Weekly Meal Planning, Jan. 4 - Jan. 18, 2016

I have been seriously slacking in the meal planning department. Planning out the week's dinners was a habit I got into to help us save money and to make dinners easier to make. Really, there are a whole host of reasons to meal plan. The past few months, though, I've been having to defrost meat last minute, scramble to dig through the freezer to find something to make and have had way too many, "what the heck am I going to cook?!" moments. With the new year, I'm getting back to planning out dinners. I'm figuring if I don't have to do it weekly, I may have more success. Planning a month won't work for me as I shop based on what's on sale and what we need to use up. That month plan would get changed too often to make it worth it. Instead, I'm going to go with planning two weeks at a time. I'll share what I've come up with to give you some ideas of what to add to your own menu.

All the dinners I want to be healthy, frugal and easy to cook. I'm working on eating healthier and weight loss this year, we need to watch the budget and I just don't have time for complicated dishes. No time, plus it's impossible to cook anything that's too time consuming with M2 getting into everything, creating unsafe situations, and B needing attention. Fish and salads are going to be incorporated into our diet more. WalMart has big bags of single portion frozen salmon that help me stay on budget. The expensive non-frozen kind is out of my league for now. In the pantry right now, I have potatoes and cans of beans that need to be used up so those are going to feature the next two weeks. Saturdays I make big dinners with plenty of leftovers to send to work with A for lunches and/or to freeze just in case there's a day he doesn't have a fresh lunch readily available to take.

Menu

1/4 Mixed greens salad
1/5 Pork chops with mixed veggies and baked potatoes
1/6 Spaghetti
1/7 Herb crusted salmon with green beans and white rice
1/8 Herb chicken thighs with corn and baked potatoes
1/9 Turkey and three bean chili
1/10 Hamburgers (no buns) with roasted potatoes and carrots
1/11 Slow cooked beef roast with rolls and green beans
1/12 Spaghetti with meat sauce (using leftover meat from the roast)
1/13 Marinated salmon with mixed veggies
1/14 Mixed greens salad
1/15 BBQ chicken thighs with baked potatoes and broccoli
1/16 Not Your Usual Black Beans and Rice
1/17 Leftovers
1/18 Veggie variety with quinoa

Low Calorie & Low Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is a great fall and winter staple. Especially when it's healthy for you. The low sodium in this soup promotes heart health while the low calorie count helps to keep your weight under control. The recipe is also great for freezer meals, leftovers for the week and is budget friendly. It's even more budget friendly when you use leftovers from my Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken recipe. Even if you're not a cook, the soup is simple to make. One bowl is hearty and filling.

Low Calorie & Low Sodium 

Chicken Noodle Soup

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Keywords: boil entree soup/stew low-sodium low calorie chicken noodles fall winter

6074952

Ingredients (16 generous servings)

• 3/4 Leftover Fully Cooked Roasting Chicken ( leftovers from my Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken recipe are the best )
• 2 large containers low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 7 no-sodium bullion cubes/packets
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp rosemary
• 1 Tbsp salt substitute (or to taste)
• 7 scallions
• 8 carrots
• 6 small or medium potatoes
• 1/2 bag frozen peas
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 box fideo cut spaghetti noodles

Instructions

Pour broth and water into stock pot

Add bullion, salt substitute, rosemary and garlic powder

Peel and cut potatoes into cubes, add to pot and stir well

Dice scallions, carrots and celery, add to pot and stir well

Shred chicken, add to pot and stir well

Bring to boil then let simmer until veggies are almost soft (about 1 hour 45 minutes) stirring periodically

Taste to see if you need more salt substitute, add to taste

Pour in frozen peas and simmer soup until peas and other veggies are soft (about 15 minutes)

When you pour in the peas, cook fideo noodles in another pot just until firm according to directions on the box (they'll get softer when added to the soup)

Drain noodles and add to the soup, stir well

Enjoy!

Cool then freeze leftovers for freezer meals

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Low Calorie & Low Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is a great fall and winter staple. Especially when it's healthy for you. The low sodium in this soup promotes heart health while the low calorie count helps to keep your weight under control. The recipe is also great for freezer meals, leftovers for the week and is budget friendly. It's even more budget friendly when you use leftovers from my Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken recipe. Even if you're not a cook, the soup is simple to make. One bowl is hearty and filling.

Low Calorie & Low Sodium 

Chicken Noodle Soup

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Keywords: boil entree soup/stew low-sodium low calorie chicken noodles fall winter

6074952

Ingredients (16 generous servings)

• 3/4 Leftover Fully Cooked Roasting Chicken ( leftovers from my Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken recipe are the best )
• 2 large containers low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 7 no-sodium bullion cubes/packets
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp rosemary
• 1 Tbsp salt substitute (or to taste)
• 7 scallions
• 8 carrots
• 6 small or medium potatoes
• 1/2 bag frozen peas
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 box fideo cut spaghetti noodles

Instructions

Pour broth and water into stock pot

Add bullion, salt substitute, rosemary and garlic powder

Peel and cut potatoes into cubes, add to pot and stir well

Dice scallions, carrots and celery, add to pot and stir well

Shred chicken, add to pot and stir well

Bring to boil then let simmer until veggies are almost soft (about 1 hour 45 minutes) stirring periodically

Taste to see if you need more salt substitute, add to taste

Pour in frozen peas and simmer soup until peas and other veggies are soft (about 15 minutes)

When you pour in the peas, cook fideo noodles in another pot just until firm according to directions on the box (they'll get softer when added to the soup)

Drain noodles and add to the soup, stir well

Enjoy!

Cool then freeze leftovers for freezer meals

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Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken

Whole roasting chickens are a dinner I love to cook because they're easy, smell delicious when cooking, there are so many ways to make them and you end up with plenty of leftovers for other meals or recipes. This version is a healthier take on whole chicken as it doesn't use the butter so many recipes call for. Instead, I use olive oil to keep the meat moist and to add in some healthy fat. The seasonings are simple to keep the chicken light and so the leftovers can easily be used in any other recipe you'd like. When I recently made it, I used the leftovers in chicken noodle soup -- a fall and winter staple in our house that tastes great, is simple to make and freezes great for future meals. The recipe for the soup is here! It's low calorie, low sodium AND easy to make.

Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Keywords: bake roast entree gluten-free low-carb low-sodium nut-free sugar-free chicken American fall spring summer winter

6074921

Ingredients

• 1 whole roasting chicken
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1.5 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp crushed rosemary
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 large apple
• 2 stalks celery
• 5 scallions

Instructions

Set oven to 350 degrees

Combine olive oil, allspice, rosemary, garlic powder and onion powder in a bowl

Peel and cut apple into chunks, taking out the core

Chop scallions and celery into chunks, mix with apple chunks

Clean chicken and place in roasting pan or metal pan with grate under the chicken

Stuff chicken with apple, celery and scallions

With a basting brush, spread olive oil mix onto chicken covering all of skin then separate skin from breasts and pour some of the mix under the skin, press on the skin to cover meat evenly

Place lid on roasting pan (or foil) and place in oven for 2 hours or until fully cooked

For crisp skin: The last 15 minutes of cooking, take off lid/foil and bake at 450 degrees until done

Let chicken rest for 30 minutes before carving

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Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken

Whole roasting chickens are a dinner I love to cook because they're easy, smell delicious when cooking, there are so many ways to make them and you end up with plenty of leftovers for other meals or recipes. This version is a healthier take on whole chicken as it doesn't use the butter so many recipes call for. Instead, I use olive oil to keep the meat moist and to add in some healthy fat. The seasonings are simple to keep the chicken light and so the leftovers can easily be used in any other recipe you'd like. When I recently made it, I used the leftovers in chicken noodle soup -- a fall and winter staple in our house that tastes great, is simple to make and freezes great for future meals. The recipe for the soup is here! It's low calorie, low sodium AND easy to make.

Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Keywords: bake roast entree gluten-free low-carb low-sodium nut-free sugar-free chicken American fall spring summer winter

6074921

Ingredients

• 1 whole roasting chicken
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1.5 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp crushed rosemary
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 large apple
• 2 stalks celery
• 5 scallions

Instructions

Set oven to 350 degrees

Combine olive oil, allspice, rosemary, garlic powder and onion powder in a bowl

Peel and cut apple into chunks, taking out the core

Chop scallions and celery into chunks, mix with apple chunks

Clean chicken and place in roasting pan or metal pan with grate under the chicken

Stuff chicken with apple, celery and scallions

With a basting brush, spread olive oil mix onto chicken covering all of skin then separate skin from breasts and pour some of the mix under the skin, press on the skin to cover meat evenly

Place lid on roasting pan (or foil) and place in oven for 2 hours or until fully cooked

For crisp skin: The last 15 minutes of cooking, take off lid/foil and bake at 450 degrees until done

Let chicken rest for 30 minutes before carving

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Ways to Slash Your Grocery Spending

I've shared easy ways to stretch your grocery budget before (check them out if you haven't already). Now, I'm sharing even more ways that you can slash your grocery budget. None are complicated or too painful. They'll even help you eat healthier while you save.

1. Add a salad. Adding a simple salad of carrots, cucumbers and lettuce with a sprinkle of cheese and dash of dressing to each meal is healthy and helps you cut your budget. Rather than having more meat, you fill up on salad which is much cheaper. Buy the big bag of uncut carrots, a head of lettuce and a large bag of cheese for real savings. Skip the toppings that up the cost and take away from the health factor.

2. Buy fruit based on sales. Rather than simply buying what fruits look good to you that week, look at what's on sale and make that your fruit purchase for the week. The sales vary week to week so you'll end up with a good variety as well.
3. Skip the starch. This goes along with adding a salad. Pick a few meals a week to skip the rice, potatoes, etc., and have the side salad or more veggies instead.
4. Homemade pizza. Ordering out for pizza can be expensive and isn't at all healthy. Instead, make your own crust, add pizza sauce (or make your own), top it with cheese from a bulk bag and throw in some veggies to finish it off.

5. Deep freeze. Invest in a freezer so you can stock up on sale meats and freeze leftovers for in-a-pinch meals when you'd be tempted to eat out.
6. Skip the soda, juice and sugary drinks. They'll make your waistline and your budget grow. If you do drink juice, water it down.
7. Skip bottled water. The refrigerator filter or a Brita pitcher works just as well and is much cheaper.
8. Avoid buying drinks and snacks on the go. Little treats when you go out add up. Instead of splurging, bring a water bottle (not plastic if you'll be leaving it in the car) and a few healthy snacks, such as protein or granola bars or an apple. These goodies you can buy in bulk and keep on hand to grab and go.

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Ways to Slash Your Grocery Spending

I've shared easy ways to stretch your grocery budget before (check them out if you haven't already). Now, I'm sharing even more ways that you can slash your grocery budget. None are complicated or too painful. They'll even help you eat healthier while you save.

1. Add a salad. Adding a simple salad of carrots, cucumbers and lettuce with a sprinkle of cheese and dash of dressing to each meal is healthy and helps you cut your budget. Rather than having more meat, you fill up on salad which is much cheaper. Buy the big bag of uncut carrots, a head of lettuce and a large bag of cheese for real savings. Skip the toppings that up the cost and take away from the health factor.

2. Buy fruit based on sales. Rather than simply buying what fruits look good to you that week, look at what's on sale and make that your fruit purchase for the week. The sales vary week to week so you'll end up with a good variety as well.
3. Skip the starch. This goes along with adding a salad. Pick a few meals a week to skip the rice, potatoes, etc., and have the side salad or more veggies instead.
4. Homemade pizza. Ordering out for pizza can be expensive and isn't at all healthy. Instead, make your own crust, add pizza sauce (or make your own), top it with cheese from a bulk bag and throw in some veggies to finish it off.

5. Deep freeze. Invest in a freezer so you can stock up on sale meats and freeze leftovers for in-a-pinch meals when you'd be tempted to eat out.
6. Skip the soda, juice and sugary drinks. They'll make your waistline and your budget grow. If you do drink juice, water it down.
7. Skip bottled water. The refrigerator filter or a Brita pitcher works just as well and is much cheaper.
8. Avoid buying drinks and snacks on the go. Little treats when you go out add up. Instead of splurging, bring a water bottle (not plastic if you'll be leaving it in the car) and a few healthy snacks, such as protein or granola bars or an apple. These goodies you can buy in bulk and keep on hand to grab and go.

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Easy Stuffed Peppers

In my quest to try new foods for dinner, I gave stuffed peppers a shot. I've always worried that they'd be too hard to make, so rather than look up a recipe, I thought up this way of making them. The peppers are so easy, so juicy and so good! Since you have meat, veggies and dairy together, one pepper can be the whole dinner.

If you want to add something as a side, rice goes great with this dish. We eat them without the rice since I'm working on cutting back on carbs and calories.

Easy Stuffed Peppers

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

6074860

Ingredients

• 2 Steak-umm per pepper
• Peppers (however may you want to make)
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese per pepper
• Cut baby Bella mushrooms
• Pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350

Fully cook Steak-umms, seasoning to taste with pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

Core and de-seed peppers, cutting off the tops only

Place peppers in glass baking dish

Layer mushrooms (however many fit) in bottom of peppers

Layer two Steak-umms over mushrooms

Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese on top

Cover peppers with foil

Bake in oven at 350 for 30 minutes

Remove foil and continue baking until cheese starts to turn golden brown on the edges

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Healthier, Quicker, Natural Meal Options

As a busy mom, finding time to eat, let alone time to eat healthy, can be hard. There's just no time to make a fresh, tasty breakfast or lunch for ourselves most days. We're lucky if we eat at all. Options that are quick and easy are a must. Sadly, many fast options aren't healthy ones. Sure, you can grab a microwave lunch or can of soup, but there's tons of salt crammed in there and not much nutrition. Forget about it being fresh, natural, or even having a good size portion. An hour later while you're begging the toddler to please stop banging on the walls you're likely to be hungry again.

Lucky for us moms, Fresh n' Lean is a new option that offers great, healthy food that all you have to do is heat up. I got to try some of their tasty offerings in exchange for an honest review. Each one is organic; vegan; includes nothing processed; 100 percent plant-based; free of common allergens; low in fat, salt, and sugar; gluten free; all natural; No GMOs; freshly made and -- as if that isn't enough awesomeness already -- shipped right to your front door for free.

Fresh n' Lean offers a variety of options to suit your tastes and needs. Plans start at only $14.99 a day (with free shipping, remember). The standard delivery plan ($27.99 a day) offers three meals for under $10 each. There are even family plans. I love that the packages the food comes in are recycled and recyclable. Each entree is specially packed to remove extra air so the food stays fresh. Your order is shipped over night in a special box with ice so it is some seriously fresh food. If you're not going to eat them by the use by date, which is surprisingly long considering how fresh the food is, you can freeze it for later. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner options are available in plans or ala carte so you can pick what works best for you.

In my delivery I got ragu pasta, cauliflower and black beans with yams, hearty granola, Italian veggies and quinoa, coconut yellow curry with veggies and rice, banana walnut muffins, mixed berry chia pudding, and sweet potato bowl with creamy mushrooms. How tasty does that sound? Each individual package lists all the calorie, nutrition, and ingredient info. The Fresh n' Lean folks aren't kidding. Everything is nutrient rich and healthy with fresh ingredients, no fillers, no odd stuff, and no junk. All I need to do is pull off the wrap, dump it on a plate, and throw it in the microwave. A few minutes later, it's time to eat. The containers are microwaveable, I just prefer to not heat plastic.

The size of the portions is more than I expected. Some of the meals I couldn't finish so saved some for later. My favorites are the hearty granola and cauliflower black beans and rice, though all are delish. M2 fought me for the granola, which has maple syrup, almonds, and walnuts with the oats. I usually hate those nuts, yet can't get enough of this granola. The flavor is just so good and the nuts are just right.

All the dishes are filling, cooked just right, and just plain tasty. I have to confess, the cauliflower black beans and rice is so good that I ate it slow just to make it last longer. After one of these, I didn't even need to eat again until the next meal. No snacks needed! (Which is really saying something, since I'm a major snacker.)

Sadness occurred after all my meals were eaten. I can't wait to get more and try out some of the other options, such as the Mediterranean, Continental, Asian, and South American cuisines.

I totally suggest you give Fresh n' Lean a try yourself! Just for The Stay-at-Home Life readers, get 15 percent off your order when you enter the coupon code SAHLIFE at checkout.


I received a variety of dishes at no cost in exchange for this unbiased review. All opinions are my own. Your experiences may differ.

Not Your Usual Black Beans and Rice Recipe

Black beans and rice is becoming a staple in our house since it's filling, easy, and relatively cheap. I decided it was time to try it with a twist to amp up the protein and flavor while making it healthier. And thus, this recipe was born.

Rather than just black beans with white rice, there is brown rice, quinoa, turkey, onions, and peppers with added spices. It's great for A's lunches, freezing for future dinners, or dinners for the week. This recipe can also easily be made in a slow cooker.

Not Your Usual Black Beans and Rice Recipe

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Keywords: saute boil slow-cooker entree gluten-free low-sodium nut-free soy-free sugar-free vegan vegetarian Turkey black beans rice quinoa fall spring summer winter

6074814

Ingredients (6 large portions)

• 1 lb. dry black beans
• 1 lb. 93/7 ground turkey (optional)
• 1/2 cup dry brown rice
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa
• 1 cup frozen green peppers
• 1 cup frozen diced onions
• 1 tbsp lemon herb seasoning of your choice
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare black beans according to directions on bag, including boiling
2. Mix onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lemon herb seasoning into turkey meat
3. Brown turkey meat in skillet on the stove
4. Prepare rice according to directions on package
5. Prepare quinoa according to directions on package
6. Heat green peppers and onions on stove or in microwave until hot
7. Mix beans, turkey, rice, quinoa, peppers, and onions together in a large pan and heat until ready to eat

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Not Your Usual Black Beans and Rice Recipe

Black beans and rice is becoming a staple in our house since it's filling, easy, and relatively cheap. I decided it was time to try it with a twist to amp up the protein and flavor while making it healthier. And thus, this recipe was born.

Rather than just black beans with white rice, there is brown rice, quinoa, turkey, onions, and peppers with added spices. It's great for A's lunches, freezing for future dinners, or dinners for the week.

Not Your Usual Black Beans and Rice Recipe

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Keywords: saute boil slow-cooker entree gluten-free low-sodium nut-free soy-free sugar-free vegan vegetarian Turkey black beans rice quinoa fall spring summer winter

6074814

Ingredients (6 large portions)

• 1 lb. dry black beans
• 1 lb. 93/7 ground turkey (optional)
• 1/2 cup dry brown rice
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa
• 1 cup frozen green peppers
• 1 cup frozen diced onions
• 1 tbsp lemon herb seasoning of your choice
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare black beans according to directions on bag, including boiling
2. Mix onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lemon herb seasoning into turkey meat
3. Brown turkey meat in skillet on the stove
4. Prepare rice according to directions on package
5. Prepare quinoa according to directions on package
6. Heat green peppers and onions on stove or in microwave until hot
7. Mix beans, turkey, rice, quinoa, peppers, and onions together in a large pan and heat until ready to eat

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What's for Dinner May 3-9? (and printable)

What's for dinner this week? Hmm. Let's see!

Sunday

Sweet and sour pork stir-fry with white rice

Monday

Meatloaf with corn and mashed potatoes

Tuesday

Bar-be-cue chicken with peirogies and mixed veggies

Wednesday
Black beans, turkey, brown rice, quinoa, peppers
Recipe to come!

Thursday

Leftovers

Friday

Baked salmon with brown rice and green salad

Saturday

Vegetable fettuccine Alfredo

Remember the handy printable weekly dinner menu. It's 8x10 in case you'd like to frame it and use it as a dry erase menu board.  Find out about the benefits of meal planning. 

What's for Dinner May 3-9? (and printable)

What's for dinner this week? Hmm. Let's see!

Sunday

Sweet and sour pork stir-fry with white rice

Monday

Meatloaf with corn and mashed potatoes

Tuesday

Bar-be-cue chicken with peirogies and mixed veggies

Wednesday
Black beans, turkey, brown rice, quinoa, peppers
Recipe to come!

Thursday

Leftovers

Friday

Baked salmon with brown rice and green salad

Saturday

Vegetable fettuccine Alfredo

Remember the handy printable weekly dinner menu. It's 8x10 in case you'd like to frame it and use it as a dry erase menu board.  Find out about the benefits of meal planning. 

What's for Dinner April 26-May 2? (and printable)

I realized we haven't had homemade pizza in awhile. I make the crust from scratch, which takes awhile but is so worth it!

Sunday

Sweet and sour chicken with fried rice and green salad

Monday

Beef roast with baked potatoes and mixed veggies

Tuesday

Waffles with fruit salad and sausages

Wednesday

Homemade sausage pizza with garlic bread and green salad

Thursday

Leftovers

Friday

Terriyaki chicken with jasmine rice and broccoli

Saturday

Vegetable medley with couscous

Remember the handy printable weekly dinner menu. It's 8x10 in case you'd like to frame it and use it as a dry erase menu board.  Find out about the benefits of meal planning. 

What's for Dinner April 26-May 2? (and printable)

I realized we haven't had homemade pizza in awhile. I make the crust from scratch, which takes awhile but is so worth it!

Sunday

Sweet and sour chicken with fried rice and green salad

Monday

Beef roast with baked potatoes and mixed veggies

Tuesday

Waffles with fruit salad and sausages

Wednesday

Homemade sausage pizza with garlic bread and green salad

Thursday

Leftovers

Friday

Terriyaki chicken with jasmine rice and broccoli

Saturday

Vegetable medley with couscous

Remember the handy printable weekly dinner menu. It's 8x10 in case you'd like to frame it and use it as a dry erase menu board.  Find out about the benefits of meal planning.