Help Me Get Ready For the Week

[Kinguk]

It's Friday evening and I want to make sure I don't have to cook at all next week. I have two 20m old toddlers M-F (one is mine) on different nap and lunch schedules. I run around all day and am so exhausted by the end. I do dishes a gazillion times a day from all the meals/snacks I have to prepare. I know that if I could just get things ready the night before my day would be so much easier -- and I could hang out with my cute little kidlets more. But, you know how many times I've actually had stuff prepared for the next day? Probably once.

Sooo... I was hoping that other mammas (and pappas!) out there could just do the thinking for me and tell me what to make. We're not picky... We all love to eat and not afraid of new things. We have a lot of different types of beans that I don't know what to do with (white ones and red ones and other ones!). Some flour, oodles of veggies and fruit and buns and will go get some more groceries tomorrow. We don't eat a lot of meat -- only because I can't afford it and after having hunted meat for so long I am disgusted by the stuff in most stores

Anyways, I need someone to do the thinking part for me. Please tell me what to put in my freezer for the week!

[lil_earthmomma]

Ok so you wanna prep on the weekend for the week right?

Breakfast for the week:

Bake muffins. Whatever you like! You can do a different kind every week so no one gets bored. This will cover breakfast, with some fruit and yogurt if you need more.

Snacks for the week:

Slice up cheese and veggies and fruits. Stick into baggies so you can just grab and go, or grab and serve. Add crackers, dried fruit, or trail mix or granola, which can live in your pantry!

Lunch for the week:

Soup! : Soup is so great to reheat through the week. Maybe make two kinds if you are worried about people getting bored. I love to make corn chowder, baked potato, seafood chowder, mushroom, black bean, butternut squash...

Serve with nice artisan no knead bread (www.breadtopia.com) or buy some bread.

Dinner for the week:

This is tougher... depends how you do dinner. For me, if I was going to do this I would do a bunch of casserole/crock pot meals.

Day one: Black bean sweet potato enchilladas. Made on the weekend, waiting in the fridge to be popped into the oven. Served with salsa and tortilla chips, and salad.

Day two: Stirfry. Cut veggies, make sauce, cook noodles or rice. Leave in fridge. Make enough veggies that they can be used again tomorrow for fajitas.

Day three: Fajitas. Serve with salsa and tortilla chips, and salad.

Day four: Chili. Prepped on the weekend, frozen, thawed overnight, popped into the crock pot to cook all day. Served with cornbread muffins, made on the weekend, reheated if desired. Salad.

Day five: Chili baked potatoes. Bake potatoes, cover with chili, cheese, sour cream, chives etc... Salad.

Ok, I did those as a sample to show how I try to make meals plan into the next meal. Enchiladas require tortillas, so fajitas are a good choice. Stirfry veggies become fajita filling. Chili becomes the topping for the next meal. Etc.

So you still have to do a little bit of cooking/reheating and throw salad into a bowl, but this type of plan (where you prep/cook on the weekend for the week) is something I do when we're really busy in the summer, and will do while we are in university.
Day four:

[K's Mom!]

: Such a great plan ^^. I'll be lurking here. Thanks for starting the thread Kinguk.

[Kinguk]

Thanks for writing out all those great ideas earthmamma! I'm actually feeling a little excited about cookin' this weekend... Haven't felt that way in a while!

Anyone know of a sugar free muffin recipe? I scored some rhubbard and strawberries last week that are waiting for a perfect muffin recipe...

[Zenzero]

Do you mean just refined sugar free...i.e. you can use another sweetener? Or no honey/maple/agave etc either? If you can use another sweetener, just do a normal recipe and sub it in, otherwise, grape or apple juice would work (although wouldn't be super sweet) or maybe dried fruit of some kind?

[lil_earthmomma]

I find really ripe bananas give some sweetness, vanilla adds lots of flavor, and maple syrup or honey work great!

Honey-Sweetened Whole Grain Banana Muffins

Set oven to 325 degrees. Prepare muffin pans with paper muffin cups, or grease muffin pan with extra-virgin coconut oil.

Combine and set aside:
- 2 cups whole grain flour (I use spelt but you could use whatever you like)
- 1½ tsp. baking soda
- dash of salt
- ½-1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

In separate bowl combine:
- 3 very ripe bananas (best if they are overripe and their skins are turning black)
- ½ cup softened butter (2 sticks)
- ¾ cup honey
- ¼ cup plain whole milk yogurt (add to yogurt: a couple drops water and a couple drops vinegar to sour; try make the total about ¼ cup)

Add dry ingredients to wet ones. Stir gently only to combine.

Fill muffin cups ½-¾ of the way.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Poke with a tooth pick, when it comes out clean they are done!

You could totally play around with this recipe. Instead of bananas, use 1 cup of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spices, or apple sauce, chunks of apple and apple pie spices.

For strawberries and rhubarb, I'd probably just puree some of the rhubarb, or if you don't have enough for that, beet puree would be great. Full of nutrition and great color!!! Your muffins would be a beautiful purpley red!

Check your baking time when trying new fruits etc, it may change, so keep an eye on the muffins so they don't burn!!!

[Kinguk]

Just no refined sugar for me. I use honey in place of sugar for most things as well as a lot of fruit.

lilearthmamma why don't you just come spend every weekend at my house?

[lil_earthmomma]

Originally Posted by Kinguk

Just no refined sugar for me. I use honey in place of sugar for most things as well as a lot of fruit.

lilearthmamma why don't you just come spend every weekend at my house?

I love baking and cooking, and feeding people!