My Weekly Meal Plan: Plan To Eat Well

I’m definitely not a fly by the seat of your pants gal; I’m a planner. I plan workouts, what to wear to an upcoming event (even if it is a month away), work schedules, dog walks and, on occasion, the pre-meditated romantic rendezvous with my hubby. Obviously I plan my meals and, yes, I’m a bit of a type A – control freak.
I don’t worry about getting the exact balance of macronutrients in my diet — after a while that just comes naturally and the body tells you what it needs. What I crave is simply good food and frankly there is a lot of highly processed, tasteless, greasy enough food out there to make your stomach hurt if you’re not careful.
My meals don’t have to be fancy, but they do have to be fresh, nutritious and downright tasty. I refuse to settle for less.
So each week I take pen to paper and start to plan …

My Weekly Meal Plan

• Nothing irks me more than throwing out food, especially at today’s prices, so I once-over the fridge and take a quick inventory.
• Next I consider what’s fresh from my garden or the local farmers’ market; in-season fruit and veggies pack the most flavors and are less expensive.
• My grocer rotates their meat, poultry and fish sales, so I follow the ads.
• Then I consider my week — crazy or mellow — and plan accordingly. Hint: a little advance prep makes many time-consuming recipes, completely doable.
• I get ideas from perusing cookbooks, magazines and websites. I keep a running list of recipes that I want to make, as well as tried-and-true favorites.

Here’s how last week turned out …

Last Week’s Meal Plan

Pepperoni, blue cheese and expensive marscapone were in need of a purpose. My tomato, basil and pepper plants were going crazy and, although the green beans were nearing their end, I still had enough left for one meal.
My grocers weekly flyer advertised chicken at a buck seventy-nine a pound, and I wasn’t about to let that deal pass me by.
Sunday, since time allowed, I made my own pie-crust for Pepperoni Spinach Quiche and borrowed a recipe popular in the kitchens of Baton Rouge: Sensation Salad. The original calls for cottonseed oil, but I used a mixture of olive and canola. (Note: this salad with the addition of boiled shrimp can stand-alone for an easy dinner.)
Thanks to the advice given in the Fit Bottomed Girls Anti-Diet (page 43), I know when to say “when” and had enough leftovers for Monday night. It was a welcome repeat.
Tuesday, an impromptu dinner invite put my Panko Chicken with Tomato, Basil and Goat Cheese Relish on hold for a night, but the BLTs and companionship were a welcome mid-week respite.

Thursday, Bill tossed the remaining chicken breast on the grill while I made blueberry vinaigrette for our Triple Blue Dinner Salad. Sliced chicken, tomatoes, bell peppers, bleu cheese, pine nuts and berries adorned our bed of greens.

I like to do at least one vegetarian dish a week and time was running short. Friday we had a super-simple pasta dish that utilized the marscapone, a small side salad and in celebration of the weekend, a Chianti Classico.
Planning saves money and makes my palate one happy camper. It turns a harried “what’s for dinner” moment into a pleasant, relaxing interlude at the end of the day.
What’s on your weekly meal plan and menu? —Karen