28 Day Meal Plan

28 days of meals...in no real order though...eat as your heart desires. 

Clean eating. No processed foods. No crazy boxed foods. Just pure simple cooking. I won't go totally nuts though; I know some foods need to be bought in a box {pasta}.

Totally pinterest ready and available on my clean eating board. Follow my board to get more ideas for meals all year long.

This Mac and Cheese

Chicken Quinoa Casserole

Avocado Quinoa

This Easy Baked Salmon

How about another salmon recipe

Chicken, Spinach, and Artichokes

Egg salad made with avocados

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

Spaghetti Squash Carbonara *kids will love this*

This Chicken Chili

Zucchini Noodle Shrimp Scampi

Stuffed Portobello

Sesame Cauliflower and Bell Peppers

Burrito pie

Creamy Sundried Tomato Chicken

Portobello Pizza gives new meaning to mushroom pizzas

Black Bean and Potato Nachos

This veggie medly

More Zucchini Pasta

Couscous Salad

Cauliflower Couscous

This other Mac & Cheese

Clean eating Pulled Pork

A Greek Chicken Pita

Lemon Chicken

Lime shrimp and avocado

Quinoa Bites

Quinoa Fried "Rice"



Bonus!!!

Some great breakfast ideas

Breakfast Quiche

Eggs in an Avocado Boat

Chickpea Scramble

I have been making this since I learned to cook, year and years ago. It is hard for me to find a chicken recipe that we will all enjoy, and Chicken Picatta is usually a great go to for me. It only takes about 30 minutes to make, and it is so good.

What you will need

4-6 Whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts {I usually use 4 and fillet them if they are really thick}
Flour
Salt & Pepper
1 Cup of chicken broth
1/2 Cup of dry white wine {use what you would drink...crappy wine makes crappy food}
Parsley
1 Whole lemon
1/4 Cup of capers
1 Cup of Mushrooms
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
4 Tbsp of Butter {real butter}


What you do:

As I said, I tend to thin my chicken by filleting, you can pound your chicken breasts thinner as well. In a {I use cast iron} skillet, heat butter and olive oil together on medium-high heat. Dredge your chicken in flour and shake off extra. Carefully, place the chicken in the skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side until browned.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and add in your broth and white wine. Squeeze your lemon juice into the mixture. Bring it all to a boil. Add in capers and mushrooms. Scrape all the cooked pieces together. Cook for 10-15 minutes more then add your chicken back for another 5 minutes {be sure your chicken reached an internal temperature of 165* for safety}. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with fresh lemon slices and parsley and serve over angel hair pasta.

July Menu

On a monthly basis I create a menu for that month. I sit with my children and we create away. Bear cooks on Mondays and Boo cooks on Wednesdays {or is it the opposite?} At any rate, this is a great system...I get to account for time the children will not be home and when we will be out of town. I love it to no end...

Enjoy, and maybe even steal the idea (this is great for split families)
*Single parents can save cash by making a bit more food and doing left overs while the kiddies are away*

Week 1:

~Out of town~

Week 2:

Monday: Baby Girl birthday dinner

Tuesday: Baby Girl birthday party

Wednesday: Biscuits & gravy 

Thursday: Shepherd's Pie

Friday: Salmon, mashed potatoes, and grilled veggies

Saturday: Baked chicken, yeast rolls, zucchini, and carrots
Sunday: Pasta and meatballs

Weekly Dessert: {Theme to kick off summer...S'mores} S'mores lasagna

Week 3:

Monday: Tuna noodle casserole

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Homemade pizza from scratch {more a large lunch with great leftovers available after gymnastics}

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: *Weekend at dad's*

Saturday: *Weekend at dad's*

Sunday: *Weekend at dad's*

Weekly Dessert: S'mores crescent rolls

Week 4:

Monday: Steak, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole

Tuesday: Stroganoff and asparagus

Wednesday: Colored Pasta

Thursday: ~Out of town~

Friday: ~Out of town~

Saturday: ~Out of town~

Sunday: ~Out of town~

Weekly Dessert: We will be out of town, so I am very sure this will wind up as a Starbucks run or Bear getting her cook on with a trained Chef {family member}

Week 5:

Monday: ~Out of town...Boo's choice~

Tuesday: Salmon burgers with sweet potatoes 

Wednesday: 4 cheese mac & cheese

Thursday: Baked chicken carbonara

Friday: *Weekend at dad's*

I haven't been on in a while, but I am changing that! Today! Right now!

I am beginning with my menu for May and the rest of April. I am dong a strict NO SPEND month (except while travelling) for May...so this will have breakfast and lunch ideas as well!

Plus, twice a week these kiddos get to cook! One day for each of the big girls weekly.

The remaining days in April:

This week~well I suppose this took care of itself!

Monday {Bear's night to cook}
Tuesday {Birthday celebration dinner for Boo}
Wednesday {Boo's night to cook}
Thursday
     Sandwiches on the go...no time to cook

May

Week 1

Friday

Salmon

Saturday

Lime chicken

Week 2

Sunday

Brats and veggies

Monday

{Bear's night to cook}

Tuesday

Pasta with Pesto

Wednesday

{Boo's night to cook}

Thursday

Sandwiches on the go...no time to cook

{8th and 9th the children are with their father, so I don't have to cook!}

Week 3

Sunday

Mother's Day {I hope I don't have to cook}

Monday

{Bear's night to cook}

Tuesday

French dip sandwiches

Wednesday

{Boo's night to cook}

Thursday

Homemade sushi experiment

{15 to the 25th we will be gone with no need to plan meals!}

Tuesday

{Bear's night to cook}

Wednesday

{Boo's night to cook}

Thursday

Homemade pizza with the kids

Friday

Stuffed bell peppers

Saturday

Fish tacos

Sunday

Stuffed flank steak

Breakfast ideas for the kiddos
{I just do coffee followed by a smoothie or Access shake before a workout}

• Oatmeal
• Pancakes
• Stuffed avocados 
• Crepes 
• Pastries
• Breakfast "mock" sushi

Hey, I said I like to cook, and I like it to be fast, but it isn't always going to be healthy.

Boo is a total meat freak. She has always been that way; one day when she is old enough to date, she will be the girl ordering the half-raw (blue) steak on her date. So when she says I want steak, but not regular steak, I had better figure something out. So I did.

Chicken fried steak. Normally I would use a ground chuck, but rather than that, I went with some round steaks I had in the freezer.

Monday Meal Plans

Monday

Hot dogs and chips

(fast and easy)

Tuesday

Chicken fried steak

Mashed potatoes

Green beans

Wednesday

{Ash Wednesday...fasting day}

*A nursing mommy and 2 kids means a real meal...meat free*

Tuna noodle casserole

Thursday

Roast chicken

Corn on the cob

 Cauliflower

Friday
{Lenten Friday}

Fish tacos

Rice

Saturday

Shredded chicken fajitas

Sunday

Pasta and meatballs

My kids love to make pizza. We never do just one big pizza and all eat from it; we each make our own and eat those. Nat likes meat...and lots of it. Daddy likes everything. I like calzones. Ky? She likes cheese. So a simple pizza night isn't really possible for us.

We usually get pizza crust in a box, or I make some Italian bread for the crust. The problem there is packaged dough sucks and it takes two 45 minute rises wit no over kneading for a good Italian dough. It can take me all day to make my own dough.

Until a few weeks ago...

Tonight we went for oven BBQ chicken.  I am not sure that was the safest meal to go for, but I did it anyway.

With Audrey in arm I made a lovely little dinner.  But before we did that we looked over what we had and planned for the next few days.

Sunday: Hot Dogs and corn grill out style!  Kid friendly all around

Monday: Pizza, straight up homemade from scratch pizza (I will totally post this one for you)

Tuesday: Spaghetti and sausage (in my house this is kid friendly)

I love fish & chips, I have since I was a kid.  Most kids do, right?  But somehow, I only love them when we go out to eat.  Making them at home never quite works out.  I can bread and pan fry an amazing fillet, but deep fry and have it look like the ones in the restaurants?  No.  I just can't do it.

Until the other day...

I didn't take a photo of it, but I swear it looked JUST LIKE THIS

So every Monday and Friday are kids' choice around here.  Tonight Natalia wanted Sloppy Joes, and wouldn't you know it...I was out of ground beef.  So we agreed on Turkey Joes instead.  Ground turkey isn't my choice to substitute for beef, but when it is all you have...embrace it.

GIANT can of tomato sauce...it's how we roll

I have found that by making the item about the turkey, rather than seeing it as a sub, the food will taste better.  Like you set out to make it that way!

I am NOT a fan of cilantro, let me make that clear from the start.  I cannot stand it.

So when the hubby decided that was the main ingredient for the meal he got to pick for the week I was horrified.  He decided on Cilantro Lime Shrimp.

Now, while I don't care for cilantro, I love shrimp.  And cilantro can be done in small amounts for me so here is how the girls and I got through Cilantro Lime Shrimp night (barely).

So, in our house I do a bi-weekly menu plan.  I plan out two weeks worth of dinners so we know what we will be having.  Mondays and Fridays are open days so the kids can request their favorites ahead of time.  We are pretty fluid, so any item I have not deemed un-veto-able...I know, right...can be shot down by the husband if he sees something cheaper or yummier.

Welcome!

I decided my crafting and cooking exploits needed to be separated from my daily life blog.  I will still post there, I am sure of it, with some recipes and such, but I am using this as my new recipe and crafting area.

What a week to start with...the beginning of fall.  So with the beginning of fall I bring to you my best recipe for biscuits ever.