This Week's Plan

Saturday morning, which means it's time to plan menus for the week ahead! Need to work in grocery shopping and possibly even a Costco run.

This week's menu is a little more challenging that usual. First, I'm in the first phase of the South Beach Diet, which means no fruit, starches, grains, or sugar. Second, Rudy's birthday is on Sunday, so we need a special birthday meal and cake (ideally one I can resist - maybe I'll add coconut!).

So here's the plan:

Saturday: Pork stir fry (still have leftover pork tenderloin) with broccoli, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic, tossed with soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, and a little chili oil. Rice for the boys. I spent 1/2 an hour on the Asian aisle of my grocery store, and it turns out that there are NO Chinese sauces without added sugar. So we're going simple.

Sunday: Rudy's birthday! Grilled Filet Mignon, grilled veggies, salad. I may make a very small Potato Au Gratin for Rudy - he loves it. But the boys are not fans, so it will need to be an individual serving. I think I can do it! I also have to make cupcakes. I don't think I could resist a glorious birthday cake right now, so I'm going to make chocolate cupcakes (from a mix - I can resist mixes) and frost with extra buttercream that's in my freezer from Ryan's birthday. I don't know if I have the willpower to make and resist anything from scratch right now.

Monday: Ratatouille with Garlic Bread: I don't know if the boys will eat ratatouille, but they loved the movie, so we're going to try it. I'll grill lots of extra veggies on Sunday - 2 kinds of zucchini, eggplant, portabello mushrooms - and use them as the base. I have great homemade canned tomato basil sauce, and I'll add a ton of fresh herbs - basil, oregano, parsley, garlic. On Monday night, I just arrange it in a casserole, top with sauce, herbs, and a touch of cheese, and bake for 30 minutes. I can make garlic bread (2 day's worth) for the boys and a big salad for me while it's cooking. I'm not sure the boys will eat ratatouille, so I'm also going to have fruit on hand for them to fill up on.

Tuesday: Spaghetti (squash) with Meatballs: I have frozen meatballs for the boys, and great marinara sauce. I'll cook spaghetti for them and spaghetti squash for me. I'll toss in leftover veggies from the ratatouille, plus I'll broil another loaf of garlic bread I made the night before. I'll also pull a bunch of chicken breasts from the freezer, throw them in bags with a garlic/herb marinade, and let them defrost in the fridge in the marinade. It's a quick and simple way to marinate meats - while they defrost overnight.

Wednesday: Chicken Parmesan and a big salad, plus fruit for the boys. I'll roast 2 days' worth of chicken breasts in a garlic-herb marinade. For tonight, I'll top them with heated marinara and mozzarella and broil briefly. I'll have leftover spaghetti for the boys and leftover squash for me on the side.

Thursday: Bulked Up Caesar Salad with Chicken: I'll use romaine, spinach, mache (like baby arugula), tomatoes, and grilled peppers, and toss it all with this classic Caesar dressing. Slice up the grilled chicken from last night, fruit on the side for the boys, and dinner's ready in a snap!

That's the plan. Now off to the store!