Menu Planning: My Week In Advance

Struggles of Menu Planning

There are so many struggles to trying to plan a menu for six. 

Food Allergies

There are food allergies...my husband is allergic to poultry (that's right all the birds that I love are off limits for him so are all of my favorite flavored products....basically anything chicken--ie rice cooked in chicken broth, no yolk style noodles cooked in chicken broth), Huxley (#3) and Adeline (#4) are both allergic to milk (not dairy but can't drink milk that has not been heated...there goes the homemade ice cream!). 

Foods that Someone Doesn't Eat

On top of the allergies we have foods that we all would rather not eat.  For me it is meat, I was vegan for a while and I honestly eat mostly vegetarian now....I pick out the meat that I don't want from a lot of foods that we eat or I eat the sides while my family enjoys the foods.  I also do not eat anything that has been compressed and reshaped (I will only do fish sticks that are labeled as no minced fish or whole fillet).  I don't like blackberries, blueberries, or most melons unless in a smoothie but there is not really a vegetable that I won't eat and I like most fruits. 

I HATE eggs and bananas.  In fact when it comes to these two, I don't even like making them for my family b/c I hate how they smell. 

Issues with Children

Let's face it, as a mom I have to think of meals that my children are going to eat.  In the past I was vegan but I can't for the life of me comprehend how taking away foods that my children enjoy completely will teach them to eat healthy.  I know that some families are able to eat vegan and I think that this is great.  In fact I commend you but this is not what is right for my family.  In fact my boys love meat more than anything else.  Now I do purchase grass fed organic beef and only purchase organic hormone free products to feed them but I can't base their eating needs on mine.

I have learned to base my eating needs on theirs. 

Here is My Attempt at Menu Planning

Wednesday Supper (tonight)

Homemade Eggplant parmesan (pan frying in olive oil) with angel hair pasta and marinara sauce
Bruschetta crustinis for us/mini garlic breads for the kids
Fresh steamed broccoli

Thursday Supper

Going out....thinking maybe Flat Top grill b/c I love their stir fry and being able to get it made into lettuce wraps (one of my favorites)

Friday Supper

Tacos (beef for the family/potato for me)

Saturday Lunch

beef stroganoff (mushroom stroganoff for me), noodles with sautéed mushrooms for one child, noodles with a side of beef for one and the whole shebang for a third

My oldest is at his dad's this weekend or we would have two eating the entire meal.

Saturday Supper

hamburgers and hotdogs*** on the grill (I will not be eating either of these)
pasta salad
fresh sautéed green beans

***I only purchase nitrate free hot dogs for my children!!

Sunday Lunch

Beef, vegetable, and rice soup/stew**
Acorn squash soup
**This is my own recipe so I am not sure how to classify it. 

Sunday Supper

Pinterest Fish with Tomatoes* for us
Fake Fried Fish for the Kids (baked with panko)
*I love this recipe!!  It is super simple too...just heat some olive oil in a pan and sauté some onions and minced garlic (I prefer red onions), then mix in several chopped tomatoes and a few hot peppers or red pepper flakes if you are interested.  I season my fish (either Cajun or creole seasoning) and place the fish on top of the tomatoes.  Just cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes or until fish easily flakes.

Monday Supper

Swiss chicken cutlets
Rice

My husband is gone for work, leaving Monday afternoon so I am going to be alone with the kids...this means that we will be eating chicken a couple of times.

Tuesday Supper

Acorn squash quesadillas (for me--I will eat leftovers for lunches the next few days)
Fish Sticks

Wednesday Supper

Oven Fried chicken
turnip fries

Some Notes

If there is no vegetable/fruit with the meal we are still eating them.  We are going to the orchard tomorrow to pick apples and we have a huge watermelon.  So those are the fruits that we will be eating.  Since I am not a melon fan I will be getting a big thing of lime juice and whipping up smoothies next week for snacks with the watermelon and lime. 

I will try to snap some pictures of meals or new recipes that I try.  I never make anything as it is supposed to be made and often times end up changing things here and there so I will include recipes for meals when I can.  I hope that this can help you with being able to get into the best shape of your life and being able to get healthy quickly.