I'm so not in the mood to figure out meals for the week, so I've made an easy menu. Besides, who feels like cooking during summer.
Monday : BBQ Chicken tenders, potato salad, baked beans salad, carrot/pineapple salad, green salad with all the toppings (onions, peppers, cherry tomatoes, feta, etc)
Tuesday : Chicken pesto pasta with a big side salad with all the toppings (choose your own toppings. I prepare all the toppings and place it in containers in the fridge. That way we it's easy to build your own salad when you want one. I do the same with produce. I pick and wash all grapes and place in a container, so we can just grab some when we want to eat it. Everything's already cleaned and prepped. I like having my life simplified)
Wednesday : BBQ Chicken tenders wraps with all the same sides as Monday
Thursday : Same as Tuesday
Friday : Chicken tacos with all the fixings, refried beans, pico de gallo
I went to the produce market & Sams yesterday. Yikes at the market. I love that place, but the prices are just not worth it anymore. Only a select few things are worth getting there, like peppers $1.99/lb, kiwi, beets, berries. I love that they often have tropical fruit (that I grew up eating) like guavas & litchis/lychees. I saw fresh apricots and had to have some. Can you tell I love fruit?...lol. These babies were huge too, so I bought over 2lbs worth. When I got home and checked my receipt, I saw that it cost me over $7!! Holy cow! Well, we have lots of good fresh fruit, so I'm not even gonna worry about it. I did find pint blueberries for $2.29 (lowest price around here), so I bought 3. I love that stuff. We are all set for a while. We can choose different fruit (we normally eat 4-5 different kinds daily) every day. There's apples, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, apricots, grapes and bananas.
I absolutely love spinach, but for some reason I don't like the taste of just fresh spinach in a salad. So I had a light bulb moment. I now mix it with my spring mix (I always buy both), so there's different greens in my salad and I don't have to worry about just tasting spinach. I feel the same way about apples. I'm not crazy about eating a fresh apple, but I love all things apple flavored. Give me apple pie, muffins, add it to a salad etc. It's so weird.
I was up a the butt crack of dawn to go for a run, but then was too tired to do it. I went to bed late, then woke up after 4, so I was exhausted. I did start cooking early. I had the chicken in the oven before 7 am, while cooking our mushroom, onions, pepper mix. Then made omelets for breakfast. I'm always more productive when I don't get enough sleep. I know that if I sit down, I'll fall asleep so I keep busy. I should probably have more sleepless nights (j/k)...lol
FYI - my tenders aren't the frozen, breaded ones. I buy the naked tenders, just like you'd get chicken breasts. I just marinade it overnight, then bake (can be grilled too). Sams was out of chicken breasts again (glad I bought 15 lbs last time to freeze). The tenders are now $5/lb. WTH?! Chicken costs more than beef? Crazy!
I'll pull some fajita chicken from the freezer for tacos and just make fresh beans and pico. Easy peasy. I just remembered that there's still brussel sprouts, so I'll make some grilled veggies tomorrow morning. I like to cook early, so that the house has the rest of the day to cool down.
Now I need to tackle my mile long To Do list. I'll respond to comments and visit everyone's blogs later.
Have a great day peeps!
I laughed at the butt crack of dawn; I use that expression.
ReplyDeleteI just bet I learned those bad words from you Kim...lol I love that expression!
DeleteWhen I get home from shopping I clean all the veggies, repackage meat, etc. like you. It makes it so much quicker to make meals.
ReplyDeleteYour menu for the week sounds delicious.
It's amazing how much alike we are Lori! I do the exact same thing. I also dice or cut the chicken breasts into strips before freezing. I sometimes cook some of the meat, before freezing it. When I buy chicken breasts, I use 5 lbs to make a big pot (instant pot) of fajita chicken, then freeze it into smaller portions. It's so much easier to have everything ready for meals.
DeleteI clean my fruit, but forget about doing the same with the veggies as by the time I reach that point I just want everything put away. Love the butt crack of dawn line.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Lol Jackie. For some strange reason I love that expression. I completely understand about wanting everything packed away.I actually put that on hold, because I know it's best for me to prepare everything before packing away.
DeleteI was wondering how you did your bbq tenders and then read your explanation. They sound really good. I have tenders in my freezer, so I think I will try that method and see how we like them. Thank you for the idea.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Belinda! I hope you enjoy your tenders.
DeleteFunny, but I love the taste of spinach in a salad or sandwich. But, while I try to eat cooked spinach, it always comes up. So, rather than vomiting my cooked spinach, I just don't eat it cooked.
ReplyDeleteIf chicken is frozen when I bring it home, it goes into the freezer. When chicken is thawed, I cook the whole pack and freeze it afterwards. I never refreeze chicken once thawed.
I never refreeze anything that's thawed either. I doubt it's safe to do. I also like to cook most of my chicken when I get home from shopping. Makes life so much easier.
Delete