MENU PLAN MONDAY: It's on!

After a few weeks of slacking off, I was back on track this week, and it felt great. Last Sunday, I scheduled most of my blog posts for the week and prepared my meals. I didn't cook all day. I just went into the kitchen when I could and got some stuff together. I had dinners for the entire week, and I barely had to cook on my weeknights. This is when menu planning is so incredibly worth it.

I can't remember what I spent on groceries this week, but it was less than $50. This is getting easier and easier!

The Plan:
Monday: Spring rolls with salad
Tuesday: Cheesy split pea casserole with sausage and pasta
Wednesday: Thai meatballs over rice with kale and cabbage
Thursday: Sausage and pepper sandwiches, tater tots
Friday: Eat at Mom-Mom's
Saturday: Soft tacos

The Reality:
Monday: Spring rolls with salad
Tuesday: Cheesy split pea casserole with sausage and pasta
Wednesday: Thai meatballs over rice with cabbage
Thursday: Sausage and pepper sandwiches, twice-baked potatoes (from freezer)
Friday: Soft tacos
Saturday: Meatball grinders, homemade french fries

The Method:
Sunday: I wanted to kill two birds with one stone, so I "ground" up some chicken breasts in the food processor and combined them with ground beef. I mixed it with Asian flavorings: fish sauce, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, and cilantro. I browned half of it to use in the spring rolls and made the other half into meatballs. Separately, I sauteed shredded red cabbage and carrots until they were soft. I mixed the veggies with the browned meat and stuffed it into egg rolls. I wrapped the egg rolls in wax paper and put them in a plastic bag, and I deep fried them on Monday. For the meatballs, after they were cooked, I threw them in a storage container and poured a can of coconut oil over them.

Last week I promised you I would do something creative with the split pea soup that I made but didn't love. I made a casserole with ziti and turned the split pea soup into a thick, cheesy sauce. (Recipe to come tomorrow). It was darn good. Even Big T loved it, and he was pretty icked out by the split pea soup. I prepared this on Sunday and even have one in the freezer to eat another day.

Monday: All I had to do today was remove the egg rolls from the fridge and fry them. They did get a little soggy in the wax paper. I've had better luck freezing them and frying them from frozen.

Tuesday: Today, I just made rice and heated up the meatballs and coconut oil together, then threw it over the rice. I don't know why I thought having kale on the side would be good. I did have steamed red cabbage on the side. Yum. If you have never tried that, do it soon. Steamed or sauteed red cabbage is sweet and mild and delicious.

Wednesday: Dinner tonight was simple: I threw the cheesy split-pea casserole in the oven. And ate it.

Thursday: I did have to do a little bit of cooking tonight, but it just entailed pan-frying the sausage, peppers, and onions and throwing them on some sub rolls. I also sauteed kale with garlic for myself.

Friday: Tonight, Mom Mom came over our house, so I cooked again. It was one of my go-to meals: soft tacos. Cut up chicken and pan-fried it, roasted some fingerling sweet potatoes from Downeast Connect with some zucchini and onions, and served it in flour tortillas with salsa, cheese, and sour cream.

Saturday: I still had some sub rolls left over from our sausage sandwiches, so I made some meatballs, covered them with tomato sauce, and spooned them into the rolls. We always keep potatoes on hand, so I made some homemade french fries. It was simple and satisfying!

For more meal planning obsessiveness inspiration, check out orgjunkie.com!