Weekly Menu Plan – Week of June 27

I am so happy that last week is finally over, I’m just not used to being THAT busy anymore!  Typically, we are much more laid back with our schedule, I don’t put my boys in too many activities, simply because the commute can interfere with making dinner (not to mention all the snacks that are usually involved) and we can’t just pull up to a drive-thru window anymore (a major bonus of the gluten free lifestyle, in my humble opinion).

The craziness of last week also made me realize how thankful I am to have finally begun menu planning.  I didn’t do a menu plan for last week and every night when 5:30pm rolled around, I found myself staring blankly in the fridge for a good 20 minutes before I inevitably threw some burgers or chicken on the grill and made a quick salad for a little roughage.  Seriously, I think we ate burgers 4 times last week!

Having a menu plan not only removes the stress over thinking about what to cook at the last minute, but it has also proved to be very friendly on the wallet.  Before, when I would go to the store, I would buy a ridiculous amount of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables (way more than we could ever eat, I get a little excited over the beautiful colors in the produce department), thinking I would figure out what to do with them when the time came.

Problem was, the produce drawers in my refrigerator got so full, that I couldn’t see all my inventory and I would forget about the stuff on the bottom…until it was too late (funny how fresh, organic food doesn’t come with a 3 year shelf life!).  The worms in my Worm Factory were eating high off the hog, but my husband’s head nearly imploded when he calculated how much I was spending at the store each week! 😯  The gluten free lifestyle is not exactly cheap in and of itself, but the way we’ve been eating for the past 6 months (organic, unprocessed and grain-free)…you really need to be careful and buy only what you can reasonably consume, or there goes the college fund and your kids will have to live with you forever! 😉

Seeing that we are eating pretty much the same thing everyday for breakfast and lunch right now, I’m going to take a little break from doing my full menu plan for a while and just do dinner.

Monday (I thought it would be fun to join the Meatless Monday Movement):

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, Spicy Lemon Broccoli (I’ll omit the butter), Sliced Cucumbers and Tomatoes w/salt and pepper

Tuesday:

Baby Back Ribs with Five Star Marinade (review coming soon), Grilled Artichokes with Easy Garlic Aioli (I make the aioli using an egg-free mayo plus I cut the fresh lemon juice down to 1 tablespoon and omit the shallots altogether…I also put some wood chips in the grill for a wonderful smokiness, yum!!).

Wednesday:

Garlicky Chicken Thighs in Red Pepper Sauce (we are adding the occasional potato back into our diet starting this week), Salad

Thursday:

Alder Smoked Salmon (using the Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse Smoker that Heidi Mike got for Father’s Day), Grilled Asparagus with Prosciutto and Lemon, Salad

Friday:

Grilled Roast Chicken (my sister has been absolutely raving over this recipe, so I’m going to try it, using coconut sugar instead of the brown sugar), Oven Roasted Green Beans, Salad

Saturday:

Spaghetti with Grilled Ratatouille (using spaghetti squash instead of the pasta and omitting the cheese), Salad

Sunday:

Chimichurri-Marinated Skirt Steak, Grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash, Salad

Lastly, don’t forget to enter the great giveaway from Dr. Vikki Petersen, I’ll be announcing the winners this Friday! 😀