Our Little Fam: Meal Planning

This week, I am being a little more casual with our meal planning. Instead of making a schedule, I made a list of meals that I had purchased ingredients for and each day we can pick what we are in the mood for. On the "menu" this week is:

-Grilled chicken caesar salads (We had this as Sunday supper)

-Grilled vegetables served over a bed of quinoa (I spray a very thin layer of EVOO over a sheet pan of mixed veggies and cook on the top rack at a very high heat- the more veggies, the better!)

-Steak on the grill with a baked potato (Steak gets marinated in soy sauce all day before Tim throws it on the grill) - family members who don't eat beef can have grilled chicken, instead :)

-Chicken and Veggie quesadillas- a great way to use up leftover chicken and veggies

-Vegetable and Pasta toss - trying out this recipe that looked yummy

-Burgers and hot dogs on the grill served with tater tots (an easy fan favorite). The kiddos like Nathan's All Natural hot dogs- 'No Nitrates' is something we personally look for when purchasing. (If anyone has a favorite, yummy, more "natural" alternative, please let me know, too!)

I wrote out the "options" at the top of our family calendar in the kitchen

These are the hot dogs we have been buying this summer...they're good!

We have also been making smoothies a lot lately...there is just something so delish about a nice, cold smoothie on a hot summer day. Our current favorite smoothie combo is:

-Large cup + of frozen strawberries
-Large cup + of mixed frozen berries/other fruits
-Half a block of frozen spinach (you won't even taste it!)
-Small tub of strawberry yogurt (we like Stoneyfield)
-A generous splash of lowfat milk

All of these go in a blender-- no ice! The frozen fruit serves the same purpose. Add milk to gain the desired consistency you like. This is a yummy treat, especially as a mid/late afternoon snack to hold you over 'til dinner.