November Food Calendar
Hey everyone!
Yes, sorry I went dark for a little bit. I started a new job a couple of months ago and just this month started my second one. I am a touch behind in my Coast Guard Auxiliary training and I will be increasing my duties there. I am trying to figure out my best abilities for my library volunteering as well. With that being said…”It’s not you, it’s me!” I am going to try harder to post weekly and keep anyone who is reading this motivated or at least in a positive, healthy light when it comes to weight loss or maintaining a healthful goal.
So, November:
Yeah! Fall is here! “Big cooking is in full swing! (“Big cooking” is when I utilize ALL of my cooking functions, such as my ovens and all 4 burners. The food is hot, the house is cozy warm, and the food is usually savory and filling. Big cooking does not happen in this house when it is hot. I cannot deal with an even hotter house or a full stomach). However, my calendar does not resemble big cooking. It is kind of, bleak and light. I know, I am disappointed too, however, we are going to make the best of it!
Remember last month I said I have a financial goal I am working towards? Yep – that goal is going to take a while to get to. So in the meantime, I am still cooking and making meals, but I will be using a lot of cheaper ingredients. Eggs. Eggs, people! The cheap eggs are 67 cents a dozen here in Wisconsin right now. We are leaning heavily on this savings right now.
I still stuck to my norms: Monday = lower carb, Taco Tuesday, more fun meals on Wednesday, rotating veggie meal on Thursday, last Friday of the month = sushi, and leftovers on Sunday. If you do one thing with this food calendar, just one, I would highly suggest a leftover day – every day of the week. You may not want to plan out your month in advance and that is fine. But plan out at least one week at a time. I don’t care if it says:
Sunday = Spaghetti
Monday = Leftovers
Tuesday = Tacos
Wednesday = Hot Dogs
Thursday = Brats
Friday = Fish Sticks
Saturday = Pot Pies
This is a good start! That leftover day will clear up everything in the fridge. It gives you a blank slate. The day of or after leftover day dinner is when you do your major grocery shopping for the week. And you build your list off of your food calendar. So like I said, leftover day is a good start, but secondly, remember the fruit and vegetable with each meal:
Sunday = Spaghetti w/ Brussels sprouts, cooked carrots, & apple sauce.
Monday = Leftovers (and all leftover produce).
Tuesday = Tacos (including lettuce, tomato, onion, bell pepper, olive, avocado, and mushroom) w/ pineapple.
Wednesday = Hot Dogs w/ carrot and celery sticks & sliced apples.
Thursday = Brats w/ sauerkraut, onion, bell pepper, pickles, lettuce salad & canned peaches.
Friday = Fish sticks w/ green beans, steamed broccoli, apple sauce and cantaloupe.
Saturday = Pot Pies w/ corn, peas and grapes.
Some of this might not sound appealing to you, but make sure the produce gets on the table. Your family should be having it at most or all meals. And I do not want to hear how expensive produce is. Bananas are currently 22 cents a pound here, apples are on sale for 75 cents a pound. Canned fruit is right around $1 a can. Canned vegetable are around 50 cents a can. Frozen vegetables are about $1 a bag. Fresh produce goes on sale now and again – but you need to learn when it is in season.
DO NOT get stuck in the thought process that produce is unattainable. It needs to be treated as part of the meal. For instance, instead of having 2 servings of fish sticks, each member gets a serving of fish sticks, with at least a serving of fruit and at least a serving of vegetables. No one bats an eye at purchasing the main course – treat your produce the same way!
So let us review the calendar:
~You will be getting pictures of the pumpkin soup – I promise. It takes about 5 hours to prep and cook. And I cook it in the pumpkin! Details on that day of or after cooking it.
~Roast. I purchase a roast from our local meat market. It is about 1.5-2 pounds. I request that they cut it in half, and they always do. However now I am just going to be bringing it home and cutting it in to 3rds. Yep, I am stretching this meal. I put a twist of oil in the bottom of my slow cooker. The roast on top. Onions, bell pepper, celery and mushroom on top. Then carrots and potatoes on top of that. (I have also put broccoli, cauliflower, corn, peas and radish in the dish as well. But this meal is mainly made for my husband, and his favorite part is the carrots. So I skip the rest and load up on the carrots). Add some water, and seasonings if I would like. Cook on low for 8 hours. Done. I will provide a picture and post of that as well.
~The 4th, ground beef, eggs, and veggies. This is simple and cheap. It is filling. It is low/no carb. I can easily make a vegetarian one for myself on the side. Do you want a picture of this too? It may not be the prettiest meal, but it works.
~Fajitas! You need to see my fajitas. The main ingredients are onions and bell peppers, honestly! I will show you my vegetarian and meat options in a post after I make it.
~I have talked about my slow cooker lasagna, but I do not think I have ever posted on it. I will get you the info on this as well.
~Texas Breakfast – This is its own story. I will share it in a post. (Warning: This meal is total garbage – but my husband will love to see it on the menu. It comes from him – basically it is just instant mashed potatoes and corn. I will give you the whole story later).
~On the 22nd I have a new recipe I am going to try = Golden Squash Soup. I will see how it goes.
~Umm…Thanksgiving anyone? I will take a picture of my plate and post it! Vegetables everywhere!!
~The last Friday of the month is Black Friday! My favorite day of the year!! And it is also my husbands birthday this year! Perfect – because he gets sushi for his birthday, which is one of his favorite meals! It works out. It is so sweet because my 3 year old daughter loves to eat sushi with my husband, her dad. She eats veggie sushi with me and some cooked sushi as well. My husband is adventurous and will try almost any sushi.
Alright! Well, I have a lot of posts promised for the month. Stay tuned for ideas and tips and good times. Any meals that you NEED a post on? Let me know it the comments section!
Until next time! Have a great one you guys!!
Half A Human 