Weekly Meal Plan 9/19-9/25/14

Market Basket Seafood Counter Sign

Lobsters for $4.99 a lb and steamed at no extra charge? God bless Market Basket! That is truly a good deal and one I couldn't pass up.

While looking on my Feedly reader for recipes, I found a great one for a Grilled Chicken salad from Delicious Dishings and Roasted Herbed Mushrooms from Cookin' Canuck. I also saw a recipe for Chicken Pot Pie that included dijon mustard! It never occurred to me to add mustard to my Chicken Pot Pie recipe.

I've been eying pork belly after seeing so many Paleo cooks feature it regularly on their social media. I've never cooked pork belly before so I'm curious to try it. While I won't be buying it this week, I'm hoping to find a stellar recipe to into next week's plan.

If you follow my weekly meal plans you'll find that I make French Toast nearly every week. I buy a loaf of Challah Bread at Whole Foods for $7.99. That sounds really expensive but I only use half for Sunday brunch and use the rest the following week. Per person that comes out to $2 worth of Challah Bread a serving which is not bad at all! Their bread is really good and makes for amazing French toast.

Friday – Steamed Lobsters, Roasted Green Beans and Steamed Butternut Squash (previously frozen, going with fresh next time!)
Saturday – Grilled Chicken and Corn Salad  with a side of rice for Carlos and Roasted Mushrooms for me.
Sunday Brunch – French Toast with fresh Strawberries
Sunday Dinner – Parmesan Chicken and Caesar Salad
Monday – Chicken & Leek Pot Pie (with the addition of Dijon Mustard)
Tuesday – Philly-style Cheesesteak Rolls with a side of Roasted Green Beans
Wednesday – Beef Chili (with three different beans, peppers and butternut squash) and Gringo Tortilla Chips
Thursday – Hoisin Chicken, Cucumber Salad, Rice/ Roasted Sweet Potato


Here are the deals that I'm taking advantage of this week:

Market Basket Deals
$4.99 per lb lobsters steamed!
Pillsbury Pie Crust
Amerlander Swish Cheese
Foxy Romaine Hearts
European Cucumbers
Bartlett Pears

Whole Foods Deals
Green Peppers
Butternut Squash
85/15 Ground Beef
Gringo Tortilla Chips


What are you cooking this week?

Weekly Meal Plan 9/5-9/11/14

Market Basket is back! And that means my weekly meal plans are back. I took a hiatus from my weekly planning during the Market Basket boycott. I depended a lot on their sales flyer and had no clue what would be affordable at other stores. Market Basket just released a new circular this week. It's modest but it's a great start!

I'm going to start looking more closely at inflammatory foods. I'm cutting out my usual intake of peanuts, bananas and cheese for a start. I'm thinking that peanuts have been at the root of my persistent knee bursitis. My chiropractor recommended I look into it so this will be my first peanut/banana/cheese free week!

Friday – Mustard Pork Loin, Asparagus, Garlic Butter Roasted Potatoes
Saturday – Lemon Sage Roast Chicken, Carrot and Parsnip Puree, Spinach and Tomato Salad
Sunday Brunch – Peach Gallette, Scrambled Eggs, Sausage and Iced Tea
Sunday Dinner – Broccoli Rabe, Carrots, Mushrooms, Pea Pods steamed in vegetable broth, Roasted Potatoes and Panko Crusted Pork Chops (for Carlos) and Ritz Cracker Haddock (for me)
Monday – Hoisin Chicken Thighs, Cucumber Salad, Rice (for Carlos) and Sweet Potato Fries (for me)
Tuesday – Market Basket Cooked Meatballs (Italian), Squash or Patty Pans with Roasted Green Beans, Alexia Garlic Bread
Wednesday – Shrimp Scampi, Roasted Spaghetti Squash (for me) and Steamed Green Beans – Rice, Steak (for Carlos)
Thursday – Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes and Applegate Chicken Nuggets (for me); Steamed Veg with Butter, Roasted Potatoes, Bunless Burgers (for Carlos)

New Breakfast – 1-1/2 eggs scrambled, 3 oz of yogurt and ½ cup berries
New Snack – Celery with Almond Butter

Here are some deals I'm taking advantage of...

Market Basket Deals

Schrod Haddock Filets
European Cucumbers
Market Basket Cooked Meatballs (Frozen – Italian)

Whole Foods Deals

Yellow Peaches
Olivia’s Organics Baby Spinach
Alexia Sweet Potato Julienne Fries (plus Alexia Coupon)
Applegate Chicken Nuggets
Luna BarsCoupon
Alexia Garlic French Baguette

Weekly Meal Plan 6/13-6/19

I'm very excited because the Woburn Greek Festival is this weekend! My husband and I go every year (check out my previous reviews here and here). I'm looking forward to diving into a Plaki Plate (baked fish, beans, rice, salad and a roll) as well as treating myself to some Finikia cookies.

Friday – GREEK FESTIVAL

Saturday – Soba Noodle Bowl 

Sunday – Ground Chicken & Herb Mini Meatloafs with Roasted Corn, Vinegar Mashed Potatoes and Lettuce Salad with Vinegar & Oil

Monday – Sloppy Joes with Steamed Green Beans & Cucumber Potato Salad 

Tuesday – Hoisin Chicken, Roasted Sweet Potato/Rice & Cucumber & Tomato Salad

Wednesday – Shrimp with Steamed Broccoli & Sauteed Mushrooms /Marinated Pork Chops with Rice and Carrot & Celery Sticks with Hummus

Thursday – Eggs, Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Sweet Potato/Steak, White Rice and Asparagus

 Here are some deals I'm taking advantage of this week

Market Basket

Ground Beef 80/20

Chicken Thighs

Broccoli

Sweet Red Peppers

Celery

Garlic

GLAD Mega Pack Trash Bags

Whole Foods

Corn

Organic Lettuce

Coupons

Green Valley Organics Yogurt Coupons

Weekly Meal Plan 6/6-6/12/14

Sloppy Joes

Last week I was on a business trip and the chaos of which led me to some unhealthy eating choices. I feel so much better now that I'm back and can take control over my meals again.

I've been feeling really good doing a low-carb diet. I've reduced my sugar intake and cut out a lot of pasta and try to only have bread or rice once a week or once every other week. My body responds well to this diet. I've been able to control my hypoglycemia, I have fewer issues with my IBS and some weight loss doesn't hurt either! I injured my IT band so if I want to continue my weight loss efforts with less exercise, diet will be the way to go!

Here's my meal plan for the week. I was very excited to find a recipe for Sheet-pan clambake! It looks very manageable and I'm going to reduce it so it works for one person.

Friday – Sheet pan Clambake for me and Southwest Meatball Skillet for my husband

Saturday – Baked Jalepeno Poppers  Tomato, Cucumber & Avocado Salad, Fried Thin Cut Steak/Tuna, Tostones

Sunday –  Sloppy Joes with Scallions and Cheese on top, Steamed Freezer Vegetables

Monday – Marinated Flank Steak, Roasted Baby Potatoes/Sweet Potato, Roasted Green Beans

Tuesday – Eggs, Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato - Hoisin Chicken, Cucumber Salad and Rice

Wednesday – Shrimp, Steamed Broccoli & Sauteed Mushrooms – Steak, Brown Rice and Asparagus

Thursday – Marinated Thick Cut Pork Chops and Steamed Mixed Vegetables

Here are some deals I'm taking advantage of

Market Basket
Mussels
Pam Cooking Spray
Taylor Farms Vegetable Bags
Baby Portobello Mushrooms
Scallions

Whole Foods
Organic Strawberries
Organic Vine Tomatoes
Cedar's Mediterranean Hommus
90/10 Ground Beef

Coupons
Green Valley Organics Yogurt Coupon

Weekly Meal Plan 4/18-4/24/14

Artichokes

I'm back from vacation and boy did I learn a tough lesson about health and eating. I was on a regimented diet before I left for California. It was one that my body had grown accustom to and was thriving on. I ate modest sized breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with small snacks in between and was eating more protein, dairy, vegetables and fruits and barely any carbohydrates or sugars. On my trip my schedule was so jam packed that I would have large meals (with more carbs than I'm used to) and may not eat for several hours at a time. My stomach was not happy with me and what resulted was being sick with nausea for the whole week! Once I came back and returned to my normal eating routine my body felt a lot better. Moral of the story: don't sacrifice your health on a trip!

This week I'm going to try to cook with whole artichokes for the first time. Wish me luck! And I finally invested in a cast iron skillet. I'll be making more frittatas and breakfast pizzas that used to be a struggle to make without a skillet I could put in the oven.

Friday - Date night
Saturday - Ham and Asparagus Frittata with Spring Greens 
Sunday Brunch - Cinnamon Roasted Pineapple with Macadamia Nut Cream and a side of Waffles
Sunday Dinner - Steak, Green Beans & Onion Rings for my husband, Crab Stuffed Artichokes with a side of Roasted Butternut Squash and Green Beans for me
Monday - Fried Thin Cut Pork Chops, Roasted Asparagus with Green Onions and Leek Gratin with carrots for dipping
Tuesday - Mediterranean Chopped Salad, Grilled Chicken Kabobs and Pita
Wednesday - Tacos (Lettuce Shells for me, Corn Shells for my husband)
Thursday - Pork Stir Fry 

Here are some deals I'm taking advantage of:

Market Basket
Applegate Organic Lunch meats
Love Beets sale plus coupon
Jumbo Green Peppers
European Cucumbers
Butternut Squash
Vegetable Tray with Dip
Polar Seltzer

Whole Foods
Clif Bars Coupon
Luna Bars Coupon
Green Valley Organics Yogurt Coupon
Mangoes

Weekly Meal Plan 3/28-4/3/14

Shaved Steak with Peppers and Onions

Friday – Date night
Saturday – Shaved Steak with Mixed Peppers and Onions, Provolone Cheese on a Roll
Sunday Brunch – French Toast with Sausage
Sunday Dinner – Honey Cashew Chicken with Brown Rice plus Pea Pods and Carrots
Monday – Deep Dish Breakfast Pizza 
Tuesday – Picadillo with steamed green beans plus rice for Carlos and cauliflower steaks for me
Wednesday – Mustard Pork Loin, Vinegar and Oil Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus with Green Onions
Thursday – Steak, Asparagus, Brussels Sprouts, Alexia Waffle Fries, Eggs

Here are some deals I'm taking advantage of:

Market Basket Sales
Almond Breeze Almond Milk (Unsweetened)
Sundown Vitamin D (plus coupon)
Shaved Steak
Pork Tenderloin
Chicken Breast
Green Beans
Sliced Mushrooms
Russet Potatoes

Whole Foods Sales
Asparagus
Spring Onions
Red Field Peppers
Organic Valley Half n Half Coupon
CLIF Bar coupon
Luna Bars coupon
Alexia Waffle Fries Sale plus Coupon
Plantain Chips

What are you cooking this week?

There will be no meal plan for the following week. Carlos and I are traveling to California where we'll be enjoying the weather, eating at In-N-Out Burger and having fun at the TCM Film Festival. Catch ya later!

Weekly Meal Plan 3/21-3/27/14

Soba Noodle Bowl

Sunday is my husband Carlos' birthday! So I have his favorite brunch, his favorite dinner and his favorite dessert planned for that day.

I'm also going to try my hand at making my own Taco Salad. I'm adding rice for my husband but no rice for me. I saw Smitten Kitchen's taco recipe and was inspired to make something similar but as a salad instead. I love cooking with ground chicken thighs which I get at Whole Foods at a good price. I prefer that over ground turkey or ground white meat chicken now! Plantain chips are on sale at Whole Foods and I thought it would be neat to add them on the top of the salad like croutons.

Friday – No cooking tonight!
Saturday – Soba Noodle Bowl

Carlos' Birthday!
Sunday Brunch – Challah French Toast and Jones' All Natural Sausage
Sunday Dinner – Pastel de Choclo
Sunday Dessert - Hello Dolly Bars 

Monday – Ground Chicken Taco Salad (Ground chicken thighs, black beans, corn, chopped tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, mixed peppers over brown rice and topped with crushed plantain chips) Inspired by Smitten Kitchen 
Tuesday – Chicken Vegetable Stirfry with Teriyaki Sauce
Wednesday – Oven Roasted Pork Chops, Salad (Olivia’s Organics Spinach, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Mushrooms), Roasted Potatoes
Thursday – Alexia Onion Rings, Steamed Green Beans and Lloyd’s Smokehouse Ribs

Here are some deals I'm taking advantage of:

Market Basket Deals
Ghirardelli Squares
Center Cut Pork Chops
Lloyd's Ribs Coupon
Olivia's Organics
Baby Portobello Mushrooms
Cucumbers
Celery

Whole Foods Deals
Avocados
Steaz Iced Tea
Tribe Hummus
Plantain Chips
Alexia Onion Rings Sale plus Coupon
CLIF bar coupon
Luna Bars coupon

What are you cooking this week?

Weekly Meal Plan 3/14-3/20/14

Peanut Butter Cookies based on this recipe

Last week's meal plan included the peanut butter cookies shown above. I burnt the first batch because since these cookies only have three main ingredients, which are all-natural, are very delicate. The second batch came out much better. I definitely want to experiment with these!

Since St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, a lot of "Irish" foods are on sale so I'm definitely take advantage of that. Also, I want to perfect a few recipes so I'm working on a couple of repeat meals so I can get some new recipe posts up in the future! One of my favorite recipes to make is Coconut Chicken with Pineapple Fried Rice which is inspired by a recipe I saw in Southern Living magazine.

Here are some of the deals I'm taking advantage of:

Market Basket Deals
Gaspar's Chorizo
Newman's Own Salad Dressing
Lloyd's Barbecue Coupon
Leidy's Uncured Ham Steak
Grimway Farms Carrots
St. Pat's Fixins (mixed vegetables)

Whole Foods Deals
Asparagus
Green Cabbage
Grape Tomatoes
Blackberries
New Zealand Lamb
Organic Valley Half-n-Half Coupon
CLIF Bar coupon
Alexia Onion Rings sale plus coupon


Friday – Meatloaf, Corn, Roasted Potatoes and Cucumber Salad (inspired by my Meatloaf Plate )

Saturday – Steak, Cucumber/Tomato/Avocado Salad and Tostones

Sunday Brunch – Flourless Carrot Cake Muffins (via Simply Real Health) and Bob’s Red Mill Waffles

Sunday Dinner – Lamb Stew via Cooking Chat

Monday – Oil and Vinegar Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Chorizo with Tomatoes (via FoxLife - in Spanish), with Steamed Broccoli and Asparagus

Tuesday – Ham and Lentil Soup via Closet Cooking

Wednesday – Coconut Chicken with Pineapple Fried Rice

Thursday – Lloyd’s Ribs, Alexia Onion Rings, Steamed Green Beans

What are you cooking this week?

Weekly Meal Plan - 3/7-3/13/14

Lentil and Sausage Soup

Lately I've been putting a lot of time and effort into weekly meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking. I cook dinner every single night and always make enough so that there are leftovers for lunch the next day. Each week's meal plan is different from the next which prevents me from getting bored with any particular dish. The only constants are one easy Thursday dinner that I only alter slightly depending on my mood and my weekday breakfast. Otherwise each week is a new culinary adventure!

I've been closely following the weekly circulars and coupons in order to get the biggest bang for my buck. My focus in the last few months has been healthy eating and I've cut down our carbohydrate intake, limited my baking and focused on real whole foods. Eating lots of meats and vegetables and specialty products (like my favorite Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Yogurt) can get expensive. That's why shopping sales and using coupons is essential for keeping costs down. My grocery hauls are still pricey but I shave off a good $20-$50 off my weekly grocery bills with careful planning. More on that to come!

Below is my plan for the week. I grocery shop on Fridays and Saturdays and I split my purchases between Market Basket and Whole Foods.

Here are some of the deals I'm taking advantage of:

Market Basket sales:
Ground Turkey
Applegate Bacon
Market Basket Pasta (just for my husband, I don't pasta anymore)
Petite NY Sirloin Steaks
Chicken Legs
Green Beans
European Seedless Cucumbers
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Polar Seltzer 1 Liter Bottles (2 for $1 which is unheard of!)

Whole Foods Sales
Broccoli Crowns
Red & Yellow Bell Peppers
CLIF Bars coupon
Organic Valley Cheese coupon
Any sales on fresh fruit (Grapes and Red Gala apples this week!)

Most of the recipes I cook during the week are inspired by ones I find online. I usually modify them to my taste! All of these are dinners except for my special Sunday Brunch.

Friday – Clean Eating Magazine Southwest Turkey Meatball Skillet

Saturday - My Colombian Recipes Ripe Plantains with Chorizo and Cheese topped with Cilantro and Cucumber, Tomato, Avocado Salad with Lime Dressing

Sunday Brunch – Bob’s Red Mill Waffles (I previously got a Bob's Red Mill Waffles baking mix on sale plus extra savings with a coupon, this will last me for a few brunches) and Jones All Natural Sausage

Sunday Dinner – Chinese Chicken Salad via H3Daily with Grilled Asparagus on the side and Peanut Butter Cookies via Simply Real Health with melted chocolate and chopped peanuts inspired by Taste the Rainbow (this is a rare baking treat!)

Monday – Orange Soy Chicken Drumsticks and Steamed Mix Vegetables (Green Beans, Broccoli, Carrots, Red & Yellow Bell Pepper) Inspired by David of Cooking Chat

Tuesday – Cauliflower Steaks (for me) Pasta (for my husband) topped with Lemon Cream Sauce, Parmesan, Scallions and Mushrooms and Bacon (inspired by Instagram Frugal_Living)

Wednesday – Lentil and Sausage Soup via Food52. (I made this last week and it was a huge hit! See photo above)

Thursday – Steak, Fries, Roasted Green Beans, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Fried Eggs

What are you cooking this week?