I've been told by several people (midwives, birthing class teacher/coach, etc.) that I need to be eating a lot of protein right now. More protein and less sugar. Oh boy! So, in an effort to get my husband eating better, me eating more in line with what the experts suggest, setting myself up for being able to lose "an undisclosed amount of" baby and whacked-out-thyroid weight once this sweet boy is born, and being more diligent to stay on track with my grocery budget, I have recommitted myself to planning our meals weekly and shopping for only what I actually need. Mission: clean out the freezer/pantry, save money and calories while feeding the baby what he actually needs.
A few of my blogging friends post their weekly dinner plans with some of the recipes and I always find it interesting and educational... so here's my version :)
PS - Lunches consist of leftovers and salad (goal being a combination of some raw and some cooked veggies every day).
Last week:
Monday - Roast Chicken, baked potatoes, salad
Tuesday - Crock-pot BBQ chicken, broccoli, homemade whole wheat rolls
Wednesday - Chicken Tacos
Thursday - eat out
Friday - Steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli
Saturday - Taco Salad
This week:
Monday - Chicken Spaghetti
Tuesday - Pesto Chicken, organic whole-grain Texmati rice, green beans
Wednesday - leftovers (James has Open House at school)
Thursday - Sally's Meat Loaf, broccoli
Friday - leftovers or eat out
Saturday lunch with my Dad - homemade whole-wheat pizza
I've also decided to start making all of our bread (cheaper and no high fructose corn syrup!) and to not have dessert stored in the house. Any baking I do will be taste-tested here and then shared with James' school faculty or friends/neighbors :) James and I both really like yogurt parfaits with frozen blueberries and granola, so that will be our go-to for dessert.
Today I made chicken stock with the carcasses of several chickens I've been saving in the freezer for the past couple of months - it was surprisingly easy and made the rice for tonight's dinner so yummy!
Crock Pot BBQ Chicken - dump a package of boneless/skinless chicken thighs into the crock pot. Cover with favorite BBQ sauce and a few Tbsp water. Add A1, Worchestershire, etc, if you're feeling creative. Cook for several hours, stirring about once per hour, until chicken is done. If anyone does this and figures out how long it actually takes, let me know :)
Sally's Meatloaf - just an ordinary meatloaf recipe... kicked up with horseradish. It's yummy... try it!
Pesto Chicken - I recreated this recipe after having it for dinner at my friend Jamie's house. Bake chicken breasts (boneless/skinless) with 1 Tbsp pesto on top of each (covered with foil, usually takes about 40 min at 350 degrees if they aren't crowded in the dish). Top with one slice mozzarella cheese and return to oven, uncovered, for 3-5 min to melt cheese.
Bon apetit!
