Yet another week has flown by. What feels like too many shifts working and too few days off will do that even if those on/off days weren’t anything different than my regular rotation. Three more shifts and then I’m off for five; I’m hanging on until then. Today is excepted though. Today is a sick day. I feel like crap. At least I have until tomorrow at 4 p.m. (night shift) to recover. I hate using two sick days up in one shot.

This week’s meals will be a mix of stand-by recipes and new ones that I’ll be trying for the first time. There aren’t as many recipe links this week as I’ll be creating a few things as I try to use up leftovers. For some of them I have found recipes online just to post a link. I may or may not use the recipe exactly when it actually comes time to make the meal.

Monday: tuna melts on multi-grain pitas
Tuesday: leftover vegetable soup from this past Sunday
Wednesday: baked tortilla chips with sweet potato/bean filling as dip
Thursday: Mexican Skillet Pasta using leftover meatloaf
Friday: Creamy Potato Ham Soup
Saturday:  chicken rolled up, stuffed with Swiss cheese and broccoli, and breaded
Sunday: Pizza Pancakes

Head over to I’m an Organizing Junkie to check out the 200+ links if you’re in need of some ideas or inspiration for your meals this week.

It’s Monday again and time for Menu Plan Monday. As always, head over to I’m an Organizing Junkie to see other menu plans and/or to add your own. At the time of this posting there are over 300 bloggers with menus posted. Menu Plan Monday is a great way to expand your recipe repertoire and try something new. I found several soon-to-become favourites in the links each week.

Monday: night shift
Tuesday: night shift
Wednesday: Sherry’s Aussie Chicken
Thursday: Meatloaf Parmigiana (will make it up as I go to use up leftover meatloaf)
Friday: ham steaks with Quiche Lorraine Scones
Saturday: Salsa Chicken (slow cooker)
Sunday: Vegetable Barley Soup (slow cooker)

It’s Monday again? Time flies. Monday nights around here are skating nights. B is in a learn-to-skate program again this year and it seems like it’s always skating night. Not is a bad way, just that the weeks seem to be flying by.

Monday is also Menu Plan Monday here on the blog, hosted by Laura over at orgjunkie.com. I’ll be recycling a meal that I’ve posted the past two weeks and still haven’t made as well as another one that’s only been neglected for one week. We really enjoyed the baked macaroni and cheese from last Monday night so that will be appearing again in the next week or two. Or maybe even this week depending on what else I can come up with. I tend to make up the menu plan as I type the blog entry! I thought the lentil and brown rice casserole was also good; I think it makes more of a side dish than a main dish though unless it’s beefed up a little more.

I’m just home from work on lunch break so this will be quick. And since I don’t know yet what I’m having for supper tonight, this will give me time to find out. Right? I think I’ll be filling in Monday’s meal last.

Monday: turkey meatballs over rice with sweet and sour sauce
Tuesday: turkey meatloaf
Wednesday: leftovers (night shift)
Thursday: Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Friday: Chinese, I believe. (Boyfriend’s office Christmas party)
Saturday: Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Sunday: Brown Sugar Salmon

And there you have it. A menu made up on the fly. I’m off to pull the meatballs out of the freezer and then I’m out the door to go back to work. Head over to I’m an Organizing Junkie for more menu plans. There’s always a huge selection of links to browse through if you’re in need of ideas.

It’s a simple menu plan this week seeing as I’m working a day shift and two night shifts (after being on holidays for nine days). We’ll see how well I stick to it. Here goes:

Monday: Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Tuesday: kitchen sink vegetable soup (I’ll make it up as I go)
Wednesday: Lentil Brown Rice Casserole
Thursday: leftover soup? (night shift)
Friday: leftover casserole (night shift)
Saturday: Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Sunday: Turkey Meatloaf (it didn’t happen last week)

There are already over 160 menu plan contributions at I’m An Organizing Junkie so go over, check them out, and add your own.

Also, unrelated but I thought I’d share: Thoughts That Stick, a really great-looking online store carrying vinyl wall lettering, quotes, and decals, is having a 25% off sale that’s good through November 30. I stumbled across them and walked away $50 poorer with four awesome quotes for four different places in my home. I plan to put this one in my bedroom as something to read every morning on waking up. I know that I need to learn to believe it fully and maybe with time I will. In finding Thoughts That Stick I also found Single Stone Studios and their gorgeous cherry blossom branch vinyl 3-colour decal, which I’ll be emailing to my mom as a Christmas gift for me since she’s asked for some ideas. (They also have a 2-colour one for about $10 less.)

Another Monday, another menu plan for the week. I’m amazed each week just how many people participate in Menu Plan Monday hosted by I’m an Organizing Junkie. I love reading through the entries and finding new recipes to try. The variety of meals are incredible and there’s something for everyone.

Monday: Friday Night Chili (carried over from last Friday)
Tuesday: Addictive Sweet Potato Quesadillas (varying the recipe)
Wednesday: breaded chicken, cheese, and broccoli cutlets
Thursday: Brown Sugar Salmon
Friday: Creamy Chicken and Noodles
Saturday: Turkey Meatloaf
Sunday: Lentil Quinoa Stew

Head on over to the Org Junkie blog to add your menu.

I think the last time I did a menu plan was a month ago. Time flies! Back to it this week; we’ll see how well I stick to it. I find that things run so much more smoothly when I know ahead of time what to make but I find the actual planning to be tedious. This time around wasn’t overly painful though: supper tonight is already over and I’m working nights on the weekend so there are only four suppers to plan for (since I rarely plan out breakfast and lunch). I do love reading through the other menu plans at I’m an Organizing Junkie. There are so many great recipes linked there.

Monday: pasta with mushroom-laden sauce
Tuesday: Moroccan-Spiced Tomato Chicken, squash, beans
Wednesday: pork ribs*, corn, edamame
Thursday: Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos, Caesar salad
Friday: Friday Night Chili (with toast)
Saturday: leftover Moroccan chicken
Sunday: leftover chili

Tonight I cooked up the sweet potatoes (mine are yams, I think) for Thursday’s supper. I’ve been cleaning out the cold storage room and decided I’d better use them or toss them. They’re still firm and looking alright but one was staring to sprout. I’ve reserved the cooking water and will make a root vegetable soup next week. I’m thinking carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and some corn and kale tossed in for variety.

*Today in the mail I received coupons from President’s Choice for a free brick of cheese, a free carton of orange juice, and a free box of pork back ribs.

It’s been awhile since I’ve participated in Menu Plan Monday and it feels good to be back. I won’t say how long it took to come up with this menu but it wasn’t a five-minute thing despite its simplicity. And I really should have cleaned out my fridge, freezer, and deep freezer before I made the menu plan so I could make the best use of use-it-or-toss-it items but I didn’t.

Monday: Slow-Cooker Pork Chops, carrots, edamame
Tuesday: Pasta Roll-Ups with Turkey and Spinach, salad
Wednesday: Mexican Lasagna, salad
Thursday: Moroccan-Spiced Tomato Chicken, brown rice, brussels sprouts
Friday: leftover lasagna
Saturday: leftover Moroccan Chicken
Sunday: Thanksgiving dinner at my mom’s (Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend!)

There are many, many more menu plans to be perused over at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Today is a day off school for B and as the weather is still rainy (it’s been raining for two weeks) it might be a challenge for us to spend the day inside without going crazy and getting on each others nerves. I have some bananas to use up so muffins are likely in the works. I also grated up a zucchini the other day and froze it so zucchini muffins are also an option. If the rain holds off long enough in the morning B and I will dig some potatoes for the Slow Cooker Pork Chops. We may also head down to one of the garden centres to pick up some apples for making applesauce later in the week on one of my days off. I wish we had orchards around here but the nearest ones are at least two hours away and my work schedule isn’t meshing well with the weekend, when B is off school.

Now it’s off to bed for me for a few hours of sleep before my mom drops B at home on her way to work. I worked a night shift tonight (4 p.m. until 2 a.m.) so he slept at her place tonight.

Another week, another menu plan, and another week dedicated to clean eating. Like last week, I’ll be using the same two cookbooks and the Clean Eating magazines that I have up to this point. Snacks will be simple (eg: grapes and a few almonds, cottage cheese and fruit) and smoothies will be aplenty.

This week’s line-up is as follows:

Monday:
Breakfast - smoothie with spinach and flaxmeal added
Lunch - Mango Chicken Salad Wrap (ECD F&K, pg 239)
Supper - Baked Salmon with Orange Glaze (Spring 2008, pg 82)

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Spinach Frittata (Spring 2008, pg 57)
Lunch - Orzo Primavera; spinach salad (ECD Cookbook, pg 81)
Supper - Smothered Mushrooms, corn with tarragon (Jan/Feb 2009, pg 79)

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Omelette Wrap with Spinach (ECD F&K, pg 203)
Lunch - Warm Salmon & Couscous Salad; fruit (Spring 2008, pg 89)
Supper - Shrimp, Spinach and Mushroom Barley (May/June 2009, pg 83)

Thursday:
Breakfast - Crock-Pot Porridge; smoothie (ECD Cookbook, pg 9)
Lunch - Black Bean, Avocado and Chicken Wrap; fruit (May/June 2009, pg 31)
Supper - baked chicken breast; Quinoa with Sun-dried Tomatoes (ECD Cookbook, pg 77)

Friday:
Breakfast - Morning Hot Cereal; smoothie (ECD F&K, pg 207)
Lunch - leftover quinoa; yogurt
Supper - Chicken, Spinach and Ricotta Quesadillas (May/June 2008, pg 74)

Saturday:
Breakfast - Whole-grain Pancakes; smoothie (ECD F&K, pg 208)
Lunch - Dinosaur Kale Quinoa Wrap; yogurt; fruit (Spring 2008, pg 72)
Supper - Pasta Roll-Ups; spinach salad (Spring 2008, pg 64)

Sunday:
Breakfast - Morning Hot Cereal; fruit; yogurt (ECD F&K, pg 207)
Lunch - unknown (heading to Toronto to pick B up from the aiport)
Supper - also unknown at this point

Don’t forget to head over and check out Organizing Junkie for more ideas. By the end of the day, hundreds of bloggers will have posted their plans for the week’s meals.

This week marks the beginning of what will hopefully be a lasting change - the beginning of eating clean and of consuming only water as a beverage. This week’s meal plan reflects that. All of the recipes come either from the Eat Clean website, the two books I have (The Eat-Clean Diet for Family & Kids and The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook), or one of the Clean Eating magazines in my subscription. The page numbers are for my reference. My beverages will be one of the following: water, a smoothie, or some concoction created with my underused juicer. I will also have two to three healthy snacks. Some days it may look like I have lunch and supper reversed but those are likely days that I’ll be working a night shift and will have to take something to work already prepared.

Edit: August 12 - last night I sat down and made up two complete meal plans for this week and next. I’ll be heading out in an hour or so to pick up the things that I’ll need but am updating the menu I posted on Monday, which only contained suppers. I’m only filling in for the current and following days; I’m not back filling.

Monday: garden salad

Tuesday: Friday Night Chili (ECD F&K, pg 290)

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Oatmeal with apple; yogurt
Lunch - Quinoa, Apple & Walnut Salad with Turkey Sausage and Spicy Apple Vinaigrette (Fall 2008, pg 80)
Supper - unknown (road trip)

Thursday:
Breakfast - Potato & Egg Italiano Sandwich; smoothie (Jan/Feb 2009, pg 27)
Lunch - Mango Chicken Salad Wrap; yogurt (ECD F&K, pg 236)
Supper - Quinoa Black Bean Salad; sliced orange (Winter 2008, pg 76)

Friday:
Breakfast - Oatmeal with banana; juice
Lunch - Hummus & Veggie Wrap; smoothie (ECD F&K pg 240)
Supper - leftover chili

Saturday:
Breakfast - Oatmeal; smoothie
Lunch - Crispy Tuna Triangles; spinach salad (ECD F&K, pg 224)
Supper - Shrimp, Spinach & Mushroom Barley (May/June 2009, pg 82)

Sunday:
Breakfast - cottage cheese with apple butter; juice (Spring 2008, pg 54)
Lunch - Baked Salmon with Orange Glaze; brown rice (Spring 2008, pg 82)
Supper - Egg Salad Sandwich (ECD F&K, pg 232)

There are many more menu plans to be found over at Organzing Junkie. If you’re at a loss as to what to serve up this week, head on over and check them out.