Menu Planning.

Do you menu plan at your house? I try to, but I'll admit that I often don't do it as carefully and thoroughly as I should. When that happens, we usually end up with "nothing in the house to eat" (despite a full kitchen), and I find myself throwing away spoiled food at the end of the week--not good! Menu planning gives me a plan (!), helps me make a more thorough grocery list, uses up leftovers in a timely manner, and makes me take a more in-depth look at our eating habits. Yay menu planning! So, in order to motivate myself to plan a little better, I've decided to start posting my menu plans here. And, bonus: you get to see what we're eating! Exciting....right? Maybe I can give you a few ideas for your own menu planning! If you have a blog, consider posting your own meal plans, and maybe we can trade meal ideas; I'm always up for yummy new ideas for our rotations! What are you eating??

Friday, 10/25
Maple oatmeal
Mac & cheese, corn, watermelon
French toast, local raw honey, bananas

Saturday, 10/26
Graham crackers, bananas
Leftover french toast, local raw honey, yogurt
Chili (crockpot), cornbread, spinach salads

Sunday, 10/27
Whole wheat pumpkin cinnamon rolls with cream cheese drizzle, strawberries
Tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches (mozzarella on whole wheat)
Quiche (cheddar, tomato & spinach), watermelon

Monday, 10/28
Leftover cornbread, raspberries
Butternut squash soup, crackers, watermelon
Chicken tacos (chicken [crockpot], wheat tortillas, spinach, cheddar, corn, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream)

Tuesday, 10/29
Plain yogurt with cinnamon, strawberries
Scrambled eggs, watermelon
Spaghetti casserole, spinach salads

Wednesday, 10/30
Steel-cut oatmeal (w/ pumpkin, cinnamon, & maple syrup)
Leftover spaghetti, pineapple
Turkey meatloaf (crockpot), carrots, smashed potatoes

Thursday, 10/31
Smoothies (yogurt, almond milk, strawberries, blueberries, mango, spinach, avocado)
Mac & cheese, kiwi, corn
Parmesan-crusted tilapia, brown rice, homemade wheat crescent rolls, mixed veggies

Friday, 11/1
Cereal, pineapple
Leftover tilapia, leftover mac & cheese, peas
Anniversary Date Night! (Homemade pizza for boys & grandparents)

Saturday, 11/2
Whole wheat blueberry pancakes, maple syrup
Homemade pepperoni rolls (& leftover pizza?), grapes
Coconut Crusted Chicken, baked sweet potatoes, whole wheat biscuits, spinach salads, spice cake with cream cheese frosting

Sunday, 11/3
Steel cut oatmeal with raisins
Baked Ziti (crockpot), pineapple
Ham, homemade mac & cheese, peas

Monday, 11/4
Plain yogurt with cinnamon & granola
Leftover mac & cheese, mixed veggies, apples
Tortilla Soup (crockpot), quesadillas

Tuesday, 11/5
Whole wheat English muffins, local raw honey, bananas
Butternut squash soup, crackers, grapes
Chicken in tomato basil sauce, whole wheat biscuits, spinach salads

Wednesday, 11/6
Smoothies (yogurt, almond milk, strawberries, blueberries, mango, spinach, avocado)
Leftover butternut squash soup, crackers, apples
Amish Country

Thursday, 11/7
Amish Country

Friday, 11/8
Amish Country
Cheesy Veggie Chowder (frozen), whole wheat biscuits

Saturday, 11/9
Whole Wheat Pancakes, maple syrup with apples
Chili (frozen), cornbread
Hamburgers on Wheat Buns, sweet potato fries, corn, spinach salads

Sunday, 11/10
Yogurt with cinnamon, granola, raisins
Scrambled eggs with spinach, cheddar & tomato, grapes
Homemade pizza

Monday, 11/11
Blueberry muffins
Tortilla soup (frozen), quesadillas
Whole wheat chicken pot pie (chicken, carrots, potatoes, peas)

Tuesday, 11/12
Maple Oatmeal
Grilled cheese (cheddar on wheat), apples
Spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread, spinach salads

Real Food Good-Better-Best Principle.

I found this great chart at WeedEmAndReap, and I wanted to share because it's a super visual for the foods we choose. In this house, we buy a lot of our foods organic (& local when possible), and we try stay away from GMOs and other chemically processed "foods". But, we've still got a lot of progress to make in our clean eating journey! I'm planning to print and laminate this chart for my refrigerator ASAP!

(If you are having trouble reading the chart, open the link below and check it out there!)

Image from here:
http://www.weedemandreap.com/the-good-better-best-principle