Week Eats {vol. 1}

Do you know Nell from Whole Parenting Family? She's lovely. And she started a linkup recently for bloggers & readers to share meal plans for the week. Great idea, right? I'm excited to be linking up for the first time today!

I am a big fan of meal planning, and I plan for us weekly. I find it really helps keep our grocery bill down, and also reduces the chance of there being nothing in the house to make and having to run to the store or eat out in a last minute pinch (which is not good for our budget here in NYC!). 

When I sit down to plan I usually start with the weekly sale ads at the two local grocery stores we shop at most frequently. My initial plans are inspired by what ingredients are on sale, and then I go from there. 

Here's our meal plan for this week:

sunday // spaghetti & meatballs with arugula salad

This meatball recipe is super, super delicious. I usually get about 12-14 meatballs from the recipe, so depending on your family size, this could be enough for more than one meal.

monday // balsamic chicken with string beans

I've never made this recipe before, but I'm a huge fan of the allrecipes.com website. When over 2,300 people have given a recipe 4.5 stars out of 5, you're probably safe! 

tuesday // leftover spaghetti & meatballs with salad

wednesday // maple mustard glazed pork chops with vegetables

{recipe}

2-4 boneless pork chops

1/2 cup maple syrup (we'll use the Vermont maple syrup from our babymoon!)

1 1/2 tbsp. mustard (stone ground or spicy brown is what I prefer)

a few grinds of the black pepper mill

sprinkle of cinnamon

sprinkle of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking dish. Place pork chops in dish in a single layer. Mix the syrup, mustard, pepper, cinnamon & nutmeg. Pour glaze over the pork chops. Bake 30-45 minutes, or until internal meat temperature reaches 150 degrees F.

thursday // breakfast for dinner

You can pretty much count on breakfast for dinner to show up on my meal plan once a week. Easy, affordable and delicious = winning. Michael makes the most delicious eggs (usually scrambled eggs with onion, red potato & gouda cheese, sometimes with spinach upon my request). We also typically have a meat (sausage or bacon), and pancakes or waffles. 

friday // stuffed peppers with veggies

{recipe - vegetarian variation on this one}

2 peppers (any color - the green were the freshest at the grocery this week), seeded & sliced in half

1 tsp. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove minced garlic

1 small yellow pepper, seeded & chopped

can of black beans, drained & rinsed

1 Tbsp. taco seasoning

1/4 Tbsp. cumin

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup quinoa or rice, prepared as directed

shredded cheddar

Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Add onion and cook until tender. Add yellow pepper, cook 3 minutes. Add garlic, cook an additional minute. Mix in the black beans, taco seasoning, cumin and water. Bring mixture to a low boil, then simmer about 5 minutes. Add the quinoa or rice and stir. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange halved peppers in a greased baking dish. Fill each pepper with the stuffing. Top each pepper with shredded cheddar. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Serve with salsa and sour cream {optional}.

saturday // gender reveal party!

Not sure we will have a formally planned dinner this evening. We're having a few friends over for appetizers and treats {and our gender reveal!}.

I also should mention that while I plan our dinners for the week, we don't always have that specific meal on the specific night as listed. I just cook what I feel in the mood to make that day, eventually eating each of the meals in the week-long period. :)

Be sure to visit Nell for more meal plans. Happy Sunday!