), or Oatmeal with real fruit jam (kumquat) and 1% cottage cheese (E) {something for everyone- this meal really wasn't 'planned' but this is how it turned out. Fox had cereal; Lee had eggs; I had oatmeal.}
Lunch: Tacos with pico de gallo (CO) {I went without tortilla for an S, with a dollop of 0% Greek yogurt- yum!}
Dinner: Lemon Dijon Garlic Pepper Tilapia with "Fancy" Green Beans (E), a slice of bread and butter on the side for hubby and Fox (CO)

04.01- Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal (E) {the kids might not have it like I do, with fruit and cottage cheese- their loss}
Lunch: Salad with meat and cheese (S) {I skip the cheese for an E}
Dinner: Tuna tortillas (CO) {I don't eat this at all because of the cheese we put in the mix and the tortillas; instead I will have ...?}

04.02- Wednesday
Breakfast: Eggs (S)
Lunch: Grilled cheese with Light Tomato Soup (CO) -chapter 20 THM {for me instead of the grilled cheese sandwich, it will be 1/2 a piece of rye toast with Greek yogurt in place of butter (E)}
Dinner: Salad of some kind... this is prone to change since they didn't have any salad when I went shopping today

04.03- Thursday
Breakfast: Cereal (CO) {for me it'll be oatmeal (E) or eggs (S); depends how I feel that morning}
Lunch: Sammies (eggplant, meat and Swiss cheese sandwiches) (S)- chapter 20 THM {Fox doesn't like eggplant so he'll have a meat and cheese sandwich on wheat bread (CO)}
Dinner: Fake Hot Wings {this is the Boneless Wings in THM- chapter 21} with ...? The kids want biscuits which I find to be an odd combination. Usually we have veggies on the side. {It will probably end up a CO meal}

04.04- Friday
Breakfast: Egg and sausage "muffins" (S)
Lunch: Loaded Fotato Soup (E) -chapter 20 THM {FP for me, no cheese wedge and added Greek yogurt}
Dinner: Pepperoni and olive pizza! Homemade every Friday. (CO) {I usually eat oatmeal (E)...I know so boring; good thing I love oatmeal!}

04.05- Saturday
Breakfast: Cereal (CO) for the kids; eggs (S) for dh {eggs (S) or oatmeal (E) for me}
Lunch: Salad of some sort...again this might change.
Dinner: Something from the freezer...undecided

04.06- Sunday
Breakfast: Same as Saturday
Lunch: Chicken wraps (CO) {I will have an "egg" sandwich (S) using 2 slices of Coconut Flour Flatbread and mayo. I use almond milk, and yes, I use the Parmesan cheese.}
Dinner: Porkloin, mesquite bbq flavor with mashed potatoes (CO) {I'm going to make some Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes -chapter 22 THM- for myself and whoever wants to try it for an S}

Snacks can be {All the cheesy ones are for the kids, not me.}: 
raisins/string cheese
yogurt/raisins
yogurt/coconut
apple/peanut butter
apple/yogurt
wasa crackers/string cheese
wasa crackers/cheese wedge
apple/string cheese
cottage cheese/fruit
yogurt/almonds
yogurt/peanut butter

So that's the week's menu. Sometimes we switch the meals around if we aren't feeling like what's set for the day. Ah, yes and always there is water, water, water, and tea :)

Note:
S= Satisfying
E= Energizing
CO= Crossover
Find out more about THM by visiting the website.

Here’s That “Sneak It In” Post–AKA: “Food Post”

A few days ago I made a post about my almond cream cheese and using it to make a low-carb, gluten free pizza. I got the photos of the almond cream cheese (okay it’s just called almond cheese but it’s like cream cheese so why not call it that) and the crust for the pizza…but forgot the rest. Here’s the post to go along with the one where I said I’d just slip it in there.

My pizza:

It tasted really good. The kids even liked it (I didn’t even try to get dh to try it). I will admit that there’s cheese on the top and I used some mashed kidney beans in the sauce. Yes. Yes, I know; I’m weird. And…I did suffer for adding the cheese but for a pizza that tastes like pizza but doesn’t have the wheat (I’ll take the stomach grumbles from the cheese as opposed to itchiness, bloated gut and headache from the wheat), it works for me. The texture is not right for pizza unless you eat it cold, then it’s pretty close!

Here’s my grocery shopping for the week:

Oh, yes, and… miiiiine…

I can have cottage cheese for some reason and have no issues. I’d bought whipping cream and 1/2 n 1/2 the week before for my coffee because I was tired of making the almond milk but I’m going to go back to the almonds. It cost $3.48 for the milk-stuffs for one week as opposed to $4.29 for the almonds which last longer than a week. I prefer the taste of the milk-stuffs but my stomach doesn’t treat me well afterwards.

Anyway, the week’s total was $43.47 for four; a little more than I was hoping. The eggs, almonds, and apples went up in price and I bought parmesan cheese that’ll last for months. I also used to buy just 1 dozen eggs but decided we needed 2 this time.

Here’s our menu for the week:

Monday (today)

• Breakfast: Oatmeal
• Lunch: leftovers
• Dinner: Homemade mac and cheese

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Cereal for the kids; oatmeal for me
• Lunch: Meat sandwiches with lettuce and cheese
• Dinner: Spaghetti (meatless? haven’t decided); cabbage ‘noodles’ for me

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Eggs (with toast for the kids if they want)
• Lunch: Tuna sandwiches (no bread for me)
• Dinner: Beans

Thursday:

• Breakfast: “breakfast” egg and cheese muffins
• Lunch: leftovers
• Dinner: Talapia with veggies

Friday:

• Breakfast: Cereal for the kids, oatmeal for me
• Lunch: Salad with cheese
• Dinner: Sausage, cheese and olive pizza (making theirs ‘normal’; mine will be like I had before)

Saturday:

• Breakfast: Fruit salad (apples, pineapples, yogurt) for the kids, eggs for hubby and I
• Lunch: ??
• Dinner: Turkey kielbasa, grilled?, over rice and side salad or veggies

Sunday: (Father’s Day!)

• Breakfast: Eggs
• Lunch: Meat and cheese sandwiches with lettuce
• Dinner: Burgers (? this might change)

Monday:

• Breakfast: Scones (kids), oatmeal (me)
• Lunch: leftovers
• Dinner: Mac and cheese with hot dog bits for them, hot dogs with ? for me

I’m slowly trying to make the meals pretty much compatible for everyone. It’s a bit of a pain to make 2 different dishes for meals, not to mention a little more on the pocketbook.

And one other thing I’m doing is that I’m slowly incorporating into everyone else’s meals the THM way of eating. They just don’t know it. {*evil laughter*} I bought the ebook back in March I believe and at first I was {*very*} skeptical because it says you shouldn’t eat this, or shouldn’t eat that…yada, yada, yada. And I’m skeptical of elimination dieting. But the idea behind the book and meals is very sensical logical to me. You balance your meals a certain way to make the most of the fuels in the foods. But it isn’t always going to be the same exact balance each and every time. And it is a ‘diet’ in the same way any other time you eat a particular way is a diet- it is how you eat. It’s not a program to lose weight quickly and then go back to eating like before. {totally irrelevant side note: Apparently ‘sensical’ is not a word to my LiveWriter; yet nonsensical is a word. To which I say, “pshaw!”}

I prefer to call it THM because “Trim, Healthy Mama” just doesn’t go well in my head when I think of my dh, ds or dd eating the Trim-Healthy-Mama-way. I’m sure dh especially wouldn’t like it. THM is much easier and better  

One way to do this is for me to start making dh’s lunches again for him to take to work… Yeah, that’s on the to-do list.

On the Facebook group for THM someone so kindly created and posted a very helpful document that shows how to basically build each meal quickly, no matter what you have on hand (well, with exceptions of course). I printed this out in small form and make a ‘flip-chart’ that I can keep with me. Before I was trying to write things down in my handy-dandy poppin yellow notebook but still kept forgetting or getting things wrong when planning. Now, it’s there and easy to find.

I also put one, larger size, on my microwave so I can quickly see it. (lol right next to the Chinese take out menu ) It’s ‘flip-chart’ style also; I just taped the top of the page together lol.

Yeah, so that was my ‘slip it in there’ post for my pizza. And some other things.

$53 for a week- for 4

Is that good? I can’t quite tell. Some weeks I pay over $60 and feel like I bring nothing home. Other weeks I pay just over $30..and still feel like I brought next to nothing home.

This week, however, I feel like I got a good deal for my $53. And some of it will last longer than the week so next week should be less out of pocket expense. I hope.

Ah, and you can see what kinds of food we eat

And here’s our week’s menu:

Monday (that’s today, before I went shopping):

• Breakfast & Lunch: scrounge
• Dinner: chicken with rice and veggies

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Scones
• Lunch: Chicken wraps
• Dinner: Soup

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Eggs and toast
• Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwiches
• Dinner: Pork loin with mashed potatoes and gravy

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Pancakes
• Lunch: Tuna sandwiches
• Dinner: Meatless spaghetti

Friday:

• Breakfast: Waffles
• Lunch: Salad with cheese
• Dinner: Pepperoni pizza

Saturday:

• Breakfast: cold cereal (eggs for hubby)
• Lunch: Leftovers
• Dinner: Hamburgers

Sunday:

• Breakfast: Eggs and toast
• Lunch: Small cheese calzones
• Dinner: Fish with veggies

Monday:

• Breakfast: cold cereal
• Lunch: Soup
• Dinner: chicken with veggies and biscuits

And then I will do the shopping…again.

Menu Plan Monday- 05/09/2011

 

Monday: Pizza at 4H (I love it when others 'cook')

Tuesday: Fish (baked) with biscuits (maybe) and mixed veggies

Wednesday: Burritos

Thursday: Chicken with veggies

Friday: Sloppy Joes

Saturday: Bean soup with biscuits

Sunday: Chicken enchiladas OR Chili with cornbread

Menu Plan Monday- 05/01/2011

Monday:Tuna Turnovers with broccoli (haven't decided if they broccoli will be chopped up and added to the tuna mix inside the biscuit or just on the side)

Tuesday: Sloppy joes

Wednesday: Bean soup with biscuits.

Thursday: Pepperoni pizza with side salad

Friday: BBQ chicken (if weather permitting) with potato salad

Saturday: Leftovers ?? (probably the bean soup)

Sunday: Baked fish (lemon garlic pepper) with side salad.

Phew! that's done! :)