-ranch chicken chili + salad
-lasagna + salad
-ham & asparagus pasta
I'm really happy that I did this meal plan. As I sat down to make my grocery list for next week, I felt empty of ideas. Luckily I created this blog, and uploaded 12 weeks of meal plans already, haha! It takes such a load off to have meal ideas at the ready so I don't even have to think. I picked this week's plan based on a few things:
-asparagus season
-plentiful greens in my backyard
-just ordered chicken!
-my freezer stock is looking low & a fellow Mama Bear is in the hospital & her family needs food...so making a meal that's easy to make lots of (lasagna) was a seller
I had plenty of vegetables laying around to make salad with every dinner this week. I feel like we over eat our dinner portions so often, so by adding some greens, we eat a bit less of the main dish. I purchased a lettuce bowl from The Club (www.mkt.com/mdcc) so I have lettuce at the ready for smoothies or a side salad. I'm hoping these last forever, cus having fresh mixed greens at the ready is making me feel spoiled. I also got these salad mix things from Trader Joes...they consist of single packets with mixed nuts & seeds. Such an awesome addition to an otherwise bowl of greens. Top with a quick homemade vinaigrette and you're all set.
Ranch Chicken Chili is a huge win in our household, and we discovered it from a Wildtree workshop. We have since modified it for our needs, and utilize Frontier's Organic Ranch Dressing & Taco Seasoning Mix. Some people use the Carne Asada or the Chipotle Lime instead of the Taco Seasoning. The Chipotle Lime is also really good!
Recipe: https://wildtreemeals.com/rep/angie/recipe/3127/ranch-chicken-chili
Lasagna is made so much easier if you can find a good quality no-boil noodle. I personally love Trader Joes. (https://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Italian-Lasagna-Noodles/dp/B008AO399M) I hide all sorts of vegetables in my lasagna, and there usually is no rhyme or reason to what I put in it. This week's will consist of cottage cheese, spinach, tomato sauce & a mix of ground pork & beef.
Ham & Asparagus Pasta came from Rachel Ray....she has several modifications with this one including zucchini, peas, asparagus & different proteins. It's a great last minute meal with what you have in your fridge. https://www.rachaelrayshow.com/recipes/26641_spring_pasta_with_peas_asparagus_prosciutto_and_onions/ I always have a ham steak. Sounds weird, but they come in handy! We eat a lot of pasta salad for lunch, so the ham is a quick addition. I also love it in this particular pasta dish as opposed to prosciutto (also a cost saver). I also add ham cubes to my cottage cheese muffins.
#mdcrunchyclub #organic #mealplan #savemoneylivebetter #organicfood #buyinclub #coopfood #savvyshopper #besavvy #ethos #pasturedmeat #pasturedchicken #myethos #americanheritagepork #leftovers #grassfedbeef #rachelray #traderjoes #wildtree #salad #portioncontrol #greens #pigshare #cowshare #lasagnafordays #freezermeal #helpamamaout #growyourownfood