Menu Planning: 101

For sometime, I have menu planned.  I menu plan a month at a time.  It sounds like a daunting length of time, but with a few tricks and tip and secrets, which I will share with you, it is easy peasy lemon squeezy!

First I print out a beautifully blank calendar.  Then I grab a few sharpies. 

Here is my secret to easy menu planning:  Categories!  At the top of the blank calendar I write in my categories for that month.  Each Tuesday will be something in the Mexican category.  I just got a new cookbook so each Wednesday will be something New.  Each Thursday will be a crock pot meal, etc, etc, etc.  Easy, huh?  

Then take your beautiful bright inspiring colored sharpies and fill in the first two weeks on the calendar.  Attention: Secret #2:  Simply repeat week one and two in week three and four.  My family can eat the same meal twice in a 4 week period.  For example: We have nachos planned on the first Tuesday of the month.  Nachos again will be on the dinner table the third Tuesday of the month.  Make sense?  

Then I put my menu plan into my Google Calendar and print.  My menu planning calendar is visible to my husband as well.  So now he knows what is for dinner every night of the month also.  Doing this, instantly cut down on the number of times I heard "What's for dinner?".  1. because now he can look for himself, and 2. the kids can also ask him now.  I also have Google Calendar on my smart phone.  I can then set alarms or reminders.  For example: If I need to take something out of the freezer for dinner on Friday night, I set an alarm to go off on my phone Thursday at 4:30.  Two birds, one stone.  I am in the kitchen Thursday at 4:30 cooking dinner. My phone alarm goes off.  I see that I need to take ingredients out of the freezer for dinner.  No more forgetting to thaw.  

I put my printed Google calendar into a sheet protect.  I make copies of any recipes I need for this months menu.  I keep the copies behind this months menu in a binder kept in the kitchen.  Now anyone who is home, at 4:30, can go to the binder- look at the calendar, find the recipe, and start preparing dinner.  It does not have to be me.  I have a very helpful husband and two teenage daughters who are both very capable for preparing dinner.  I often get home from picking up Lil Miss from school, to find one or both of them have already started the water for the pasta, or the taco salad bowls for taco salad night, etc.  

My final step in my monthly menu planning, for me, is the most tedious.  The grocery shopping list.  I found this awesome printable (not mine) at The Project Girl.  Her printable makes it a tiny bit less tedious.
Fill in the date, the meal, and all the ingredients necessary.  It sure does make grocery shopping easier.  Still I won't say grocery shopping is fun, but easier, yes. I also keep this form in the kitchen menu planning binder.  I secretly hope one week, my husband, will just take the list and go to the store, but that hasn't happened yet.   A girl can hope!

I hope my secret tips have helped you menu plan or inspired you in some way.  Let me know how it works out for you!  

This week in lunchboxes ...

Straight to the good stuff with out further chitchat!

A butterfly pb and j, with carrot stick body.  Some more of those fabulous banana, chocolate, white chocolate chip muffins, I am always throwing in to lunches.  (I have come to accept my kids love muffins). Some Greek yogurt with sprinkles in a yellow silicone flower cup, and strawberries in a red silicone cup with a pirate sword green pic.

  

I found this awesome, flat bread- pita bread hybrid at Costco last week.  Here it is used in a sandwich for Lil Miss with turkey and cheese, carrots, and a mini muffin.  Greek yogurt in a pink silicone cup, strawberries in a red silicone cup and sprinkles to add some color and fun!

Taz and Matisse each have, a hard boiled egg, some corn, a mandarin orange, and a chicken Cesar wrap.  

Lil Miss has, hard boiled heart shaped egg, turkey and cheese roll ups, pretzels, and a few chocolate covered almonds.  In the top level is two red silicone cups.  One with corn the other with raspberries and strawberries and a blue bear pic.

Thermos Thursday again!  This is a favorite in my household. My kids love rice!  (I want to try this recipe with quinoa). Steamed rice in veggie broth instead of water, with garbanzo beans, broccoli, edamame, and mushrooms.  

Friday Pizza Day!  For as long as I can remember Friday's at my house, are movie and pizza night.  (the tradition started for with my a boyfriend from high school.  I loved what he and his family did so very much, I  kept it tucked away, and started with my family when the time came).  Matisse precut the English muffins.  Then added, shredded mozzarella cheese to a red silicone cup, sauce in small containers, and apple slices.  The only difference in Lil Miss' lunch, is I pre-made her pizza.  The broiler makes quick work of a mini pizza.  

Have you started your own Thermos Thursdays?  Let us know in the comments.  

Enjoy!

Bento Lunches

I'm a little bit late getting this up.  I lost myself in a project on Friday, and boy am I glad I did.  My friend and I were trying out different rice treat recipes for an upcoming birthday party.  Turns out lemonade flavored rice cereal treats are yummy and yellow!  That brings us to last week lunches:

Lil Miss had a PB&J (her favorite) gumball machine shaped sandwich, with help from 

Lunch Punch Sweet Set, carrots and dip, grapes with a yellow bunny pic, and chocolate pudding in a yellow silicon cup, with a few colorful sprinkles on top.

Tuna salad sandwich, banana, grapes, star shaped hard boiled egg, carrots and dip.

Side note: A few changes are going on with Lil Miss' lunch schedule, and because of this (we think) she has not been eating her lunches.  Not eating at all and/or eating her friends lunches.  Either way a problem, so we are sticking with a few staples that are her favorite, until she gets back to eating her lunch, with pride.  

Caesar Salad in a whole wheat tortilla, heart shaped hard boiled egg, that Lil Miss drew a face on, in a yellow silicone cup, apple juice and water in her cup, and some apple slices.  

Matisse finally remembered to take an early morning picture of her and Taz's #ThermosThursday lunches.  

One had chicken and rice, and the other had Harvest Orange Tomato soup.  Both had a smoothie

Matisse and Taz had matching lunches today: smoothies, with apples, chocolate, banana and white chocolate chip muffin, and egg salad in yellow silicon cups.  

Lil miss, had two hard boiled eggs, one bunny & one bear, apple chunks, turkey and swiss cheese roll ups, cucumber starts, and a few cashew chips.  

Were you inspired by any lunches this week?  Let us know in the comments.  

Enjoy! 

A Busy Bento Week

This week we have been busy little bees!  Our bento's have been less inspired and more: get the job done.

Here we have toddler triangles.  (Look for a recipe post soon) Basically bananas and black beans cooked together and wrapped in some kind of pastry.  Watermelon, string cheese, and cucumber flowers.  Dip in the orange box and a yellow pick.  

Matisse did an excellent job of packing this big girl version!  Frozen yogurt tubes.  We live in the desert, our temperatures are still close to 100- so a frozen treat at lunch is much appreciated.  Banana, carrots and a whole wheat wrap with hummus, turkey, spinach, cucumbers and cheddar cheese.  

Here is a picture of both versions from today.  Both start with our 

                          Homemade Freezer Pizza Pockets and chocolate and banana white chocolate chip muffins.  Taz and Matisse have watermelon and celery sticks.  Lil Miss has grapes, celery sticks, a little shredded chicken and some olives.  

Another requested Thermos Thursday.  Spaghettios and in her cup is a smooth with soy protein added.  A tiny little treat of a few Reese's Pieces as well- only if she eats all her lunch! I would also like to bring your attention to today's note.  Lil Miss wrote her own note.  She drew a heart, wrote her name and then wrote Mommy.  I even heard her tell her friends she put my love into her note.  AWE!  

This is Lil Miss' Goodbyn Bynto Lunchbox. She loves it!  Ham and cheese and spinach whole wheat wraps, water in her bottle, and grapes and star shaped cucumbers.  A little dip and pirate sword pic top off this week of lunches! 

Let us know if we have inspired any of your lunches.  

Happy Packing!  

Homemade & Freezer Safe- Pizza Pockets

If only I had a deep chest freezer.  If only I had an extra freezer.  *sigh* Alas, I do not.  So I get by with smaller freezer batches of things.  I like have a few things at the ready for easy packing of lunches or last minute dinners, or last minute guests coming over.  It is so nice to pull something out of the freezer and have it ready to go!

My girls love frozen pizza pockets!  Expensive, (even with a coupon) take up a lot of freezer room (location, location, location! that is some prime real estate!)  So I told them I would make some.

I used our favorite pizza dough recipe.  I found it on Pinterest!  Here is the direct link to the recipe, from Mommys Kitchen- No fail pizza crust.  Easy Peesey and oh so good!

So I make the dough, I roll out the dough.  I use my handy dandy Tupperware Empanada maker to make these.  Makes the whole process so much fast now!

Since I last made this batch, I have discovered that when the Empanada maker is all the way open, the bottom can serve as a round cookie cutter.  I had rolled out and made many individual little dough circles to fit the maker.  No need.  Roll out dough- press out circle, and put on top of empanada maker.

Sprinkle with your favorite seasoning- 

Add your favorite toppings-

here the girls added turkey or ham lunch meat and shredded mozzarella cheese

I have also since learned I should use a little moisture to help lock the seal completely: 

egg whites or a little water should do the trick.  Next time.  

Then fold and voila! 

Line them up on a baking sheet: 

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes 

Let them cool on a cooling rack and then put them in a freezer safe container.  

My girls love to pull one or two out for a quick an easy lunch at home or on the go. 

Pop in the microwave for a minute or two.  

Enjoy!

Snack Box

This week, Lil Miss talked to me about how she 'saves' some lunch.  After some investigative parenting, I discovered she saved a few items from her lunch to eat at snack time.  Does her class have a snack time in Kindergarten?  No.  They are allowed to eat during their recess if they want to, however.  AHA!  I have now also solved the mystery as to why there is sand in her lunch box sometimes!

I started packing a little extra in her lunch, just for recess (read- snack time).  Then she wasn't eating it!  (Cue the: WTH? Mom music please!)  She told me she didn't eat snack everyday.  (duh!)

So Lil Miss and I came up with a compromise.  (tada!)  She choose a small Lock and Lock box, to put shelf stable snacks in, and keep in her backpack.  If she eats it: GREAT!  If she shares it: GREAT! If she doesn't eat it: GREAT!  It will still be there tomorrow.  I will check the box from time to time, or she will tell me when she eats or shares it.  There is always am empty wrapper after she eats it also.  Which tells me she is keeping track of her trash, and not littering the  playground with her snack trash.  SCORE!

A small box, just in the front (unused yet) pocket of her backpack.  Easy to get to at recess and doesn't have to pull out her lunch box.  Maybe now her lunchbox won't come home filled with sand!  

Tell me, does anyone else pack a little extra for sharing or snack time?  

Big girls Bento vs. Little girl bento

I think I told you all how my middle daughter, Matisse,(12) and I are working on lunches together this year.  She makes her lunch as well as her older sisters in the evening.  I make her little sisters in the morning.  This week we used all the same ingredients and she took pictures of hers as well.  Matisse normally plans the weeks lunch menu as well each weekend, with a little help from me.  With out further yada yada... here is this weeks bentos: big girls vs. little girl.

 

First is obviously the big girls lunches, then the little girl.  

Drumsticks, or chicken legs as some call them, with watermelon chunks, fresh spinach and a little sauce container with dressing: for dipping that spinach.  Matisse added bamboo picks to hers.  I added shredded cheese and a bright yellow bunny pic, after I shredded the meat off the drumstick. 

This week we tried to K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Silly).  Tuna fish sandwiches, orange slices, & celery.  The big girls have special dip (cool whip mixed with raspberry jam) and the little girl has PB and peanuts on top of her celery, as well as a few requested grapes.  Her sandwich was also suppose to be a heart, not really sure what happened there.  

 

Here we have our homemade pizza pockets (look for a post soon about how to make those) with chocolate, banana, and white chocolate chip muffins (again, post coming soon).  Green apple slices, and carrots with ranch dip.  The only real difference between the two is that I cut the little girl's pizza pocket to help cool it down.  She doesn't like hot food, temperature or flavor.

Only on picture from Thermos Thursday.  I guess Matisse didn't think a picture of thermoses would be of interest to you.  LOL.  These weeks smoothies were the classic Strawberryana.  Apple juice, strawberries, bananas and soy protein.  Yum!  Their thermoses were filled with left over, Grammie's Famous Shrimp Fried Rice.  

                           

The top picture of the big girls,  bottom is little girl.  Every one's favorite, PB&Jelly, grapes, spinach and dip, apples, and chocolate, banana, white chocolate chip muffins.  Hmm... I don't see any apples in the big girls lunches.  Maybe she forget them.  Well there you have it.  I cut the little girl's sandwich into a cupcake shape, with the Lunch Punch SWEET.

I hope everyone is getting into the swing of back to school, and enjoying the last few weeks of summer.  Show Matisse some love and let her know what you thought of her lunches.  Enjoy!