A Weekly Meal Plan, Take 1

A great friend of mine, who is also a fantastic photographer , suggested that I post my weekly meal plans. I do two-or-three-weekly plans, but thought I would just start with a one-week-er to get the ball rolling. Some of these are fast, some take a little bit longer, but none of it requires any specialized knowledge at all. Just the willingness to do it.

This week, we will be having:

Monday - Salmon in Papillote with curried brown rice and asparagus

Tuesday - Saucy Beef Lo Mein with Green Beans

Wednesday (usually Vegetarian as my hubby has activities every Wednesday) - Black Bean Enchilada Casserole with Salad

Thursday (Mom's night out - straight comfort food) - Mac n Cheese with Beans & Weiners

Friday - Pork Stroganoff over egg noodles

Saturday - Homemade pizza on focaccia bread

At Justina's request, here is a shopping list as well:

Shopping List for Monday – Salmon en Papillote

Salmon filet (hopefully boneless), enough for four people, in one piece. Not salmon steaks

Dried herbs (oregano, thyme) and spices (paprika, curry powder, salt, pepper)

1 ½ c brown rice

1 lb asparagus

Olive oil

Shopping List for Tuesday – Saucy Beef Lo Mein

1 ½ lb flank steak

Sugar (little bit)

Low-sodium soy sauce (can be hard to find, look for generic supermarket brands)

Rice vinegar

6 garlic cloves

Cornstarch (little bit)

Dark sesame oil (I keep it in the fridge between uses because it can be a long time from one to the next)

16 oz (2 c) fat-free low-sodium chicken broth

Vegetable oil

Bunch of green onions

Fresh ginger (couple three inches)

1 c green beans, fresh

12 oz wide lo mein noodles (have never ever found) OR 12 oz whole wheat fettuccine  That’s about two small packages – ish

Shopping List for Wednesday – Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

1 c (4 oz) shredded low-fat cheese (I like Tex-Mex 30% less fat)

250 ml low-fat sour cream (you can go full-fat or non-fat, I like it in the middle)

Bunch of green onions

Spices (cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper)

15oz can of black beans

1 jalapeno pepper (I used jarred when I can’t find them fresh)

19 oz enchilada sauce (best place to find is Safeway, cheap and is usually in stock. Get two small jars)

8 medium tortillas. Here is where you can get funky – I usually do either 4 large flour tortillas or 12 little corn ones.

Salad

Salad stuff

Shopping List for Thursday – Macaroni & Cheese, Beans & Weiners

2 c whole wheat macaroni

¼ c butter

¼ c all-purpose unbleached flour

Ground mustard – tiny itty bit

Worcestershire sauce – teensy bit, but good for everything, so stock up

2 c milk

2 c (8 oz) sharp / old orange cheddar cheese. And 2 c is just a guideline, load that sucker up if you want

1 lb dried navy beans

½ c brown sugar

½ c molasses (cooking)

Bacon, 6 slices

1 onion

Weiners

Shopping List for Friday – Pork Stroganoff

1 lb pork tenderloin. Mid-range, don’t get too fussy on size

Vegetable oil

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

All-purpose flour – little bit

Tomato paste – little bit, freeze the rest

2 c chicken stock

4 ½ oz (125g) white mushrooms, sliced, which is about half of one of those Styrofoam containers

Large green pepper

Nutmeg (one nut? Seed? Pod? One, anyway)

Low-fat plain yoghurt

Egg noodles – I like “No Yolks” although I do generally really like yolks

Shopping List for Saturday – Homemade Pizzas on Focaccia Crust

3 packets active dry yeast (or 2 Tbsp bulk, waaaay cheaper)

Rosemary, fresh or dried

Olive oil

4 c unbleached white flour

1 ½ c whole wheat flour

Shredded cheese of your choice, or regular cheese that you would like to grate

Cold cuts

Pizza sauce

Veggies for pizza – whatever floats your pizza boat. I like garlic, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, broccoli and cauliflower

So I will give this a whirl, see if this will be do-able and interesting. Next post: Monday's meal!