BLD Meal-Planning Week 3

Meal-planning Week 3: I'm not going to lie, I thought to myself this week that I've been doing so well with meal planning that I didn't need to write it down, I could just plan in my head and it would work.. but then again, usually when things are working we stop doing them because we think we got it.. so I'm sticking to it. I discovered lemon curd this week and made a vintage orange upside down cake, yum!

Breakfast this week:

Greek Yogurt Parfait:

Inspired by my new found love for Starbucks new Lemon Raspberry Yogurt Parfait but not my love for paying $3.50 for it or all the sugar in it. So I made my own. In doing so I discovered lemon curd which is absolutely delicious!  Half a cup of greek yogurt, so high in protien, and just a tablespoon of lemon curd and some roasted blueberries, topped with granola. I made it for half the price, less fat and less sugar. Total win! For the lemon curd recipe click here:  http://youreahotmama.blogspot.com/2015/01/easy-lemon-curd.html

Biscuits and Gravy:

So comforting on a winter morning, it just so happened to be just a little foggy and everything on this morning. I used turkey breakfast sausage which I browned in a nonstick skillet and made a country gravy by added a little butter to the pan, sprinkled with flour, seasoned with garlic salt and pepper and then added a little milk until it was just the right thickness. 

Egg White Omelette with Hash-Browns:

I had quite a few egg whites left over from making lemon curd and I did not let them go to waste. I added some left over sausage and veggies from the day before and some bacon and then topped with cheese. Then I quickly defrosted some Trader Joes hash browns and browned them in a pan.

Peanut Butter Toast with Honey

A quick breakfast with multi-grain bread toasted with a little peanut butter and honey.

Dinners this week:

Mini Meatloafs with Potatoes and Layered Salad:

I took my meatloaf recipe and made it quick cooking by cooking it in cupcake tins to make minis. Click here for the meatloaf recipe: http://youreahotmama.blogspot.com/2015/01/easy-lemon-curd.html For the potatoes click here: http://youreahotmama.blogspot.com/2013/10/garlic-roasted-red-potatoes.html The layered salad is a recipe that I picked up from a pot luck from a long time ago.It's pretty simple. Just layered shredded iceberg lettuce, diced green peppers (I used orange instead), chopped celery, frozen peas defrosted, a dressing made of mayo and a sprinkle of sugar, grated cheese, bacon and topped with tomatoes. I made the salad for dinner and then a couple for the fridge for lunch at the same time. Worked out perfectly too, the salad stayed crisp and fresh. Another lunch was made with leftovers from this dinner with meatloaf sandwiches, which I think I may like even more than just meatloaf. I like to add a little siracha to my ketchup for the sandwich for a little spice!

Italian Sausage Soup:

Probably my favorite year round. The italian sausage soup has sausage, pasta, veggies and a very flavorful broth. Click here to see that recipe: http://youreahotmama.blogspot.com/2013/09/italian-sausage-soup.html

Baked Penne Pasta with Two Sauces:

I got this recipe a long time ago from Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals and it is super family friendly. I added some roasted veggies to freshen it up a little, spinach would be a good add as well. Click here for here recipe: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipes/neapolitan-baked-ziti

Rotisserie Chicken with green rice and Haricots Verts:

I picked up a rotisserie chicken at Costco when I was there over the weekend and took it off the bones, packaged it up in zipper freezer bags and threw it in the freezer until mid-week when I needed it. Quick dinner with some white rice turned into green rice with sauced green onion and parsley with a little butter and the Trader Joes Haricots Verts! Dinner in 20 min.

Tuna on Toast:

Lazy dinner for a late night at work. Creamy tuna salad on warm toasted sour dough bread, one of my favorite combinations. The tuna salad can have almost anything in it, I like to add chopped pepperoncinis, pickle relish. a little green onion, and dill. 

The Vintage Orange Upside Down Cake I made this week came from Pinterest and was wonderful. Not something that I would normally make but it sounded warm and inviting and I had all the ingredients on hand so I went for it. Click here to try it: http://bakethiscake.com/2014/05/05/orange-upside-down-cake/