Menu Plan Monday!

Why is Menu Planning so important, and how does it affect a grocery budget? If you've been asking yourself what the big deal is about menu planning when I share my menu with you each week, be sure to go visit A Few Short Cuts to check out the guest post I did on menu planning a while back. I think it will help shed some light on this subject for you...

Well, the weekend is over, and Monday has once again rolled around. What a bummer! Planning my weekly menu always cheers me up a bit. Maybe it's because I love planning, or maybe it's because I love cooking. Who knows? ;)

Here's what I have planned for this week:

Monday - Homemade pitas stuffed with veggies/lettuce (leftover meal from last week's menu)

Tuesday - Pasta With Mushroom Garlic Sauce

Wednesday - Southwestern Quinoa Casserole

Thursday - Dinner with family (we do this every week)

Friday - Fish and Various Veggie Sides (haven't quite decided yet)

Saturday - Morningstar Black Bean Burgers (with these homemade buns), Sweet Potato Fries, & Side Salad

Sunday - Baked Pasta Casserole

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood from time to time). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

Why is Menu Planning so important, and how does it affect a grocery budget? If you've been asking yourself what the big deal is about menu planning when I share my menu with you each week, be sure to go visit A Few Short Cuts to check out the guest post I did on menu planning a while back. I think it will help shed some light on this subject for you...

Here's what I have planned for this week:

Monday - Homemade pitas stuffed with veggies/lettuce

Tuesday - Black Bean Burritos

Wednesday - Dinner out with a friend; Kyle will eat a frozen meal

Thursday - Dinner with family (we do this every week)

Friday - Oriental Salad (have to get this recipe for you!), cheese/crackers, celery

Saturday - Sweet Potato Curry over rice

Sunday - Veggies Dream Cucumber Sandwiches

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood from time to time). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

Why is Menu Planning so important, and how does it affect a grocery budget? If you've been asking yourself what the big deal is about menu planning when I share my menu with you each week, be sure to go visit A Few Short Cuts to check out the guest post I did on menu planning a while back. I think it will help shed some light on this subject for you...

I almost forgot about Menu Plan Monday this week! Things are crazy around my house. I'm really falling back on some good ole favorites this week, just to keep it simple.

Here's what I have planned for this week:

Monday - Egg salad sandwiches, raw veggies with dip, and chips/salsa

Tuesday - Rice, Broccoli, Cheese, Walnut Surprise

Wednesday - Bow Tie Pasta Medley

Thursday - Chickpea Tacos

Friday - Family Outing

Saturday - Firehouse Veggie Sub (copycat recipe I made up - so yummy! We're addicted.)

Sunday - Fruit Salad (similar to this recipe, except I add apples and walnuts), Crackers and Cheese

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood from time to time). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

Why is Menu Planning so important, and how does it affect a grocery budget? If you've been asking yourself what the big deal is about menu planning when I share my menu with you each week, be sure to go visit A Few Short Cuts to check out the guest post I did on menu planning a while back. I think it will help shed some light on this subject for you...

Here's what I have planned for this week:

Monday - Spaghetti with Vegetarian Crockpot Sauce (from Freezer Cooking Session), French Bread, and Salad

Tuesday - Santa Fe Chili (from Freezer Cooking Session) and Tortilla Chips

Wednesday - Broccoli and Mushroom Pizza (from Vegetarian Times magazine)

Thursday - Messianic Passover Meal with family!

Friday - Black bean and Corn Quesadillas

Saturday - Copycat FireHouse Subs Veggie Sub (gonna try, anyways)

Sunday - Cucumber Sandwiches, celery, and raw veggies

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood from time to time). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

Why is Menu Planning so important, and how does it affect a grocery budget? If you've been asking yourself what the big deal is about menu planning when I share my menu with you each week, be sure to go visit A Few Short Cuts to check out the guest post I did on menu planning a couple of weeks ago. I think it will help shed some light on this subject for you...

Here's what I have planned for this week:

Monday - Dinner with family (we usually do this every week)

Tuesday - Quinoa and Black Beans (left over meal from last week's menu)

Wednesday - The Best Veggie Sandwich and celery sticks with cream cheese/peanut butter

Thursday - Tempeh Fajitas

Friday - Spaghetti with Vegetarian Crockpot Sauce (from Freezer Cooking Session), French Bread, and Salad

Saturday - Santa Fe Chili (from Freezer Cooking Session) and Tortilla Chips

Sunday - Broccoli and Cheese Mina

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood from time to time). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

Why is Menu Planning so important, and how does it affect a grocery budget? If you've been asking yourself what the big deal is about menu planning when I share my menu with you each week, be sure to go visit A Few Short Cuts to check out the guest post I did on menu planning a couple of weeks ago. I think it will help shed some light on this subject for you...

Kind of a hodge-podge week for us. Trying to work with what I already have on hand, and trying to keep it easy as it's a busy week for us! Reverting to many all-time easy favorites (That unfortunately don't have links. Sorry!)

Here is what I have on the menu:

Monday - TLT Sandwich (Tempeh, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwiches. Left over meal from last week's menu!)

Tuesday - Twice Baked Potatoes, Steamed Veggies, Wheat Rolls

Wednesday - Quinoa and Black Beans

Thursday - Homemade Veggie Pizza using this bread machine pizza dough recipe

Friday - Homemade Pitas stuffed with salad/veggies

Saturday - Morningstar Black Bean Burgers (easy night!) and side veggies

Sunday - Strawberry Feta Salad

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood from time to time). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday (A Little Late!)

Why is Menu Planning so important, and how does it affect a grocery budget? If you've been asking yourself what the big deal is about menu planning when I share my menu with you each week, be sure to go visit A Few Short Cuts to check out the guest post I did on menu planning a couple of weeks ago. I think it will help shed some light on this subject for you...

Things have been a bit crazy on this side of the blogosphere, so I'm getting Menu Plan Monday up just a little bit later than usual this Monday (err - I mean - Tuesday).

So I have fallen in love with this cooking blog. My sister-in-law introduced me to it, and I can't get enough of it. It's called 101 Cookbooks. Maybe some of you have heard of it, maybe not. It's written by a girl named Heidi. Her recipes are all-natural, Vegetarian, and *delicious*. Plus, her writing is soooo captivating. Every recipe has a story behind it. She has a way of just drawing you into her world, inviting you to follow along with her in her life journeys, all while compelling you to try her scrumptious and healthy recipes. Oh, and did I mention she's a fantastic photographer? (So, of course, all the more reason to want to try her recipes - the pictures make it all look so beautiful and yummy!)

Anyways, enough said about that. As I'm sure you've realized by now, all of my recipes come from Heidi's 101 Cookbooks blog this week. Here is what I have planned:

Monday - Dinner with family.

Tuesday - Confetti Rice Salad (leftover meal from last week's menu that we never cooked)

Wednesday - Giant Black Bean Salad

Thursday - My birthday! Going out to eat (with a gift card)!

Friday - Delicious Big Bowl Quinoa

Saturday - Broccoli Pesto & Fusilli Pasta

Sunday - TLT (Tempeh, Lettuce, Tomato) Sandwich

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood from time to time). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

Why is Menu Planning so important, and how does it affect a grocery budget? If you've been asking yourself what the big deal is about menu planning when I share my menu with you each week, be sure to go visit A Few Short Cuts to check out the guest post I did on menu planning a couple of weeks ago. I think it will help shed some light on this subject for you...

Sorry for getting this Menu Plan Monday up so late tonight! This week's menu consists of some meals from last week that we never ended up using, as well as a few new recipes that I'm anxious to try! My mother-in-law gave us a huge bag of organic Quinoa, so you'll be seeing that on the menu every week for the next couple of months. (There are millions of ways to make a meal out of it, and it's so delicious!)

Here's what I have on the menu for this week:

Monday - Leftover Cabbage Calzones from Sunday night

Tuesday - Dinner With Family (we do this every week)

Wednesday - Confetti Rice Salad

Thursday - Pineapple Fried Quinoa

Friday - "Grown Up Mac N Cheese" (spinach pasta bake) from Vegetarian Times magazine. This is a leftover recipe from last week's menu.

Saturday - Mixed Vegetable Kootu with Naan Bread

Sunday - Vegetarian Omelets (Mexican style with cheese, onion, rice, refried beans, and salsa), Poblano Cucumber Salsa, Tortilla Chips

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

As always, feel free to e-mail me if there is a recipe you would like that does not have a link. Also, I tweak the recipes quite a bit from the original. Feel free to e-mail me about that as well, if you have any questions about how I change each recipe to make it a little better (in my opinion)! =)

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

Why is Menu Planning so important, and how does it affect a grocery budget? If you've been asking yourself what the big deal is about menu planning when I share my menu with you each week, be sure to go visit A Few Short Cuts to check out the guest post I did on menu planning a couple of weeks ago. I think it will help shed some light on this subject for you...

So glad it's the last week of February. I will not blow the March grocery budget in the first week. I must recite that to myself over and over again! This month has been a challenge in planning meals, since I blew all of the grocery budget money at once. We're getting through okay, but I'm glad it's the last week of the month...

Lots of yummy recipes this week, most of them from my new Vegetarian Times magazine!!! Therefore, there is a lack of links. I apologize in advance for that, but you can be sure that if the recipes are great, I will eventually share them with you!

Here's what I have on the menu for this week:

Monday - Corn Chowder (left over from last week's menu), Buttery Rolls (from Freezer Cooking Session), and Salad

Tuesday - "Mac n Cheese For Grownups" - spinach pasta bake (from Vegetarian Times magazine)

Wednesday - Quinoa Salad with Apples, Peas, and Coconut (from Vegetarian Times magazine)

Thursday - Easy Baked Cabbage Supper and salad

Friday - Birthday Party for my sister-in-law. Happy birthday, sis!

Saturday - Vegetable and Cheese Omelets (we'll wing it, but something similar to this)

Sunday - Cabbage Calzones (from Vegetarian Times magazine)

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

As always, feel free to e-mail me if there is a recipe you would like that does not have a link. Also, I tweak the recipes quite a bit from the original. Feel free to e-mail me about that as well, if you have any questions about how I change each recipe to make it a little better (in my opinion)! =)

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

If you missed my guest post last week on how menu planning saves time and money, be sure to go visit A Few Short Cuts to check it out! You will understand why I do this every week, and how it helps me stick to my weekly budget.

Here's what I have on the menu for this week:

Monday - Santa Fe Chili (from freezer cooking session) with homemade tortilla chips (I'll be baking them, rather than frying them! Remember, I'm trying to get thin in 2010?!)

Tuesday - Dinner with family (we do this every week).

Wednesday - Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Thursday - Veggie Samosas (thanks to my friend Blake!) and Side Salad

Friday - Dinner out with some friends

Saturday - Corn Chowder (can't find the link to recipe, sorry!), Salad, Buttery Rolls (from freezer cooking session)

Sunday - Flatbread topped with salad (from a new cookbook I got for Christmas!)

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

As always, feel free to e-mail me if there is a recipe you would like that does not have a link. Also, I tweak the recipes quite a bit from the original. Feel free to e-mail me about that as well, if you have any questions about how I change each recipe to make it a little better (in my opinion)! =)

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

Whew! All those great freebies and deals tonight kept me busy. I'm just now getting to Menu Plan Monday...

Here is what I have on the menu for this week:

Monday - We winged it. Had a busy night, and threw together a frozen meal.

Tuesday - Dinner with family. We do this every week.

Wednesday - Spinach and Pasta Bake (Recipe from a fellow blogger. First time making it. I'll have to let you know how it goes!)

Thursday - Cauliflower Cheese Soup (SO yummy!) with buttery rolls (from freezer cooking session)

Friday - Spaghetti (with sauce from freezer cooking session)

Saturday - Homemade Pizza (with this pizza dough recipe)

Sunday - Valentine's Day. Kyle and I will be going out! (Using a gift card, of course!)

Sorry for the lack of links to recipes this week!

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

As always, feel free to e-mail me if there is a recipe you would like that does not have a link. Also, I tweak the recipes quite a bit from the original. Feel free to e-mail me about that as well, if you have any questions about how I change each recipe to make it a little better (in my opinion)! =)

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday: No More Eating From The Pantry!

Oh man...Finally made it through Eat From The Pantry Challenge (I bet your sick of hearing about it by now, right?).

I spent all weekend doing some freezer cooking for the first time ever. I really enjoyed it, and plan on doing a separate post all about it in the next day or two. I made a lot of breads, some lunches for Kyle to have while working at home during the day, and a few meals to pull out whenever I don't feel like cooking.

Here is what I have planned for this week, though:

Monday - Black Bean Burritos (Had them tonight. Yum. I need to share this recipe with my tweaking -- quite different from the link).

Tuesday - Potato Cheddar Soup and Buttery Rolls (from freezer cooking session)

Wednesday - Fried Pasta (our favorite from when we were dating and this is literally the only thing I knew how to cook!), Salad, and French Bread (from freezer cooking session)

Thursday - Casamientos (Think Beans, Onion, Eggs, Rice, Salsa, Sour Cream, Corn Tortillas...More of a breakfast dish, but so delicious!!! Thanks to my friend Blake for this one!)

Friday - Santa Fe Chili (from freezer cooking session)

Saturday - Family Lunch/Dinner

Sunday - Kyle's Birthday (we'll probably go out somewhere with one of the restaurant gift cards we received for Christmas)

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

As always, feel free to e-mail me if there is a recipe you would like that does not have a link. Also, I tweak the recipes quite a bit from the original. Feel free to e-mail me about that as well, if you have any questions about how I change each recipe to make it a little better (in my opinion)! =)

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes!

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday: Eat From The Pantry Challenge (Final Week!)

We're on our final week of the Eat From The Pantry Challenge, and I must admit I'm looking forward to next week's grocery trip and menu. This week's menu took an incredible amount of creativity! I made it happen, though. We will not be going over the budget we set in our Plans and Goals for this challenge. All the meals on this menu were planned from what we already have at home. I won't have to buy anything at the grocery store this week (with the exception of milk).

It's definitely not very exciting, though:

Monday - Potato and Pea Curry (out of a new cookbook!)

Tuesday - Morningstar Veggie Burgers

Wednesday - Pancakes

Thursday - Dinner With Family (we do this every week)

Friday - Baked Potatoes with Steamfresh cheesy veggies on top

Saturday - Egg Salad Sandwiches (yes, again)

Sunday - Chickpea Curry (out of a new cookbook!)

I apologize for there not being any links this week. These are all really basic meals...

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

As always, feel free to e-mail me if there is a recipe you would like that does not have a link. Also, I tweak the recipes quite a bit from the original. Feel free to e-mail me about that as well, if you have any questions about how I change each recipe to make it a little better (in my opinion)! =)

What About You: Got anything delicious planned for this week? Feel free to share recipes! Have you been trying out this whole Eat From The Pantry thing, too? What is your experience?

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday: Eat From The Pantry Challenge

After almost a month break from Menu Plan Monday, I am definitely glad to be back! I have to warn you though - I'm in the middle of the Eat From The Pantry Challenge, so my menu isn't too thrilling this week!

Here's what I have planned for this week:

Monday - Bagged Frozen Meal (shameful, I know!)...it was actually pretty yummy, though. =)

Tuesday - Snow crab legs, Rice, Steamed veggies

Wednesday - Spaghetti

Thursday - Possible Dinner With Family (we usually do this every week)

Friday - Egg Salad Sandwiches and Homemade Fruit Smoothies

Saturday - Rice, Broccoli, Cheese, and Walnut Surprise

Sunday - Southwestern Lime Couscous Salad (one of my faves!)

We do cook Vegetarian (although we eat seafood). To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

As always, feel free to e-mail me if there is a recipe you would like that does not have a link. Also, I tweak the recipes quite a bit from the original. Feel free to e-mail me about that as well, if you have any questions about how I change each recipe to make it a little better (in my opinion)! =)

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 400+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday - "Vacation Edition"

So as many of you know, we have guests in town right now. My friend Blake and I love to cook, so we are having such a blast cooking amazing (and fattening) meals together! Every time she comes down, we go all out and try all kinds of new recipes. I won't have the usual links for the recipes, because we got most of these out of new cookbooks that I got for Christmas! Feel free to request a recipe through e-mail, though!

Just thought you might have fun seeing what we've been cooking and what we plan to cook:

Meals we have already cooked:

• Chili Tofu Tortillas, Homemade Guacamole, Rotel Dip
• Homemade Macaroni & Cheese, Caramelized Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Lemon Pepper Shrimp Linguine with Julie & Julia's Bruschetta (so delicious, and great movie!)
  
• Vegetarian Spaghetti, Homemade Bread, and Salad
• Honey-Glazed Shrimp on the grill, Breaded & Fried Potatoes, New Year Black Eyed Peas

Here's what we still have planned to cook:

• Ethiopian Chickpea Wat, Homemade Hummus with Toast
• Polenta and Vegetarian Chili
• Tofu Lo Mein and Cabbage
• Black Bean Burgers with Root Veggies
• Falafel Cones and Spinach Feta Triangles
• Roasted Vegetable and Mashed Potato Enchiladas, Rice, Guacamole (again, so yummy!)
• Vegetable Samosas, Chickpea Curry, and Potato Curry

And you thought Vegetarian cooking couldn't be delicious and amazing...

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 250+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday - Taking A Break!

Just wanted to let you know that we have guests coming in town tomorrow, and they will be staying with us for 2 weeks...

This will affect a couple of different things:

1. I am not going to do Menu Plan Monday this week or next. Since we have other people in the house, it's harder to plan meals ahead of time before they get here. Usually, when they come, we kind of plan the meals as we go. Also, my friend Blake is an amazing cook, so she usually does quite a bit of cooking as well. It's fun to tag-team! =)

2. I will be spending more on groceries. I will probably do a lot more impulse-buying than I normally do, depending on what meals we decide to cook. My Super Savings Saturday posts will either be a little different, or might not exist. I'm going to play it by ear. We'll see! The awesome thing is that through budgeting wisely and reducing our grocery budget to $35 a week, I have stashed away a little sum of money to spend on extra groceries during these 2 weeks! I even have right around $35 extra left over from the November and December grocery budgets (we were under both months!)

I always plan my meals, and I always spend less than $35 a week on groceries (sometimes a lot less). You know what I have to say? It's okay to go a little over for 2 weeks. Yes, I'm really saying that. Sometimes you have to loosen up just a bit, have some fun, and relax. I know it will be more difficult to stick to a budget the next 2 weeks, but that is okay.

Anyways, I'm super excited about our friends coming! We always have such a blast! And like I said in a previous post, I will probably be a little light on the blogging still. I'll be back to blogging 100% around January 13th.

Menu Plan Monday!

There are a couple of new recipes this week, and a couple of good ole favorites. =)

Here's what's on the menu for this week:

Monday - Cheesy Cream of Broccoli Soup and side salad

Tuesday - Pasta with Mushroom Garlic Sauce

Wednesday - "The Best Veggie Sandwich" and raw veggies with dip

Thursday - Dinner with family (we do this every week).

Friday - Delicious Black Bean Burritos (I change it up a lot. This will probably be my next recipe review!)

Saturday - Brown Rice, Broccoli, Cheese, and Walnut Surprise

Sunday - Parmesan Shrimp Scampi, Potatoes, and Side Veggies (This is my easy night. It's all pre-packaged. Haha!)

We do cook Vegetarian. To read more about how this affects our budget, check this post out.

As always, feel free to e-mail me if there is a recipe you would like that does not have a link. Also, I tweak the recipes quite a bit from the original. Feel free to e-mail me about that as well, if you have any questions about how I change each recipe to make it a little better (in my opinion)! =)

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 250+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

I'm excited about this week's menu. After a couple of weeks of crazy and busy schedules, I can now get back to cooking some yummy meals each night! All of this week's meals are brand new. I love trying new recipes. I usually try at least 2 or 3 new ones each week. I know most people cycle through about 20 or 30 recipes that they love, but I just get bored and try new things each week (I love cooking!).

Here's what's on the menu for this week:

Monday - Cauliflower Cheese Soup, Salad, and Homemade Bread

Tuesday - Cucumber Sandwiches and Veggies with dip

Wednesday - Zucchini and Potato Bake with Side Salad

Thursday - Vegetarian Korma over rice

Friday - Chili's Copycat Quesadilla Explosion Salad (minus the chicken)

Saturday - Outback Copycat Queensland Pasta (minus the chicken, only using shrimp)

Sunday - Leftovers (we'll have a lot, even after lunches), Out To Eat, or Eating With Family (haven't decided yet!)

Yes, we cook Vegetarian (we do eat seafood, though)...to answer some of the questions I have received recently about our menu-planning. I am planning on doing a Q & A post about how cooking vegetarian changed my grocery budget. Stay tuned for that very soon! You might be surprised what you hear...

As always, feel free to e-mail me if there is a recipe you would like that does not have a link. Also, I tweak the recipes quite a bit from the original. Feel free to e-mail me about that as well, if you have any questions about how I change each recipe to make it a little better (in my opinion)! =)

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 250+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

This week is pretty simple for us. I have quite a few leftover meals that I left for my husband last week while I was out of town...that he never ended up eating. (He snacked instead. Haha!)

I didn't have to buy anything at the store this week for my meals. I planned them completely around what I have on hand. That will definitely help us stay under budget!

Here's what I have planned for this week:

Monday - Fried Pasta with melted cheese (our favorite dinner...it holds memories from back in the day when we dated and I couldn't cook, so this is what I would make us when we had dinner together at my mom's house!)

Tuesday - Roasted Vegetable and Mashed Potato Enchiladas

Wednesday - Dinner with family (we do this every week)

Thursday - Sister and grandma's birthday dinner out

Friday - Potato Cheddar Soup with homemade bread

Saturday - Egg salad sandwiches, celery with cream cheese, and carrots with veggie dip

Sunday - Butternut Squash Pasta, Side Veggies, Sweet Potatoes, and Salad

Yes, we cook Vegetarian (we do eat seafood, though)...to answer some of the questions I have received recently about our menu-planning. I am planning on doing a Q & A post about how cooking vegetarian changed my grocery budget. Stay tuned for that very soon! You might be surprised what you hear...

As always, feel free to e-mail me if there is a recipe you would like that does not have a link. Also, I tweak the recipes quite a bit from the original. Feel free to e-mail me about that as well, if you have any questions about how I change each recipe to make it a little better (in my opinion)! =)

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 250+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!

Menu Plan Monday!

This week is going to be pretty busy and hectic, plus I am leaving town next Tuesday for my grandfather's memorial service...so I have a lot of packing and planning to do. Therefore, I made this week pretty simple. There are still a couple of leftover meals that we haven't used yet, due to my family coming in town this past weekend. Two of the meals are brand new to me, but look quite easy to make, so I decided this would be a great week to try them out!

So here is my menu for this week:

Monday: Hubby works really late. Fending for ourselves. Probably a frozen meal out of the freezer (like a Birds Eye Steamfresh For Two).

Tuesday: Mexican Casserole minus the chicken (a meal left over from last week's menu that we haven't used yet)

Wednesday: Spaghetti with vegetarian crockpot sauce minus the beef substitute crumbles (a meal left over from last week's menu that we haven't used yet)

Thursday: Dinner with family (we do this every week)

Friday: Black bean and Couscous Salad (New!)

Saturday: Potato and Zucchini Bake (New!), Side Salad, Steamed Veggies

Sunday: an early Thanksgiving meal with my family, since my sister and I will be out of town for Thanksgiving Day

Yes, we cook Vegetarian (we do eat seafood, though)...to answer some of the questions I have received recently about our menu-planning. I am planning on doing a Q & A post about how cooking vegetarian changed my grocery budget. Stay tuned for that within the next couple of days! You might be surprised what you hear...

As always, feel free to e-mail me if there is a recipe you would like that does not have a link. Also, I tweak the recipes quite a bit from the original. Feel free to e-mail me about that as well, if you have any questions about how I change each recipe to make it a little better (in my opinion)! =)

Want some more inspiration for menu planning? Visit Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie's website! 250+ bloggers gather there every Monday to share their ideas!