Weeks 28 & 29 - Short Term Meal Planning

For the next couple of weeks we'll be back and forth between home and the cottage (referred to as "The Bungalow"), so long term planning isn't going to work.  Instead I've decided to compile a list of meal ideas so that I can quickly refer to it and make mini plans and grocery lists for two to three days at a time.  I'm hoping that having a go-to list of ideas will keep me from falling into the "oh well, we're out of food so let's just eat out" trap.  That's definitely a pitfall when planning this way but I just know that planning for a week would end up with lots of waste. 

I'm crossing my fingers for good weather in the days ahead so that I can sip my morning coffee while sitting out and enjoying this fabulous view... it's all about the morning coffee for me!!

View from the deck
Can't remember when this picture was taken but I'm quite sure it wasn't January 1st of any year!



Marin embracing life at the bungalow!

Work Lunch Ideas

• Kale, Carrot & Feta Salad, Today's Parent
• Quesadillas
• Tex Mex Rice Cakes, Weelicious
• Egg Pesto Melt, Weelicious
• Tuna Sandwiches
• Pasta with Pesto and Tomatoes
• Ham & Havarti "Lunchables"

At Home Suppers

• Feta Omelettes & Roasted Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken, BudgetBytes (can make multiple meals, use as filler for quesadillas)
• Garlic and Lemon Chicken, Key Ingredient
• Asian Style Noodles, All Recipes - Note, I use this recipe for the dressing and vary the pasta and protein (eg. Tofu and Chow Mein noodles).  Also good for an Asian Slaw.
• BBQ - Chicken, Pork Chops, Steak, Shrimp Skewers...
• Pizza - Take and Bake or homemade

Cottage Meals

• Salmon with White Sauce - this seems to be a "bungalow" favorite when everyone is down.
• Lasagna & Ceasar Salad -- It's not supposed to be too hot so turning the oven on might be worth it to feed a crowd easily.
• Quinoa Salad - big batch quinoa and add different add-ins to switch it up (eg. Black beans, avocado, salsa and cheese in wraps or tomato, cucumber, feta and Greek salad dressing)
• Kale Salad, Marin Mama Cooks -- a yummy salad that doesn't require a lot of chopping!
• BBQ Burgers
• Deli Meat Sandwiches
• Annie's Mac & Cheese

Cottage Snacks

• Cheddar Crackers, Weelicious (make ahead)
• Tea Biscuits, 100 Days of Real Food (make ahead)
• Almond and Date Energy Bars, My Whole Food Life (made a batch of these last night and they are so good they might not make it to the bungalow!)
• Nuts
• Fruit
• Veggies & Dip
• Yogurt
• Frozen Apple Sauce - I bought 2 varieties of the flavored Mott's applesauce for a cool slushy treat. (note: Some Mott's applesauce have artificial colors - beware!)
• Popcorn
• Rice Cakes with Butter & Nutritional Yeast - a Marin favorite
• Frozen S'Mores, Marin Mama Cooks - I think the kids would love these!!

... and of course, the essentials.... chips and beer!  Umm... how is it that the snack list is the longest??


Have a great week everyone - I'll be back to regular programming in a couple of weeks!

Sandra