Menu Plan Monday #4

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On to the Good stuff
This week I am determined to NOT go off the plan more than changing the days around, so I am not even going to list the days.

For Breakfast
Eggs, Sausage and English Muffins for DH, Lauren can have cereal, and I will have Egg Beaters and cheese with veggies.

For Lunch
Sandwiches, Veggies, and Granola Bars My sandwiches will be without bread

Dinners
Crock Pot BBQ ribs, Corn on the Cob, Baked Beans
Lazy Lasagna, Salad, and Garlic Toast
Grilled Marinated Chicken, Baked Potatoes, and Grilled Veggies
Crab Alfredo, Salad, and Garlic Bread
Grilled Salmon, Grilled Veggies, and Corn on the Cob
Burgers with all the fixings

We will be going out for a splurge on Sunday for our anniversary and Wednesday we will not be home at dinner time because we have the paperwork to fill our for the community approval at the Mobile Home Park.

Menu planning?

Ok, Please tell me I am not alone here..
I do a good job of planning our menus I have been doing this for a long time now, just started posting them in hopes it would make them easier to follow.

Our Chicken Chili, we had on Tuesday, DH wanted to go out on Monday. Wednesday we ended up going out as well because we were out at dinner time. Tonight, I have spaghetti sauce in the crock pot, and will boil the spaghetti when I get home from therapy.

Why oh why is it SO hard to actually follow a meal plan. Lunches have been even harder, yesterday nothing looked good at all so I just had a bowl of cereal, Monday and Tuesday we killed off a package of corn dogs, no they aren't good for you, but they tasted good.

Tomorrow, we will likely try for the chicken that was planned, but it drives me nuts that I can plan a menu and someone (usually the BIG kid) complains aboiut it and we end up going out or not eating it for something else.
I am determined whe I finish therapy, we are going to go ONE whole week without going out at all. I know a lot of it right now is my fault because of Tuesdays and Thursdays I am just tired when I get home, but there is no excuse the rest of the week.

Menu Plan Monday #3

Aiming for a High Protein diet like I was instructed to this past Monday is a LOT harder than I thought it would be.

Monday-White Chicken Chili
Tuesday-Traditional Spaghetti and meatballs but the spaghetti will be my ONLY carb for the day.
Wednesday-Grilled Chicken breasts, Baked Potato, and Steamed Broccoli (I have to remember to choose potatoes for Lauren and I that are very small)
Thursday-Pulled Pork Sandwiches, steamed Broccoli, and McCain's Smiles for them (cucumber slices for me)
Friday, Salsa Chicken, Baked Potato leftovers, and a HUGE salad.

Breakfasts, we are having scrambled Eggs and egg beaters, Lunches I am working on, but thats my big struggle right now healthy lunches and snacks.

I was hoping to skip the store til the end of this week, but it looks like I will need to get a couple tomatoes and a Large Onion.
I will also have to be VERY mindful of serving sizes on the carbs, but giving them up altogether will be very hard for me, so I will just watch them, I have already lost weight by cutting back on my meds, and I haven't noticed a difference in the way I am healing either.

For more great Menus check Organizing Junkie.

Trail Mix

Trail Mix

Trail Mix is a very expensive treat in our house, unless its homemade. The stores sell individual servings for about $1 each. Currently GFS has Country Style Trail Mix on sale for $7.99, That is 33 1/4 cup servings, but a quarter cup is barely enough to satisfy my darling husband.

Homemade is healthier, I can choose to use more nuts and less M&Ms and Raisins, which Chris doesn't particularly care for anyhow.

To make them at home, you can use any combination of Nuts, Dry Fruits and Candy coated Chocolate.

We will be using Equal portions of Cashews, Almonds, Peanuts, with a combined portion of Generic M&Ms and Raisins... I will be packaging it into half cup servings which he will eat over two snack periods. The nuts give a protein boost and help him to get through the day.

Menu Plan Monday #2

This will change somewhat since today I was informed that I need to go on a diet that is High Protein, Low fat, Low calorie, and Low carb for the PTC.

Sunday, We ate at the In laws for Mother's Day
Monday, We are having Tacos with the fixings tonight
Tuesday, Spaghetti and Meatballs
Wednesday, Sausages with Pork and Beans
Thursday, Chicken Chili
Friday, Burritos
Saturday, Homemade Pizza

I have no idea how I am going to cut out those refined carbs at this point, I am such a bread eater that this is going to be REALLY REALLY hard, but I have to do it and I am GOING to do it. Ultimately I want to lose 4 times what the doctor wants me to lose, but thats a VERY long term goal.

I am guessing I am going to be double menu planning, because I know full well Chris will not go for the all chicken, fish and veggies that I was ordered... wish me luck.

For More Meun's head on over to Organizing Junkie, Laura has the best advise on organizing everything.

New Home?

We are praying, and praying hard for God's will, but DH says to pack up and lets go.

Due to a lot of circumstances we can not control, we have really been struggling as to whether to keep our house or not. Well since we have been struggling with this for several months, we decided to check on mobile homes.

I found several I liked really affordable, but under the circumstances, we weren't sure if that would work either, til today.
I was contacted by a nice lady who works for a mobile home broker and after a lot of prayer I contacted her back today.

What I found out amazed me. Since so many people in Michigan are losing their homes due to circumstances that they can not control (we have taken 4 paycuts since we bought 3 years ago, and properties are not even selling at prices more than 20k less than we owe due to declining values) they have a program with in house financing which could get us a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom mobile home that is about the same size as our house, right across from a playground (a good thing when you have a 5, almost 6 year old) for only $579 a month...almost $200 less than our mortgage.

We will be looking at its outsides on Sunday, since we will be almost there then anyhow. If we like it we will probably head back out there on Wednesday to look at the inside. It is 4 miles north of the in laws, which would be a really good thing to be that close to them, its close but not too close.

That may be where our Stimulus check goes, lol. As for now, I am being obedient to my husband and tomorrow I start to sort and pack. The thrift store may be getting LOTS of stuff during this move since they are on the way.

I am really grateful that we have the opportunity to do this, it will help our family a lot especially once I can go back to work part time, something we were planning on me doing while I went back to school...Maybe DH will become the stay at home parent?

Menu Plan Monday #1

This week I have to plan more than ever, its crunch time and I have to do a pantry challenge since the only thing I plan on buying before Friday is Toilet Paper (with a coupon its only going to be $2.47 for a 24 pk)

Cinco de Mayo
Chicken Fajitas with Pintos and Rice

Tuesday
Burrito Casserole (since dh can have it ready when I get home) with leftover rice.

Wednesday
BBQ Ribs in the crockpot, Steamed Broccoli, and twice baked potatoes from the freezer

Thursday
Butterfly Pasta with Alfredo Sauce and Shrimp, and more steamed broccoli

Friday
Tacos with all the fixings and Beans and Rice

Saturday and Sunday, I haven't a clue because I finally get to go shopping....I need to really work at planning ahead better, but since we aer going to be changing our diet around, that's becoming such a challenge.

Lunches are leftovers and Sandwiches, Breakfasts is Oatmeal, Cold Cereal, and Eggs and Toast