Menu Plan Monday - Pre- Thanksgiving Leftovers Edition!

I had a sort of a wacky idea. We're heading to a relatives' house for Thanksgiving dinner later this month, so I'm not anticipating a lot of leftover turkey (or any leftovers, really) coming out of that evening. But turkey is so CHEAP right now; $0.47/lb. at Giant! And why is it precisely that folks don't make turkey more often? Burnout! They're always trying to do it on a day when they have 100 other dishes to cover as well. So I'm thinking of trying to thaw and roast a frozen turkey from Giant, and then putting the cooked leftovers in the freezer for future use in soups.

One other wacky idea: I'm going to bake a whole bunch of sweet potatoes, mash'em, and freeze the leftovers in portions.

Monday:
Breakfast - Pumpkin custards
Lunch - Caprese salad - mozzarella, tomatoes, fresh basil, salt, pepper, olive oil, on top of greens, with a bit of liverwurst
Dinner - Bacon zucchini quiche, salad

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Fried eggs, bananas for the girls
Lunch - Apple slices with almond butter, leftover quiche
Dinner - Slow cooked pork roast with carrots, leeks, potatoes

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Blueberries (on sale at Giant!) with whole fat yoghurt
Lunch - Lunch at preschool with my daughter for a "Thanksgiving Feast"
Dinner - Leftover pork roast; baked/mashed sweet potatoes

Thursday:
Breakfast - Cheesy scrambled eggs
Lunch - Bananamandeln smoothies
Dinner - Shrimp and asparagus over spaghetti squash with a white wine reduction

Friday:
Breakfast - Mixed berries, cottage cheese
Lunch - Packed to eat with a friend; boiled eggs, apples, nuts, raisins, etc.
Dinner - Roast turkey, wasabi asparagus (on sale this week at Giant for $1.99/lb.!)

5 Reasons to Visit Giant This Week, 11/12 - 11/18 - FREE Breakstone's Sour Cream with Printable!

Oooof - I got home last night from a few days' worth of visiting relatives a few hours away, and it was an unintended media fast of a weekend since our accomodations had no Wifi - hence me getting some Giant deals up just now!

1. Shady Brook Farms Frozen Turkey, $0.47/lb. (1 with $25 purchase) As you'll see in the menu plan for this week, I might be roasting/freezing one just to have leftovers for soups and other entrees. Other turkeys range $0.99/lb.-$1.49/lb.
   
2. Blueberries, Blackberries, or Raspberries, 2/$4. Note that these are the smaller half-pint containers.
   
3. Asparagus, $1.99/lb. (Retail ~$3/lb.) You'll see this twice in my menu plan this week. Our family loves asparagus!
   
4. Pepsi 2 Liters, 10/$10. If you have a heavy soda drinking crowd for Thanksgiving these may come in handy.
   
5. 
   Breakstone's Sour Cream, $0.99/ea.
   $0.55/1, might double to make it FREE (bricks)
   $1/2, would make it $0.49/ea. (bricks)

Other reasons to visit Giant This week:

General Mills Cereals, 4/$8, must buy 4
GM Cereals coupons @ Coupons.com
$1/2, 10/31 and 11/07 SS (Final price: $1.50/box)
Includes:
Honey Nut Cheerios
Lucky Charms
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Fiber One Honey Clusters
Cocoa Puffs
Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
Also: Get a FREE Gallon of Milk when you purchase any 4 participating General Mills Cereals in one transaction with your Giant card (Coupon will print out at checkout for your next purchase, up to $4.50 value. Limit one per transaction.)

Birds Eye Vegetables, 10/$10

Cut Baby Peeled Carrots, 10/$10 

Breyer's Ice Cream, 2/$5. Same as the Pepsi!

***

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering

What other Giant coupon matchups and deals did you spot for the coming week? Did we make any deal-calculating hiccups? Post a comment to let us know! 

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:
Breakfast - Warm bananas
Lunch - Leftover spaghetti squash, chicken and Trader Joe's vodka sauce
Dinner - Butter-glazed shrimp, salads, honeydew melon

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Scrambled eggs, sliced pear
Lunch - Apple slices with almond butter, Kerrygold Dubliner cheese
Dinner - BLT salad with boiled egg, dark meat chicken, and avocadoes

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Whole milk yoghurt with honeydew melon
Lunch - Banamandeln smoothie
Dinner - Bacon spinach gouda quiche, leftover honeydew

Thursday:
Breakfast - Pumpkin custards
Lunch - Joyful Abode's Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Bread
Dinner - Crock pot chicken soup (I know that this was last week, too, but what can I say? It hits the spot with the cold, rainy weather lately!)

Friday:
Breakfast - Mashed boiled eggs
Lunch - Sauteed kale with bacon and mushrooms
Dinner - Steaks, salads

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:
Breakfast - Mashed boiled eggs, bananas for my girls
Lunch - Nuts, cheese, carrots - finger foods!
Dinner - Steaks (on sale at Giant!) and wasabi asparagus on the grill

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Pan-fried pears (on sale at Giant!) and cottage cheese
Lunch - Salad: Iceberg lettuce (on sale at Giant!), leftover steak strips, with a buttermilk ranch dressing, courtesy of Nourished Meadow
Dinner - Fish taco salads: seasoned fish, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and oh, yes: more iceberg lettuce

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Grain-free granola, bananas for the girls
Lunch - Omelettes
Dinner - Chicken vegetable soup (I'll probably crock pot a whole chicken with some veggies and reserve some chicken for Thursday lunch)

Thursday:
Breakfast - Cottage cheese topped with drizzle honey and cacao nibs
Lunch - Leftover chicken on a salad
Dinner - Bacon and onion quiche, autumn pear dessert with cinnamon and whipped cream

Friday:
Breakfast - Warm banana pudding
Lunch - Leftover quiche
Dinner - Crock pot pork ribs, maybe

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:
Breakfast - Mashed boiled eggs
Lunch - Pears with ricotta
Dinner - Spaghetti squash with a meaty marinara

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Mango yoghurt smoothies - more mangos for my girls, more yoghurt for me (Mangos on sale at Giant!)
Lunch - Leftover spaghetti or a big-ass salad
Dinner - Salmon fillets braised in a tamari sauce, creamy asparagus soup

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Fried eggs, bananas for the girls
Lunch - Leftover salmon on a salad
Dinner - Baked chicken drumsticks and sweet potatoes

Thursday:
Breakfast - Blueberry custards
Lunch - Pumpkin spice smoothie
Dinner - My husband challenged me to get started on developing a primal chicken Wienerschnitzel recipe, and this might be the night I give it my first stab!

Friday:
Breakfast - Warm banana pudding
Lunch - Curry pumpkin soup, coconut bread
Dinner - Pork chops with a creamy rosemary sauce, salads

Bonus Weekend Recipe: I am thinking of trying out this plum clafouti soon (plums were on sale at Giant @$0.99/lb.!), adapted by maybe using just a hint of honey instead of the relatively small amount of prescribed sugars. Could be a good Sunday morning breakfast.

Preschool Lunch Ideas:
Leftover spaghetti squash with meaty marinara, apple slices with almond butter
Leftover salmon, salad, almond-stuffed dates
Blueberry custard, cheese, leftover sweet potato (mashed)

Menu Plan Monday, and Grocery Shopping Primally at Sam's Club

We hit up Sam's Club this weekend. I have mixed feelings about Sam's - good for the budget of someone eating whole foods to manage insulin, but also makes bulk-packaged items a little too available. Here's an example:

Pro: Raw almonds are the cheapest per pound that I've seen anywhere - 48 oz. (3 lb.) for around $11.
Con: 48 ounces of raw almonds in a big resealable bag. Seriously? How long do you really expect those to last in our household?

Other things I have found that I can get for the cheapest at Sam's compared with local grocery stores:

• Organic Omega-3 eggs, around $3.33/doz.


• Dates, 3 lb., less than $10


• Organic baby carrots, at close to $1/lb.


• Organic greens and organic baby spinach, around $3.50 for a huge clamshell container


• Gigantic 3-liter bottle of extra virgin olive oil, $11ish
  

Here's the scoop for this week.

Monday:
Breakfast - Fried eggs, bananas for the girls
Lunch - Apples, gouda, grain-free granola
Dinner - Green curry beef pot roast, and stewed veggies - pot roast is on sale at Giant this week.

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Warm banana pudding
Lunch - Leftover beef roast and veggies
Dinner - Bacon quiche, roast Brussels sprouts, salads

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Oeufs Boursin (This is really just eggs mixed and scrambled with Boursin. Be sure to really tweak the nasal "n" for extra cheesiness.)
Lunch - Leftover quiche and salads
Dinner - Primal Matriarch night: Bacon and Crab Somethingorother and Primal Mini Apple Pie Bake* *My husband has a lifelong mouthfeel issue with mushrooms, so I plan on baking AndreAnna's bacon-crab filling stuffed in some other type of veggie. Perhaps stuffed in cabbage leaves? Or as a dip with some parmesan cheese baked grain-free crackers?

Thursday:
Breakfast - Leftover apple pie bake with mascarpone
Lunch - salad, possibly some bacon-crab stuffed leftovers
Dinner - Spaghetti squash with a carbonara-style sauce

Friday:
Breakfast - Joyful Abode's Grain-Free Granola Bars, made Wednesday night, ideally
Lunch - Baked chicken drumsticks OR leftover spaghetti squash, salads
Dinner - Butter-glazed shrimp with hot butter-lime dressing over a salad (shrimp is on sale at Giant!)

Preschool Lunch Ideas:
Lunchbox #18: Leftover pot roast with a wasabi sour cream dip, salad, fresh mini peppers, diced nectarines
Lunchbox #19: Miniquiches, leftover Brussels sprouts, carrots with Boursin for dipping, almond-stuffed dates
Lunchbox #20: Leftover spaghetti squash, half-banana, grain-free granola bars

Menu Plan Monday, Half-Price Salmon Edition

Wild caught Alaskan salmon is on sale for $9.99/lb. at Giant this week, ergo I will be taking advantage.

Monday:
Breakfast - Strawberries and whipped cream (did I mention that strawberries were also on sale at Giant? 2/$4!)
Lunch - Leftover braised steak from Sunday night, carrot sticks
Dinner - Baked chicken thighs and brussels sprouts

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Scrambled cheesy eggs
Lunch - Creamy leek and sweet potato soup, leftover chicken
Dinner - Eggplant lasagna, baked dates and apples (while the oven's going, y'know!)

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Cottage cheese and fruit
Lunch - Liverwurst (yes, really)
Dinner - Broiled salmon, asparagus

Thursday:
Breakfast - Apples with almond butter
Lunch - Leftover salmon, salad
Dinner - Crock pot pork carnitas with salsa, guacamole (might make Joyful Abode's grain-free gluten-free pancakes earlier in the day for wrapping these soft taco style)

Friday:
Breakfast - Coconut banana smoothies
Lunch - Leftover carnitas
Dinner - Bacon and eggs

Menu Plan Monday

I did the happy dance this weekend when a box from Tropical Traditions arrived on my doorstep! I had some Amazon gift cards earned from Swagbucks (Are you swagging yet? You should be!), so I ordered from Tropical Traditions via Amazon - coconut flour. It is so fine, I wouldn't be able to distinguish it visually from wheat flour.

The coconut flour wasn't in our house half an hour before I was busting out a double batch of Joyful Abode's grain-free pancakes. SO TASTY. I very much recommend! The flapjacks have a great flavor, and a versatile half-pancake half-crepe quality - very flippable. Joyful Abode's pancakes could lend themselves very well to wrapping or sandwiching meaty fillings. The leftovers went into the fridge for the next morning's breakfast.

Monday:
Breakfast - Scrambled eggs, plus bananas for the girls
Lunch - Baked brussels sprouts and chicken breasts
Dinner - Shrimp po'boys, shrimp based loosely on this, and the bun based on the coconut bread recipe here, baked in miniloaf pans

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Boiled eggs, plus grapes for the girls
Lunch - Blueberry Coconut Smoothie
Dinner - Roast chicken, loaded salads

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Gorgonzola spinach omelettes
Lunch - Avocado Ginger smoothie
Dinner - Cheeseburger soup (if it's tasty I'll post details)

Thursday:
Breakfast - Whole milk yoghurt (drizzled with honey for my 3-year-old)
Lunch - Loaded "big ass" salad with leftover roast chicken
Dinner - Salmon and stir-fry veggies

Friday:
Breakfast - Banana pancakes (I'll sub baby food - aka banana puree - for some of the milk in Joyful Abode's pancakes recipe, and add a pinch of nutmeg, 'cause I'm a nutmeg freak)
Lunch - Leftover cheeseburger soup
Dinner - Loaded cobb salads (Boiled egg, bacon, veggies, cheese, chopped walnuts, etc. over greens)

Preschool lunch ideas:
Leftover shrimp or chicken, mozzarella and tomato salad, leftover coconut bread
Coconut banana custard, veggie crudites with dip, dates
Nut butter muffins, cheese crisps and guacamole to dip

As a disclaimer, if you sign up for Swagbucks under our referral link, we will receive Swagbucks thanks to you. Thanks for supporting Redemption Unlimited at no cost to you!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:
Breakfast - Spinach mushroom omelettes
Lunch - Asparagus taragon soup (didn't get to make this last week, hopefully this time!)
Dinner - Crock pot pineapple/tamari-marinated pork chops, spinach salads

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Bruschetta cheese, pluots
Lunch - Banamandeln smoothie
Dinner - Eggs and veggies

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Scrambled eggs
Lunch - Cocoa blueberry smoothie
Dinner - Baked chicken thighs, spinach salad

Thursday:
Breakfast - Custards
Lunch - Loaded salad with leftover chicken
Dinner - Grilled skewered shrimp, baby carrots, salads

Friday:
Breakfast - Yoghurt with a bit of honey
Lunch - Picnic-ing! Probably hard boiled eggs, berries, nuts, cheese, etc. Easy finger foods. :)
Dinner - Leftovers

Ideas for preschool lunches:
Lunch #6: Banana pudding (chilled), trail mix, aged cheddar, baby carrots
Lunch #7: Bruschetta cheese tossed with tomatoes, sliced pluot, sliced green pepper with dip
Lunch #8: Custard, chicken salad from leftover chicken, broccoli with dip, peppermint patties

Menu Plan Monday

We're fortunate to enjoy some leftovers from this past weekend spent with my inlaws. Got in lots of walking, time in the sun on the beach, and playing and relaxing with family.

Monday:
Breakfast - Boiled eggs, bananas for the girls
Lunch - Creamy tarragon asparagus soup, leftover brussels sprouts
Dinner - Leftover steak slices on salad greens with gorgonzola, and balsamic vinaigrette, sliced melon

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Fried eggs, cubed melon for the girls
Lunch - Broiled brie and a salad
Dinner - Sauteed butter-glazed shrimp, big salads

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Custards
Lunch - Leftover shrimp on salads
Dinner - Bacon summer squash quiche, baby carrots

Thursday:
Breakfast - Fruit smoothies
Lunch - Leftover quiche
Dinner - Crock pot chili, queso fresco to top, salads

Friday:
Breakfast - Fat guacamole devils
Lunch - Leftover chili
Dinner - Roast whole chicken, salads

Ideas for This Week's Preschool Lunch Menu:

• Thin strips of grilled steak, dipping sauce, baby carrots, custard
• Shrimp cocktail (or something like it), sliced raw green pepper, whole milk yoghurt blended with frozen blueberries
• Bacon summer squash quiche, grain-free granola bars

Menu Plan Monday - Labor Day Edition :-)

Tuesday:

Breakfast - Eggs scrambled with butter, add honeydew melon (on sale this week at Giant, $2/ea.) for the girls

Lunch - Leftover crock pot ribs ($1.99/ea at Giant this week) from Monday, baby carrots

Dinner - Leftover browned ground beef with salsa and organic sour cream over salad

Wednesday:

Breakfast - Whole milk yoghurt / blueberry smoothies, add bananas for the girls

Lunch - Veggie omelettes

Dinner - Baked chicken thighs, salads

Thursday:

Breakfast - Mashed boiled eggs, add bananas for the girls

Lunch - Guacamole curried chicken salad on greens

Dinner - Snow crab clusters (also on sale at Giant! $5.99/lb.), and a salad

Friday:

Breakfast - Apple slices with almond butter, cottage cheese

Lunch - Out with relatives

Dinner - Crock pot ribs ($1.99/ea. at Giant) with family, salads

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:
Breakfast - Fried eggs, warm banana pudding for my girls
Lunch - Blueberry coconut smoothies, loaded salads
Dinner - Steaks, salsa guacamole (steaks and avocados are on sale at Giant, woo!)

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Sauteed kale with bacon and mushrooms
Lunch - Peach coconut smoothies, apple slices with almond butter, cheese slices (peaches on sale at Giant this week!)
Dinner - Shrimp, Sausage, and Summer Squash casserole - a new recipe from Mark's Daily Apple (Shrimp on sale at Giant this week!)

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Mashed boiled eggs
Lunch - Lime cilantro coconut smoothies, baked sweet potatoes
Dinner - Crock pot pork ribs, salads

Thursday:
Breakfast - Scrambled eggs
Lunch - Nectarine coconut smoothies, nuts (Nectarines on sale at Giant this week!)
Dinner - Whole roasted chicken, baked Brussels sprouts, baked parsnips

Friday:
Breakfast - Fat guacamole devils
Lunch - Coconut curry chicken spinach soup using leftover chicken
Dinner - Leftovers

Menu Plan Monday

We're spending the last half of the week with my folks on vacation! Breakfasts and lunches are more informally arranged, so I'm planning primal meals for just my family for four then. Dinners will be planned with everyone in mind.

Monday
Breakfast - Warm blackberries, whipped cream
Lunch - Chicken leek soup, made with fresh leeks and spinach and frozen pieces of roasted chicken
Dinner - Fried eggs, mashed sweet potatoes, spinach salad

Tuesday
Breakfast - Warm banana pudding
Lunch - Omelets, stir-fried sesame ginger bok choy
Dinner - Company! Roasted chickens, romaine salad

Wednesday
Breakfast - Almond meal pancakes, fruit
Lunch - Leftover chicken on veggie-loaded salad (I will freeze whatever is left for future use after this)
Dinner - Prepared by my mom - Unknown

Thursday
Breakfast - Curried egg salad, fruit
Lunch - Shrimp scampi on greens (Shrimp is on sale at Giant this week!)
Dinner - Cooking for my parents, my brother and his wife, and us: Eggplant lasagna with meat sauce (at everyone else's request), salad

Friday
Breakfast - Bacon and fried eggs
Lunch - Primal trail mix (macadamia nuts, walnuts, dried fruit)
Dinner - Prepared by my sister-in-law - lamb kebabs!

I am really lucky that I have a mom (on a low-fat low-calorie diet) and sister-in-law (also conscious of fat grams consumed) who are willing to humor me and my grain-free eating on our vacation by not planning to cook meals that revolve around carbs (spaghetti and garlic bread, anyone?). Meanwhile I will be making efforts to make my cooking more flexible - sometimes adding fat after the fact, etc. so that they can eat how they like, as well.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:
Breakfast - Strawberries and cream dusted with cocoa powder
Lunch - Salads with chicken, walnuts, papaya, raspberry vinaigrette
Dinner - Scrambled eggs, sauteed squash and scallions

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Nutmeg ginger banana pudding, almond butter smoothies
Lunch - Spinach gorgonzola omelets, sauteed mushrooms and onions
Dinner - Baked chicken (Nature's Promise whole chickens on sale @$1.69/lb. at Giant this week! Retails $1.89/lb.), brussels sprouts, salads

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Cottage cheese, fresh berries
Lunch - Nectarine slices (nectarines $0.99/lb. at Giant this week!) broiled with cheddar cheese
Dinner - London Broil roast beef (one sale at Giant @$1.99/lb.) in the crock pot with carrots, mashed parsnips

Thursday:
Breakfast - Fried eggs
Lunch - Pork and vegetable soup (ingredients cooked and ready in the freezer)
Dinner - Broiled fish, sweet potato fries

Friday:
Breakfast - Papaya coconut smoothies
Lunch - Scrambled eggs, guacamole
Dinner - Grilled brats, salad, watermelon

Menu Plan Monday

I'm learning a whole lot about new ways to prepare foods, particularly vegetables and seafood. I got over my childhood-associated Brussels sprouts phobia with terrific results - now we eat them about once weekly, we like them so much.

I think this week I will try to breach another, bigger childhood-associated veggie phobia - beets. (*Shudder*) I think that perhaps the one and only time I tried beets as a child, they were pickled. Either way I have a bit of a mental gag reflex when beets are even mentioned. So they're the perfect item to tackle next, right? ;-p But this time the ones in my fridge are fresh, and I'm going to slow bake them. Give them one more chance.

Monday:

Breakfast: Banana custards with cacao nibs
Lunch: Bacon cheese miniquiches, salad with cherry tomatoes
Dinner: Baked chicken, roasted beets with feta

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, watermelon
Lunch: Banana almond butter smoothies
Dinner: Fried lemon tilapia (on sale at Giant), avocado, salad

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Cottage cheese, watermelon (on sale at Giant @$3.88/ea!)
Lunch: Eggplant French-toast style, sliced cheese
Dinner: Sliced steak over kale salad

Thursday:

Breakfast: Trail mix
Lunch: With a friend - crock pot chicken and veggies, watermelon
Dinner: Leftover chicken, cobb salads

Friday:

Breakfast: Banana coconut smoothies
Lunch: Mushroom onion omelettes
Dinner: BLT salads

Menu Plan Monday

I am loving all the different types of berries on sale this week at Giant. :)

Monday:
Breakfast - Fried eggs, coffee
Lunch - Hamburger, tomato avocado salad, blueberries (on sale at Giant this week!)
Dinner - Baked chicken thighs and Brussels sprouts

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Cottage cheese, strawberries (also on sale at Giant this week!)
Lunch - Stir-fry scallops (on sale at Giant!), squash, and broccoli
Dinner - Scrambled eggs, bacon, fried plantains

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Blueberry yoghurt smoothies
Lunch - Guacamole, carrots, sliced cheese, sliced apples
Dinner - Company - roasted whole chickens (on sale at Giant!), baked ginger carrots, salad

Thursday:
Breakfast - Omelets
Lunch - Leftover chicken, salads
Dinner - Chocolate raspberry smoothies, loaded salads

Friday:
Breakfast - Cottage cheese, berries
Lunch - Banana almond butter smoothies
Dinner - Bacon and veggie quiche

Menu Plan

Monday:
Breakfast - Fried eggs, milk
Lunch - Eggplant lasagna with meat sauce, kale salad with balsamic vinaigrette
Dinner - Baked chicken thighs, steamed asparagus, blueberries

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Mushroom scallion chevre omelette
Lunch - Banana almond butter smoothies (these are thick and very filling!)
Dinner - Meatballs with tomato sauce, spinach salads, blueberries

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Fresh cherries and cottage cheese
Lunch - Fat guacamole devils, blueberries
Dinner - Curried chicken thighs in a coconut cream sauce, steamed brocolli

Thursday:
Breakfast - Blackberry smoothies
Lunch - Salads: Leftover deviled eggs, baby spinach, sliced tomatoes, vinaigrette
Dinner - Ham and spinach quiche, fruit and nut crumble

Friday:
Breakfast - Leftover quiche, milk
Lunch - Apples with almond butter, sliced cheese
Dinner - Burrito bols (ground beef, salsa, sour cream, cilantro, romaine lettuce)

Menu Plan Monday

I am really excited to try a new eggplant recipe I just received via email from a friend who is also eating to manage insulin. You fry up slices of eggplant French Toast style. Just for fun, I think I'll try some leftover portabello mushrooms this way, too, while I'm at it. Yum!

Monday:
Breakfast - Fried eggs, milk, strawberries (which are $1.66/lb. at Giant this week!)
Lunch - Leftover salmon from Sunday, spinach salad with tahini dressing, fruit salad
Dinner - Crispy Nut and Herb Fried Chicken with avocado, mixed greens salad, blueberries

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Banana custards (made the night before), topped with blueberries and walnuts
Lunch - Eggplant slices and portabello slices French Toast style, strawberries, cheese
Dinner - Scrambled eggs, bacon, baked brussels sprouts

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Whole milk yoghurt, blueberries
Lunch - Curried egg salad in cabbage leaves, peaches
Dinner - Chicken breasts with Korean Short Ribs sauce in the slow cooker, shredded cabbage and carrot salad with sesame tahini vinaigrette, basil, and cilantro

Thursday:
Breakfast - Veggie omelettes, milk
Lunch - Banana almond butter smoothies, sliced peaches
Dinner - "Kitchen Sink" salads - with whatever is around and/or leftover!

Friday:
Breakfast - Cottage cheese, fruit
Lunch - Turkey veggie soup
Dinner - Roasted chickens, salads

Menu Plan Monday

Whee - we have a lot of leftovers from Sunday to use up! Hope that you all had a relaxing holiday weekend with loved ones.

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Whole milk yoghurt, blueberries
Lunch - Leftover fried plantains mixed with creamy Mexican squash and tomatoes, and leftover grilled pineapple
Dinner - Shredded leftover chicken on spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette, roasted asparagus

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Bacon asparagus crustless quiche (made the night before w/leftover asparagus), sliced kumatos
Lunch - Salad with walnuts, cubed papaya, and lime ginger vinaigrette
Dinner - Butter and garlic broiled tuna steaks (on sale at Giant), salads with sesame vinaigrette, watermelon

Thursday:
Breakfast - Fried eggs, milk
Lunch - Apples with almond butter, string cheese, fresh snow peas
Dinner - Crab legs - on sale at Giant this week - (my first try at cooking these!) with lemon butter dipping sauce, salads with walnut vinaigrette

Friday:
Breakfast - Mango banana custards with whipped cream
Lunch - Roast beef wrapped around avocado with a bit of horseradish, roasted curry cauliflower
Dinner - Oven-roasted chickens, salads, blueberry smoothies

Menu Plan Monday

After lingering suspicions over the last few months that I may be - at least at some level - insulin resistant, I have now been sugar-free and grain-free for over a week. Though I had a couple of tough days of withdrawal initially, by last Sunday 06/20 I woke up "over the hump" and now feel my energy levels higher and much more stabilized. Obviously, this translates to a bit of extra cooking, but I don't really mind, especially now that I have dishwashable cookware at my disposal!

Fortunately for me, there's already a wealth of heavily-cited information, recipes, and community over at Mark's Daily Apple* (among other long-followed blogs like Simply Sugar and Gluten Free) as I kick off the new way of eating with me (not my appetite) in the driver's seat.

I feel blessed that my husband and oldest daughter are happily along for the ride, so long as it tastes good! (And they will still dine on breakfast cereal, and the odd frozen lasagna or pizza, for sure.) Of course, because I'm nursing, and because my girls are still growing, we have a few carbier veggies and fruits - pineapple, papaya, sweet potatoes, plantains, bananas, mangos (but no corn or regular white potatoes) - thrown in.

I'm loving the sugar-free fruit-based custards as a way to get in a good balance of natural carbs, protein, and fat for a satiating, ready-to-eat-straight-from-the-fridge breakfast. They're kind of like natural Whips!, for those who have had the Yoplait treat, and take me less than 10 minutes to throw in the oven the night before.

Monday:
Breakfast: Chocolate raspberry custard, eggs, milk
Lunch: Salads topped with seasoned ground turkey (yes, still a lot of this to use up!), tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, etc.
Dinner: Baked chicken, garlic-ginger green beans, sweet potatoes
*Making a big fruit salad this night to propel us through the week!

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Rhubarb-cherry custard, eggs, milk (the rhubarb was free from my sister-in-law, and the cherries are super-cheap at Giant this week)
Lunch: Broiled fish, fruit salad, spinach salad with toasted pecans
Dinner: Stir-fry beef and brocolli, fruit salad

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Fruit salad, almonds, milk
Lunch: Roasted eggplant, summer squash, tomatoes, and scallops with a creamy tomato sauce
Dinner: Crockpot London broil, salads topped with veggies

Thursday:
Breakfast: Fruit smoothies made with leftover fruit salad and coconut milk
Lunch: Cabbage-and-kale salad with sesame vinaigrette and shredded leftover London broil
Dinner: Grilled skewered chicken breast (my daughter calls them "chicken wands"), grilled pineapple, salads

Friday:
Breakfast: Chocolate-banana custard topped with (unsweetened) coconut and toasted walnuts, milk
Lunch: Curried egg salad, served in cabbage leaves
Dinner: BLT salads, plantain fries

***

*Note that my own belief is that - however we as humans came about - God created everything and everyone, but likely did not create humans to subsist on a diet centering around - as mine did for a while - white pasta, white flour, white rice, sugar, candy, heavily processed foods, etc. - all of which Adam and Eve managed without ;-p