Meal Plan Monday (ish)

It’s meal planning time again. I missed a week or two and didn’t stick to the budget very well so this week is a pinching-pennies/clean out the pantry week until the new month kicks in on Saturday. :) This just stresses to me once again the importance of sticking with planning. Also, having the kids home all day really changes things too. Before, Izzie and I would just share the previous night’s leftovers for lunch. Now, I’ve got two bigger girls who want all kinds of snacks and eat more so sometimes the leftovers aren’t enough for everyone so I am having to plan more for lunches as well.

I’ve started posting some recipes on Recipezaar and hopefully will be able to link them here soon. There’s nothing that bugs me more than seeing the title of a recipe and thinking it sounds good only to not be able to access the recipe. So here it is, unhealthy and all.

Breakfasts:
Cereal
Malt o Meal
Pancakes

Lunches:
Leftovers
Spaghetti
Tuna sandwiches
Fried Egg sandwiches

Snacks:
Leftover chips from the weekend
Cucumbers
Cannellini Dip
Cashews
Dry roasted Edamame


Dinners:

Monday: Thai Tuna Wraps

Tuesday: Mel’s Meal-In-One (Got this from a Fix-it & Forget-it cookbook – making it with regular extra lean ground beef this time may try without meat in the future or use grass-fed beef)

Wednesday: Sweet Asian Chicken (from my freezer meal swap) and green beans

Thursday: Simple Quiche with fresh fruit

Friday: Eat out (Chipotle)

I did make a cobbler for dessert Monday night. It was a little disappointing so I won’t share the recipe… I’d like to make another dessert later I the week but can’t figure out what to make with what I’ve got. Must investigate further :)

Simplicity

“If honor be your clothing, the suit will last a lifetime; but if clothing be your honor, it will soon be worn threadbare” ~ William Arnot

That’s what I’m striving for. I feel like our life has become so cluttered with ‘stuff’ that we are losing grasp on the important things. I’m constantly overwhelmed by the amount of dishes and laundry. We clearly own way more than we need and it’s becoming a problem.

With the school year coming to a close I find it’s a perfect time to start fresh in many areas. I’ve started compiling a list of chores for the girls and weeding out the unnecessary ‘things’. First stop… the clothes. I’ve thought about what we truly need in the way of clothing.

Here’s what I’ve come up with for the children:

• One of each:
• Winter Coat
• Sweater (to wear with church dresses)
• Casual jacket
• Scarf
• Winter hat

• Two of each:
• Gloves/mittens
• Swimsuits
• Shorts for wearing under dresses

• Three of each:
• Pair of pajamas
• Jeans or casual pants

• Four :
• Dresses appropriate for church

• Seven of each:
• Undies
• Pairs of socks
• Other outfits – shorts or skirts w/ tops or casual dresses

When winter rolls around the shorts will be swapped out for warmer counterparts. Things outgrown will be passed down to younger siblings, sold at JBF, or donated to the church clothing closet. I’m going to try to adhere to the same guidelines for myself with the exception of three “Special Occasion” outfits. Graham has different clothing needs because of work.

You might think this sounds like a lot. This is actually about what Chelsea owns now with the exception of more undies and PJ’s. My other children have three or four times this much. Mackenzie can fill an entire closet on her own and Silas probably owns over 20 onesies that fit him currently. This is crazy, especially when the result is what feels like 100 loads of laundry. God has blessed us immensely with many things, and it is our responsibility to be good stewards with what we have.

Next on the list…. TOYS!