~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
* I’m reposting my Spring menu because it’s pretty, happy, funny and real! Enjoy!*
Here’s a look at my Spring menu. See, I have it posted on the fridge written on penmanship paper! Super sophisticated, I know! I’ll type it out for you, though.
I basically have a framework for our week and then have options for lunch and dinner so we aren’t eating the same thing week after week. I planned out snacks and dessert ideas. This makes it easier to create a thorough shopping list in just a few minutes. If I have recipes, I’ll link to them for you. Just click on the highlighted text and it will take you to the recipe. I’ll be adding recipes throughout the season, too. You’ll see that we use plenty of venison because our freezer is stocked with it right now.
It took a good chunk of my time to plan out this menu–maybe an hour or so (that includes the inevitable interruptions). But, it is a huge blessing to me and my family that we have the menu planned, I can shop easily, there’s variety built into it, and I have reminders for things that need to be prepared ahead of time. Don’t you find that when cooking real foods you have to think ahead and do a bit of prep work? Whether it’s soaking beans or flour, baking bread, getting the crock pot started or just getting a head start on the breakfast for the next day, it’s got to be done ahead of time or else the plan won’t work. For example, on Tuesdays we have a crazy schedule. So if I boil the eggs on Monday evening, we are sure to have a healthy, quick lunch of egg salad ready on Tuesday at noon when we are all hungry and tired. But, for me, I need little reminders!
By the way, this whole menu is gluten-free if you use gluten-free flour, mixes and ingredients. It’s also meatless on Fridays since we are in the middle of Lent. For each day I planned a breakfast, lunch, dinner main dish, morning and afternoon snack, and whatever preparation needs to be done for the next day. A few days a week I planned a dessert. Since it is Lent we usually skip these, but they are available for Sundays. Our whole family gave up wheat for Lent so desserts are still an option, but we aren’t being very indulgent these days.
Monday
Breakfast
Eggs and toast (either gluten free Udi’s Sandwich bread or a recipe with Gluten Free Mama Almond Blend Flour
from her cookbook)
Snack
veggie tray (this has become a staple around our house!)
Lunch
French bread pizza using sandwich bread OR leftovers OR chips and queso
Snack
Muddy Buddies leftover from Sunday
Dinner
venison hamburger rice OR roast OR shepherd’s pie OR ground turkey enchiladas made with corn tortillas (my version of this recipe is coming soon!)
*a note about dinners: although I don’t list it each time, I either make a salad or serve a frozen green vegetable with dinner
Prep for the next day:
boil eggs
- Muddy Buddies
Tuesday
Breakfast
rice cake with peanut butter OR chex cinnamon cereal OR yogurt
Snack
fruit
Lunch
egg salad with crackers OR mac n’ cheese (Annie’s Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese
for a quick alternative to homemade)
Snack
nuts
Dinner
hamburgers with or without the bun served with sauteed mushrooms, homemade oven fries and veggie tray
Dessert
baked cinnamon apples
Prepare for the next day:
thaw breakfast sausage
- Sausage Balls made with Gluten Free Bisquick
Wednesday
Breakfast
sausage balls and canned pineapple or pears (These sausage balls are my son’s favorite! Recipe coming soon!)
Snack
fruit
Lunch
leftovers
Snack
nuts
Dinner
baked chicken OR chicken nuggets OR grilled chicken OR crazy chicken, served with salad and gluten-free stuffing or rice
Prepare for the next day:
soak beans
Thursday
Breakfast
eggs and leftover sausage balls
Snack
fruit
Lunch
venison summer sausage, cheese and crackers
Snack
nuts
Dinner
beans and rice
Dessert
pudding
- Breakfast for dinner! Omelet with steamed asparagus and a salad
Friday
Breakfast
pancakes (Gluten Free Mama’s Pancake Mix)
Snack
veggie tray
Lunch
mashed bean tostadas or nachos
Snack
nuts
Dinner
breakfast
*
Looking for more Lenten meatless meals for Fridays? Click HERE!
- Baked Ziti
Saturday and Sunday
Breakfast
Dad’s choice!
Lunch
veggie tray with venison salami and cheese OR mac n’ cheese OR homemade g-free corn dogs (these are amazing!)
Dinner
baked ziti with venison Italian sausage OR ground turkey enchiladas made with corn tortillas OR rotisserie chicken OR salmon cakes
Dessert
Muddy Buddies on Sunday
Prepare for the week ahead:
thaw venison or other meat for Monday’s dinner
bake gluten free sandwich bread (HERE is one recipe I like)
- Gluten Free Salmon Cakes
A few things I’d do differently after using this menu for a few weeks:
- Plan out my husband’s lunches
- Figure out a better alternative to crackers. My kids don’t really like gluten free crackers and I don’t like buying them because they are expensive. We haven’t found a homemade version that works yet.
- Hire a maid to clean up the kitchen every day!
By the way, if all this is overwhelming to you and you just don’t know where to begin, check out my eBook,
Family Menu Planning: A practical guide to mealtime management. You’ll find step by step instructions to create your own menu plan just like I did for my family! Click on that link and watch the video trailer for more details!
