May is a busy time for sports and school concerts, so I'm making fast and easy recipes this week like the ones below. If you try one thing my menu this week, I recommend trying pesto noodles. Kids usually love them and it's a great way to eat your greens! Monday: whole wheat pasta w/pesto sauce (from a jar) + sliced salami + cauliflower from the freezer + grapes Tuesday: crock pot lentil soup + cheese sandwiches + chopped apples (I'm just going to put carrots, celery, onion, bouillon and lentils in the crock pot with broth and let it cook all day). Wednesday: Instapot pulled pork sandwiches + coleslaw from a bag + canned pineapple Thursday: One pot pasta (my 11 year old is cooking) + watermelon + green salad Friday: Lettuce wraps (I will loosely follow that recipe) + pan fried tofu + boiled carrots + frozen mangoes blended with milk in the blender Saturday: leftover night!

The best way to save money on food is to avoid waste. Eat leftovers or put them in the freezer to eat later. Plan meals around food you already have in your fridge before it goes bad. If you can't cook it before it goes bad, stick it in the freezer. Then, don't forget about the food in your freezer! Every week, before planning a menu, a take a quick look in my freezer to see what needs to be used. This way, leftovers don't turn into giant balls of freezer burn before I get to them. This week, I found some Salami, a gallon bag of leftover chili, and some pesto in my freezer that need to be used up. I also have a big bag of carrots in my fridge that need to be used up before they go bad. Here's the menu I planned around those items. Take a look in your freezer and assess what needs to be used! Monday: leftovers from the weekend (I ended up making hummus and tabouleh Saturday) Tuesday: Elk Tenderloin from the freezer + roasted carrots + orange slices Wednesday: Rice and bean salad (using leftover rice from sunday's stir fry) + whole wheat tortillas + mango smoothie using frozen mangoes Thursday: Chili from the freezer + grilled cheese sandwiches + green salad + sliced oranges Friday: Pizza using salami and pesto from the freezer + any fruit left in the house Saturday: leftovers Sunday: Mother's Day! We are going to a family gathering and bringing tortellini salad + my all-time favorite dessert

The temperatures are rising and so are food prices! Click the following link to get helpful tips for saving money on groceries: Shop Smart | MyPlate. My 3 favorite tips are: Only buy fresh produce that is on "sale" or at a good price. This will change every week depending on seasonality and availability. Learn what a good price for produce is, and only buy things when they are a good price. Only buy what you need. Make a list and stick to it. Don't buy extra chips, soda, candy, ice cream or other things you don't need. Not only are they unhealthy, but they are also expensive! Shop by unit price. See this link for more details. Here's my menu for the week: Sunday: Split pea soup + homemade whole wheat bread + salad from my garden image from link above Monday: Baked eggs with frozen broccoli (my 10 year old is cooking) + homemade whole wheat bread Tuesday: Cooking Class!! Lentil Tacos + canned corn + tortillas + cheese + strawberries Wednesday: Lasagna (my 11 year old is cooking) + fresh salad from the garden + whatever fruit is a good price at the store Thursday: An instant pot meal from my freezer (probably red lentil soup) + naan bread I bought on clearance and froze Friday: Food from Malawi (cornmeal mush + cooked greens) + baked beans + applesauce (we try to learn about new culture every month as a family, this month we are learning about Malawi) image from link above Saturday: Fondue night + frozen cauliflower, cut carrots, frozen brussel sprouts + bread + apples Image from link above

This weekend I went through my pantry and discovered that I have a lot of canned tomatoes. So, my menu this week focuses on using up some canned tomatoes. It's still going to be chilly outside, so I'm focusing on more soup recipes. The best way to save money on food is to avoid wasting it. Before you plan a menu, look in your fridge and pantry and find ways to use up the things you already have! Monday: Homemade tomato soup + cheese sandwiches + green smoothie This is the recipe image from feastingathome.com, I'm positive mine will not be this pretty! Tuesday: White chicken chili + cornbread + orange slices (my 11 year old was supposed to make this last week, but we ended up making lentil tacos instead) Wednesday: Moroccan Lentil Soup (new recipe I'm trying!) + naan bread + canned peaches Thursday: Instapot chicken meal (my friend started a business selling pre-made meals that you freeze and then pop into your instapot, so I am trying that out. I don't love using the instapot - I like a more hands on approach to cooking - so we will see how I like this!) Friday: Homemade pizza topped with arugula from the garden and prosciutto (a kind of ham that I bought on clearance and stuck in the freezer months ago). I like to use the frozen whole wheat crust from WINCO. This is a pizza I made last summer: Saturday: Chili + cornbread + green salad + apple slices Sunday: Green salad topped with elk steak (my hubby is in charge of this meal)

It's supposed to be cold this week and maybe snow! So I planned a menu full of warm comforting soups. I'm savoring these cold weather comfort foods while I can! I also want to put in a good word here about leftovers: If you can't eat them right away, stick them in the freezer. This week we are eating leftovers on Monday, leftover frozen soup on Wednesday, and leftover frozen lasagna on Saturday. Before I went to the store this week, I took an inventory of what was in my freezer and planned some leftovers into the week. I encourage you to do the same! Monday: Leftover Pozole + rice salad from Sunday's dinner (my husband was an ambitious cook yesterday) + green salad + strawberries image source: https://honest-food.net/authentic-pozole-rojo-recipe/#recipe Tuesday: White Chicken Chili + cornbread + apple slices (my 11 year old is cooking) image source: https://www.cookingclassy.com/white-chicken-chili/ Wednesday: Potato leek soup + breadsticks + orange slices (my 9 year old is cooking, I froze extra soup a few weeks ago, so she just has to make the breadsticks) image source: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/potato-leek-soup/ Thursday: Pumpkin Curry + naan bread + berry smoothie image source: https://minimalistbaker.com/1-pot-pumpkin-yellow-curry/ Friday: Red lentil curry + naan bread + orange slices image source: https://www.afghanyummyfood.com/dhal-recipe/ Saturday: Visiting family out of town, I'm bringing lasagna from March's cooking class (which I froze) and some salad greens Sunday: Easter dinner with family out of town. I'm guessing we will have ham, potatoes, rolls, green salad and fruit salad. We will all get in the kitchen and help grandpa cook while grandma tells us all what to do and how to do it, which we love. Have a great week!

Spring break starts this week and we are headed on a family trip. Usually I pack all our food to save money, but we are going on a plane and that's just not going to work. So I'll be eating out and spending way more money than I want to on food these next 2 weeks. Before I go, I'm going to make meals that will clean out my refrigerator. Here's what I'm going to scrounge up before I leave: Monday: Lentil Tacos + avocado + mango smoothies This is the cooking class recipe for April. I hope your family loves it as much as we do! Here is the signup form for cooking class. Tuesday: Tortellini Soup + bread that's been in the freezer + 2 grapefruits and the apple that are left in the fridge. image from recipe website Have a great couple of weeks. I'll be back to menu writing the week of April 11th.

I'm trying something totally new to me this week. It's called Chimichurri and it's made from pureed parsley and cilantro. It's a great way to pack in the vitamins and minerals (leafy green herbs are a vegetable!) Maybe you've had it, maybe not. Check out the recipe on Wednesday if you are up for something adventurous. Monday: leek and potato soup + whole wheat bread + green salad + grapefruit sections (image from website link above) Tuesday: Cooking Class! Spinach Lasagna! I hope to see you all there! Wednesday: Chimichurri Steak Tacos + coleslaw mix with lime juice + orange slices (image from website link above) Thursday: Sesame Glazed Meatballs + broccoli + oranges (image from website link above) Friday: Homemade pizza topped with greens from the garden (first of the year!) Saturday: Bean Burritos

Monday: PI DAY (as in the Math kind of Pi, 3.14159, since it is 3/14). We will be having shepherd's pie with apple pie for dinner (using some apples going soft in the fridge). I'll be using up leftover roast meat from Sunday's dinner - so I'll just kind of follow the recipe below. Image and recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/24202/shepherds-pie-vi/ Tuesday: (11 year old cooking) Tortellini Salad + grapefruit segments I don't have photos or a recipe. Here's what we will do: cook tortellini, drain it, put it on top of baby spinach with Italian dressing, a can of drained artichokes, a can of drained kidney beans, toasted nuts and shredded mozzarella cheese. Walla, dinner is done. Wednesday: (9 year old cooking) Meat tacos + orange slices + lettuce + bean/corn salad Thursday: St Patrick's Day! Breakfast: lucky charms + milk + green eggs (eggs with spinach) Snack: green muffins + green smoothies Dinner: Corned Beef, cabbage, potatoes, green apples (corned beef isn't the healthiest, but it's a yummy thing to have once per year!) Image: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16310/corned-beef-and-cabbage-i/ Friday: Whole wheat crepes, filled with berries, nutella, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed mustard greens, possibly asparagus if there is any at the store image and recipe: https://www.realmomnutrition.com/recipe-whole-wheat-crepes/ Saturday: Easy bean burritos + salsa + mango smoothie Sunday: Elk Stew made by my husband + root vegetables + green salad I hope you have a lucky week!

I didn't make a meal plan last week. I got home from a trip and was playing catch up all week. So I winged it. We had Little Cesar's Pizza, McDonalds, breakfast for dinner, canned soups, ramen noodles, cheese sandwiches, and other random meals from whatever was left in the house. Some weeks are like that. I know that if I don't make a plan, we are aren't going to eat well. But I'm committed to get back into cooking this week. So here's my menu: Monday: crockpot minestrone soup + store bought breadsticks + orange slices (my family was supposed to cook this while I was gone, but they didn't, so I'm making it today) image from link above Tuesday: (11 year old cooking) Brazilian rice and beans + frozen mango smoothies + Brazilian cheese bread image from link above Wednesday: (9 year old cooking) Home made macaroni and cheese (we use whole wheat noodles to make it healthier) + apple slices + frozen green beans image from link above Thursday: (5 year old helping) salad bar (greens + croutons + ham slices + canned kidney beans + canned beets + canned artichokes + frozen corn + frozen peas + homemade dressings) Friday: lentil apricot soup + frozen flatbread I bought on clearance a month ago + sliced oranges image from link above Saturday: black bean burritos for lunch + fondue for dinner Sunday: elk stew, hopefully enough that I can make pot pie with the leftovers for Pi day on Monday

I'm going on a trip and leaving my kids in charge of dinner for a few days. It's going to a be a stretch on their abilities, so we will see what the babysitter has to report when we get back. Hopefully there is something here to inspire you! Remember, eating healthy doesn't have to be difficult. It's okay to eat the same meals over and over, that's the best way to make sure you get dinner on the table every night. Just be sure to include and fruit, vegetable at every meal and you are on your way to healthy eating! Monday: Lasagna (next month's cooking class) + apple slices + frozen green beans Tuesday: cooking class! Spinach Muffins + Green Smoothies Wednesday: Enchiladas (the kids will just heat them up) + frozen corn + cut mangoes Thursday: Baked Eggs (my 9 year old is an ace at this) + whole wheat toast + canned peaches Friday: chicken and rice (my 11 year old) + frozen peas + apple slices Saturday: lunch: Quesadillas (11 year old) + canned black beans + frozen corn dinner: fondue + apples + frozen cauliflower/broccoli + sliced baguette Sunday: canned tomato soup + grilled cheese sandwiches on ww bread crockpot minestrone soup (i'll pre-cut everything and they will just have to dump it in the crockpot) + rolls (frozen) Monday: veggi noodle soup (my 9 year old) + crackers + canned applesauce I hope you have a great week!

When I sat down at dinner with my family Sunday night, I realized we only ate dinner together once last week, on Monday night. We all ate, just not all at the same time. I missed it, I need that daily connection and "catch up time" with my family. I want you to know that you don't have to have perfect family meals to eat well. All you need to do is be honest with yourself and pay attention to what is going on. If you don't like how things are going, you can take steps to change. I don't like how I feel when I eat alone, so I'm going to make eating together a priority this week. I hope you view your healthy eating goals in the same light. If you didn't like the way you felt after eating a meal, you can aim to eat better at the next meal. We need to eat about every 3-4 hours, so there's plenty of chances to do better next time!! Here's my meal plan for the week: Sunday: hot ham and cheese sandwiches, carrot sticks, apple slices Monday: (my 9 year old is cooking, this is so easy she can do it 100% alone) Baked eggs with broccoli + avocado toast (cut into heart shapes) + grapefruit slices Tuesday: (my 11 year old is cooking, again, this is so easy she can do it 100% alone) Hummus, tzatziki, cucumbers, bell peppers, flat bread and frozen mangoes + I will pan fry salmon Wednesday: Meat tacos + orange slices + lettuce + bell peppers Thursday: Leek and Potato soup + homemade whole wheat bread + apple slices image from tasteofhome.com Friday: Homemade Pizza with pesto, canned artichokes, frozen spinach and salami, green salad if there is still lettuce left in the fridge - if not, a green smoothie with frozen spinach Saturday: lunch: tuna melts dinner: Hamburgers and ice cream at BYU creamery after going to a basketball game (my college professors used to say "Never trust a dietitian who doesn't eat ice cream!." And while I don't eat out all the time, I do enjoy eating out when I do, there is a lot of nutrition in a hamburger!)

Here's my weekly menu! Last week's split pea soup was really yummy. If you've got split peas in your pantry, I highly recommend it! Sunday: salmon + leftover split pea soup + toast + grapefruit sections (this recipe is really good, all my kids ate it too!) photo credit: https://www.budgetbytes.com/vegan-split-pea-soup/ Monday: Sausage + shells + oranges + frozen peas + green salad (new recipe, my 9 year old chose it from a cookbook she got for Christmas) photo credit: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/kids/recipes/one-pot-shells-with-peas-and-sausage Tuesday: Chicken + Rice + green salad + roasted sweet potatoes Wednesday: Spinach Lasagna (march's cooking class recipe) + canned corn + apple slices Thursday: Chana Masala + rice + naan bread + frozen mangoes photo credit: https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-chana-masala/ Friday: out to dinner at Cheesecake Factory! (we got a gift card, this is maybe the third time my 5 year old has been out to eat at a sit down restaurant, eating out is a rarity for us) Saturday: Cook up something with the leftovers in the fridge, maybe bean burritos