Family Foodies

Today I get to share my weekly Meal Planning, some of the week’s Recipes, and Meal Planning Helps.  I continue to discover great new foodie blogs and some great websites designed to really help today’s busy women, and it’s very exciting!

We spent a few days at my parents’ house last week, and my mom was in SERIOUS “Martha” mode.  She has a great kitchen – perfect layout and tons of counter space – and she was whipping out new recipes left & right!  It was fun to watch her.  And of course, even more fun to eat the goodies she made!

AND she launched her BRAND NEW food blog, The Better Baker!

We’ve been talking about it for several months.  I kept telling her she HAD to share with the rest of the world the wealth of knowledge & experience she has – but she was a bit intimidated by the idea of “blogging” herself.  She’s starting off easy, but since I’m her “editor” she feels more comfortable, and I can’t wait to see what she does!

She’s actually been published in several cookbooks, featured in newspaper articles and was recently asked to write in a local newspaper’s food column!

Now, on with the show!

Here’s my basic meal plan for this week with links to a few recipes, and finally some great foodie sites to offer more help with meal planning & preparation!:

This Week’s Menu

Monday:  Grilled Steak, Roasted Red Potatoes*, Steamed Broccoli, Tea or Diet Pepsi

Tuesday:  Ziploc Omelets, Toast, Coffee or Milk

Wednesday:  Cheesy Chicken Chowder with Biscuits, Tea or Diet Pepsi

Thursday:  Lasagna, Salad with cucumbers & cherry tomatoes, Garlic cheese toast, Tea or Diet Pepsi

Friday:  Grilled Hot Dogs, Potato Chips with Dip, Watermelon, Tea or Diet Pepsi

Saturday:  Crockpot Navy Beans*, Corn Muffins, Tea or Diet Pepsi

Sunday:  Chicken Taco Salad, Tea or Diet Pepsi

*Roasted Red Potatoes are very easy to make because the ingredients can be adjusted according to your family’s taste:  Wash and cube enough red potatoes to fill an 8″ baking dish, sprayed with non-fat spray.  Drop them into a gallon size zipper plastic bag, and add 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Shake to coat.  Now sprinkle in 2-3 teaspoons of dry ranch dressing mix (or whatever other seasoning your family loves) and shake to coat again.  Pour into baking dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for up to one hour – depending on your preference for doneness.

*One of our favorite meals growing up was Crockpot Navy Beans.  My mom made them several times that I can remember.  My husband grew up on Pinto Beans instead – and they called them “Soup Beans.”  Either way, Beans provide great nutrition, and provide good sources of folate, fiber and iron, to just name a few.  She would cook them with some ham or bacon, and we’d eat them sprinkled with cheese and ketchup.  Yeah – it sounds weird – but the ketchup added just the right amount of salt to compliment the flavor of the beans.

Kitchen Helpers

Organizing Junkie – This website / blog has a plethora of ideas & suggestions for general home organization, as well as menu planning & recipes to fit anyone’s lifestyle and needs.  The originator of “Menu Plan Monday“, she explains why she menu plans, how she menu plans, and provides recipes and free downloads for anyone who wants or needs some help with meal planning!

Plan to Eat – This is an online meal planning & grocery shopping membership planner to help women who prefer using an online format.  You can print your lists as needed, but the planning can be done exclusively online.  If you like to shop at Amazon.com – Plan to Eat coordinates with them!  The membership fee is very affordable and the site is very user friendly.

The Dinner Solution – This is a one-time software download ($59.95), that allows you to plan your menu, store recipes, and is designed to coordinate with Freezer or Once-A-Month Cooking.  Some good stuff here!!!

So – how do you feel about Meal Planning? Is it something that works for you?  Do you have any suggestions or requests?  Feel free to comment and let me know how you’re doing!