Menu Plan Monday

This month menu planning is KEY to our success. I'm taking part in the Clean Out Your Cupboards Challenge. This challenge is easy peasy for a few days, but then my old ways start to creep back in. The old me that says to herself, "I've worked hard all day and I'm tired and the kids are tired ... perhaps the hubby should just pick something up after work." Luckily my husband is on board with the challenge and helped me save myself from sabotaging it! He came home from work and whipped up one of the best meals of the week featuring this beauty ....I'd forgotten that my in-laws had left some in the fridge before they left. Have you tried it? It is DIVINE! He cooked some brown rice and then stir fried chicken with carrots and green peppers in Sweet Baby Ray's Barbeque sauce. It was simple, semi-healthy, and SCRUMPTIOUS. And all from our cupboards!

As for my accountability for the challenge, this week as a COMPLETE success! We did not eat out at all and we stuck to our $50 a week budget ($26 of which goes to fresh fruits, veggies, and bread from Bountiful Baskets).

I was even able to pull off an impromptu dinner party with my brother in law and his family as well as a get together with college roommates tonight. I've learned it's good to have a few simple, but yummy group recipes in my pocket for such occasions like my sister's easy crockpot Salsa Chicken.

So here we go with week two which should be fairly interesting ... we may need to make a meat run early in the week!

Dinners:
Cajun Rice Dish (we've done this one many, many times before - so easy, so yummy!)
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Coconut Linguine Primavera
Curried Chickpeas and Quinoa
Chicken Paprika
Oven Risotto with Sausage and Tomatoes
Chicken with Broccoli and Garlic Sauce

Lunches:
Grilled Bacon Apple and Cheddar Sandwiches
Breakfast Pizzas
Tuna Salad
Leftovers
Italian Style Quinoa Salad
Fresh Broccoli Salad
Brown Rice and Beans

Breakfasts:
Pumpkin French Toast (another tried and true yummy way to get veggies in the kiddos) with fruit
Bacon and Egg Breakfast Muffins with fruit
Granola

Dessert:
Crockpot Apple Cake
Grain-free Brownies

To Bake:
Homemade English Muffins