Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Jan 2 - Jan 8)

I'm back to menu planning after a short break for the holidays.  OK, maybe it was more than a "short" break since it's been close to a month since I shared my menu plan.  But my meals haven't been very exciting the past few weeks.  Adrian was working a ton and then there was this little holiday called Christmas.  There has been a lot of pasta, tacos, casseroles & frozen appetizers.  Plus a few nights of eating out. 

We did do two weeks of Hello Fresh meals to help make it a little easier on me while Adrian was working crazy hours.  I got a great Black Friday deal on one week and when I reactivated my account I had a pretty big credit so both week were around $50 (for 6 days worth of dinners).  I like the idea of this service but these 2 weeks solidified that it's just not for us.  It is very expensive & we only got 2 servings so I had to cook a second meal for the kids.  We also didn't get any leftovers, which Adrian & I both use for our lunches, so I had to cook extra food for him for lunch & figure out my lunches as well.  The food is really fresh and delicious, but it's just not a good fit for our family right now.

So now that's all behind us.  Adrian is back to only working 40-45 hours each week.  The boys will soon be back to school and sports and I'm back to teaching fitness classes.  My goal for this year is to cook a majority of our meals and eat out way less.  I'm also trying to lose weight (again) so most of our meals will be healthy.  And the biggest goal for me is to involve everyone else in the meal planning so (hopefully) there is more eating and less complaining at the dinner table.

Here's what we're eating this week to get back on track:
Monday - Leftovers (we have a very full fridge, trying to make some room)
Tuesday - Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers
Wednesday - Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta
Thursday - Balsamic Chicken & Potatoes
Friday - Spaghetti Squash Pizza Pie
Saturday - Homemade Meatballs - Subs for the boys & with Zoodles for me and Adrian
Sunday - Pot Sticker Noodle Bowls

Water Flavor - Green Grapes

I'm also going to make this veggie soup for my lunches for the week.  I'm going to start making one soup per week so we always have lunches and leftovers ready to go.  I will also make sure we are always stocked up on salad essentials, sandwich essentials & pasta to help us cut down on eating out.  When I have a busy day & don't feel like cooking, we will make these options instead of ordering out.