Menu Planning Series–Week ONE

Oh my gosh, guys! It’s finally here! I am so excited to officially launch my Meal Planning Series with this weeks menu. I have been working really hard on prepping and creating printables for y’all and I am extremely excited to get started. The first thing I want to say to all of you who are willing to even take a leap and try it for one week, or just one meal, is THANK YOU. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart. That you trust me to help you get dinner on the table for your family is humbling and I am so grateful. The second thing I need to get off my chest is the honest truth that I really have no idea what I’m doing. Now don’t get me wrong, I can meal plan for my family like a champ, but in terms of rolling this out to other families and creating documents and such, it’s totally new. So if you are following along and notice something I can do better or something that needs to be added (or subtracted) please let me know! I am ALL ears to your suggestions and promise to try to incorporate them all.

That being said let me lay out how this will work.

Every Friday I will post the weekly menu and grocery list in printable form. I will give a quick overview of the plan meal by meal with make ahead suggestions and ideas on how to cut down on prep time on busy weeknights. There will be new recipes included with printable recipe cards (like my usual posts) at the bottom and I will link to any external recipes that I used. There are a few things I want you to remember going forward:

• Be flexible: I’m giving approximate cooking times so you can incorporate as it works best for your family. This goes without saying, but if there is a 10 minute meal on a Monday but you really only have 10 minutes on Wednesday, do some shuffling.
• Give grace: If you can’t make a certain meal work even if you tried your hardest because circumstances change and last minute things get thrown into the mix, don’t panic. Last night I had pasta on the menu but Jeff had a work dinner so I moved that to tonight and made pancakes instead. (Which, by the way, is another reason why ToolBox Recipes are so awesome and a stocked pantry is key. I knew immediately what I could make when he called me to tell me he would be out.)
• Stock and replenish: After your first grocery run to prep for this week, make note of what pantry staples you added and keep this in mind as you move forward through the weeks. Also know that if you use a staple and need to add one, you’ll have to put it on next week’s list (or wait until it’s used again). You will see this happen often with pasta and the canned tomato products, which is why buying these in bulk isn’t a bad idea.
• Salads: For the most part, my family uses salads as our vegetable and side dish every meal. I use whatever vegetables we have on hand from the week and throw them in some spinach or spring mix. I use just oil and vinegar for my dressing and my kids use Ranch (they could seriously cover a paper bag with ranch and eat it like a delicacy–they’re so Texan). This also works to tide them over while I’m cooking on late dinner nights. I make it ahead of time and they eat it and fruit while they wait for the main course to be complete. 
• Weekends: I only included weeknight dinners in this plan based on the feedback from y’all. I find that weekends we don’t follow a plan and most often eat out for family night after church on Saturday and Sunday dinner is usually one of my more elaborate recipes. If you really want something different, let me know and I’ll include two extras for you next week. 
• Learn as you go: You might find that certain meals are winners in your family, save them. You might find that others are duds, toss ’em. The bigger your own personal ToolBox of recipes is, the less you’ll need me. And that’s totally a good thing!

And without further adieu, let’s get started.

Updated Pantry Staple List (just in case) Click HERE. 

Week One Shopping List: Click HERE

Week One Menu Plan: Click HERE

• Monday: This soup (Recipe Below) is easy and delicious. To save time I would recommend chopping on Sunday. And if you’re even more pressed for time than usual, it also can actually be made ahead of time and reheated for dinner, you might just need to add more broth as the vegetables will absorb some as it reheats. You’ll find the popover recipe I use HERE, however if you really don’t want to tackle these (though I highly recommend if not just for the wow factor) this is equally good served with buttered french bread from the store. Just pick up an extra loaf!
• Tuesday: Taco Tuesday is the bomb! These ToolBox Tacos (recipe below) are so easy and save you the money and the extra sodium you would get with the packet version. I recommend chopping up all of the cabbage (you’ll use half today and half tomorrow) and shredding the carrots over the weekend to save time. They’ll keep a few days so just store in a ziploc bag. 
• Wednesday: Oh how I love Fried Rice (recipe below)! This is such a delicious little take out/fake out. It’s so much healthier for you yet still tastes great and as an added bonus it’s freaking easy. I recommend steaming the rice on Sunday because it saves time but also because this is better the older your rice is. It’s a big recipe so if you don’t have a big skillet, I would recommend doing it in two batches. This is a super easy egg roll recipe (HERE) that I use often. You’ll be using up the rest of the shredded cabbage and carrots so all you’ll need to do is cook, roll and bake. But, if you’re feeling lazy there’s no shame in ordering egg rolls from the local take out. I did this week. And that is the truth. 
• Thursday: This is where I want you to get creative, friends. The recipe I used is my Roasted Garlic Fettuccine with Pancetta and Parmesan.  But in the interest of money and using what I have on hand, I subbed out the flavored fettuccine for regular and the pancetta for bacon. Guess what? It’s still freaking delicious. Do you want to know why? Bacon. It makes everything better. This is a salad as a side meal, so use the spinach and mushrooms and whatever else you have left (carrots, green pepper, scallions) to make a good healthy salad.
• Friday: Oh French Bread Pizza. You’re just amazing! This is how this works in my family. We each take a quarter or so and make our own as we like it. It could also work with individual rolls if you’re picky or your kids hate when their food touches other peoples food. (that’s totally a thing). I use pasta sauce as the pizza sauce in the interest of being cheap and easy, but this is an amazing pizza sauce recipe that I’ve made before too (click HERE)

Ok, friends! There you have it. Week one is in the books. Remember to share this meal plan on your own social media and tag me if you love it. I want to see pictures of your meals and the smiling faces of your family eating it (that might be a stretch, but whatever). Thank you again for taking this journey with me. I’m excited to see where it goes!

Fall Vegetable Soup

January 10, 2020

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 2 pieces of celery, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 3 carrots, peeled, halved then quartered and thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (TIP: freeze the rest in an ice cube tray for future use)
• 6 cups chicken broth (1 1/2 cartons)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 8 ounce pasta shape (recommend shells or macaroni)

Directions

• Step 1 In a large pot, heat a hefty drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat.
• Step 2 On a separate burner, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
• Step 3 When shimmering, add onion, carrots and celery. Season with Salt and Pepper.
• Step 4 Cook, stirring often until translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Step 5 Add oregano, thyme and garlic, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.
• Step 6 Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly until incorporated and dark red.
• Step 7 Pour in chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.
• Step 8 Add beans and mixed vegetables.
• Step 9 Cook 15-20 minutes to get flavors to mix.
• Step 10 To serve spoon some pasta in bowl and add some soup. Great topped with Parmesan cheese.
• Step 11 Reheats beautifully, just add more broth if needed.
• Step 12 Can be frozen without pasta too.

Easy Shrimp Fried Rice

January 10, 2020

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked & cooled rice
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (or if you're really ambitious 1/2 fresh grated)
• 1 cup thawed cooked salad shrimp
• 1 1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies
• 3 teaspoon sesame oil (divided)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup soy sauce (plus more for taste)

Directions

• Step 1 In a large skillet or wok, heat a drizzle of olive oil until shimmering.
• Step 2 Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds (or until fragrant)
• Step 3 Add shrimp, stir until heated and slightly deeper in color for about 1 minute.
• Step 4 Add mixed veggies, stirring constantly until combined.
• Step 5 Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Step 6 Add a drizzle of oil into same pan and add rice. Press until it’s as close to one layer as you can get.
• Step 7 Cook, one minute until a slight crust forms.
• Step 8 Then stir, cooking for about 1 more minute until all rice is coated and heated.
• Step 9 Add shrimp and veggies back in and move all to one side of the pan.
• Step 10 In the open space, add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and then the eggs, scrambling until set.
• Step 11 Mix in with the rest of the ingredients and add soy sauce and remaining sesame oil.
• Step 12 Cook, 1 or 2 minutes more or until combined and coated. If you like saucier rice, add more soy.
• Step 13 Serve with sesame seeds, sriracha, and more soy on the side.

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