August Meal Plan

Needless to say, J and I were very disappointed with how the majority of our meals turned out for our freezer stash meal plan last month. Although we found a few new recipes that we LOVED (Farmer's Casserole, Mix n Match Soup, etc) there were more that feel short of our expectations. So, this month we have decided to do a few freezer meals so that we will have pre-made meals on hand, and then the rest of the month I'm going to figure out how to keep Boogie entertained AND cook a meal every day. I have a wonderful little girl, she's fantastic... but she thinks she needs mommy's undivided attention 24/7, and that's including in the middle of the night! I want her to eat meals with us in the evenings, but I think for the time being (especially considering we don't have a table... nor do we have room for one) I will put her in her high chair by the kitchen and let her eat her BLW meal for the day while I cook. I'll let you know how that goes!

We go shopping ONCE a month and we try not to go back to the grocery store except for necessities (milk, bread, etc). We shop for the majority of our groceries at Aldi (super cheap, pretty decent quality) and then finish off at Ingles. One of the main reasons we choose to shop once a month is because the only Aldi near us is about 20 minutes away and with gas prices they way they are...  it's just not practical to drive to Aldi more than once a month. The only other times we make a trip to Asheville is if we have doctor's appointments or if I need to see my advisor or buy books at school. Occasionally if we have the extra cash we'll go out to eat or stop at the mall... but normally we avoid Asheville.

Anyways, this month I have chosen 14 dinner meals, the majority of those meals will make enough for leftovers for both lunch and dinner the next day. When there's not enough for both lunch and dinner we'll have sandwiches those days. I've also chosen 5 breakfast items that will be good for about 2 weeks and then in between those we'll have cereal or oatmeal. So... here's the plan.

Dinners:

• White Chicken Chili (w/garlic bread and a salad)
• Taco Soup (w/ white cheese dip and chips on the side)
• Basic Potato Soup (w/salad and a veggie)
• Taco Salad
• Mix and Match Chicken Soup (w/a sandwich or some kind of bread on the side)
• Farmer's Casserole (w/veggie and baked potato)
• Hearty French Onion Soup (w/a sandwich)
• Stromboli (w/salad)
• BBQ Chicken (w/veggie and baked potato OR roll)
• Blake's Burritos (w/rice and beans on the side) **courtesy of Blake and Elah's best friend Taylor!**
• Wings (w/baked fries and a veggie)... by far my favorite and most unhealthy meal... but it's a MUST!
• Texas Pete Chicken (w/veggies and mashed potatoes)
• Garlic Chicken (w/veggies and bread)
• Chicken Salad (w/crackers or bread and a side of veggies)
• Sandwiches (w/chips or soup) to fill when no leftovers are available

Breakfasts:

• Breakfast Burritos (w/fruit)
• Muffins (w/fruit or yogurt)
• Breakfast Quiche (w/fruit)
• Biscuits and Gravy (w/eggs)
• Pancakes (w/eggs)
• Cereal (w/fruit)
• Oatmeal (w/fruit)

As you can tell, I'm a big fruit eater during breakfast (and during snacks)... and we are trying to eat a bit healthier. Not necessarily watching calories or anything like that but just being more careful with portion sizes and how much we're eating. I have noticed that the less I eat the less breastmilk I produce... so I will be eating 3 normal sized meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and having good wholesome snacks in between... and probably one around this time. I've noticed that if I don't have SOMETHING int he middle of the night that I wake up completely starving and nauseus from an empty stomach. So... there you go. The Farmer's casserole, quiche, burritos, and muffins will all be made a day or two after our grocery trip and be frozen for meals (sliced individually for servings), everything else will be made that day. I'm going to do my best to remember to take pics of the meals and process so that I can share recipes... some of these are AWESOME! Until then... good night and God bless!