On the menu this week

Photo credits from top left to bottom right: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

I just finished putting together my menu plan for this week and boy am I hungry all of a sudden! Thankfully my hubby just brought me in a brownie from my favourite brownie place so I'm good.

If you're like me, you're craving some lighter meals this week. Based on the photos, these seem like they'd be heavy, but the ingredients tell me they're quite light and healthy, while still maintaining the heartiness that we want during the winter months.

Monday

Homemade Falafel with Tahini Sauce from Just a Taste

Tuesday

Pumpkin, Chickpea and Red Lentil Stew (in the slow cooker) from Better Homes and Gardens

Wednesday

Better Broccoli Cheddar Soup (with chickpea flatbread) from The Detoxinista

Thursday

Potato and Kale Frittata (with roasted beets) from Serious Eats

Friday

Sweet Potato and Lentil Shepherd's Pie from One Ingredient Chef

What are you eating this week?

On the menu this week

I'm not sure about you, but my grocery bill is way out of control. I think groceries account for more than 50% of our expenses. It feels that way anyway. I've mentioned before that menu planning helps a lot with gaining more control over spending too much on food, but my planning went out the window last summer. It got hot. All I wanted to eat was BBQ meat and salad. Oh... and I had a baby.

So, I've decided to get back onto the meal planning bandwagon. Last week was great. I didn't have to leave the house once during the week to get something extra. This week I managed to get most items I needed over the weekend, but I still may need to get out for a couple things. The great thing about having a pretty well-stocked pantry is that sometimes you can just wing it with what you've got on hand if you don't feel like going out.

I decided to share what's on the menu for this week. I'm hoping it will keep me motivated to keep with the menu planning program.

Monday
Kale and mushroom pizza

via 

I made this pizza tonight (not my photo) and it was pretty good. I used this pizza dough recipe, but I didn't have enough spelt so I used a cup of all-purpose flour instead. Delish.

Tuesday
Veggie Fried Quinoa 

Via

Mark's out at a golf tournament so I think I'll make this Veggie Fried Quinoa from Damn Delicious and if I'm feeling spunky I might make some cucumber carrot fresh rolls.

Wednesday
Pasta with Lentils and Kale

via

I didn't really want to have pasta on Wednesday, but I had to shift a few menu items around since I'm hosting my book club last minute and need something easy to make. This pasta with lentils and kale honestly doesn't sound super yummy, but the reviews were good so we'll give it a whirl.

Thursday
Roasted zucchini, black bean and goat cheese enchiladas

via

Everything about these enchiladas from The Sprouted Kitchen is making my mouth water. Enchiladas can be a lot of work, but I'm hoping these won't be too bad. I'm opting to make the enchilada sauce she mentions in her post so we'll see how long that takes. My time management isn't always the best it seems.

Friday

Grilled shrimp and scallops with grilled peppers and quinoa

via

Friday seems like a good day for the BBQ. We're still not eating meat at home, but still tend to have fish at least once a week. I actually still need to get the shrimp and scallops this week so hopefully this pans out.

Well that's it! Saturday and Sunday are typically one day of leftovers and one day of eating out.

What are you eating this week?

a menu from pinterest

Over the weekend, I found an ebook I've been slightly obsessed with since called One Bite at a Time by Simple Mom Author & Blogger Tsh Oxenreider. She goes through 52 projects (some bigger than others) that will help you simplify your life. I'll be honest, I don't feel that overwhelmed about things in general (I know, I know, wait 'til I have two kids!), but I just love reading about organizing (I could definitely use some organizing ideas) and life tips in general.

One of the bites (no pun intended!) she offers is around meal planning. I've tried this before, but haven't really stuck with it. My main goal for doing this is to get our food spending under control. I feel like I spend a lot on food.

Tsh mentioned that she goes through her Pinterest food board for menu planning ideas, so I thought I'd have a little fun with that this week.

Here's what I did: Every week, I get a fruit & veggie box delivered to my door, so I waited for the email to tell me what I was getting in my box; then went to my food board on Pinterest to see what I could find to make as part of my meal plan. The goal here is to only get what I need for these particular recipes at the grocery store. I tend to keep a good bulk of pantry items so I also considered those items in my search.

After I found a dish, I added it to my google calendar to keep track of what I'm making. I also added reminders about other things I need to do the day before like soak beans for the quinoa wraps and the sweet potato burgers.

Here's the menu I came up with for the week:

Monday:
Whole roast chicken, potatoes and 'The Best Broccoli of your life'

Source: amateurgourmet.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Tuesday:
Southwestern Quinoa Wrap with a salad. We have some leftover chicken from last night so I'll add some of that to the wraps tonight.

Source: epicureanmom.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Wednesday:
Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad with pork loin chops

Source: thediva-dish.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Thursday:
Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Avocado & mixed green salad

Source: kblog.lunchboxbunch.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Friday:
Gnocchi With Roasted Cauliflower

Source: realsimple.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I realize this all may seem a bit nerdy, but honestly I felt more organized the minute I started working on it. Now I know I have everything in the house to make these menu items so I don't have to stress about what to make as the dinnertime draws closer. Plus, who doesn't love an excuse to go to Pinterest? ;)

How about you - have you found any good tips when it comes to meal planning?