(Photo Courtesy of the Walt Disney Company)
In a recent post about meal inspiration, I named my favorite website (Pinterest) and my favorite cooking show (MasterChef) as two influences in my kitchen. I cited my family and a personal desire to improve as inspirations for culinary bravery. But in reviewing my meal plan for this week, it occurred to me that I had left something out when it came to cataloguing my dietary muses.
This is the catalyst for every meal I learned in the beginning of my food preparation journey, and even though I’ve come away from it in recent years, every now and then, I’m reminded of how big a role it plays in my diet.
The potluck event.
Webster’s Dictionary defines potluck as a gathering of people wherein everyone must bring food and you absolutely cannot bring the same food you brought last time or Karen is going to say something about how you’ve gotten really good at making that one specific thing. Gimme a break, Karen!
For young moms, like myself, potlucks are everywhere. We’ve got baby shower potlucks and church potlucks. There’s play date potlucks and book club potlucks. Potluck over here, potlucks over there, potlucks all around like they just don’t care. At a certain point, my social schedule included two potlucks a week. And really, you can’t just keep bringing Mac & Cheese, even if you’ve mastered it. For starters, I don’t want to be making Mac & Cheese multiple times a week. Just the thought of shredding all that cheese makes my muscles ache. Secondly, there is a lot of guest list over lap with these events, and you know that Karen doesn’t want to be eating Mac & Cheese twice a week. And, finally, what if someone else wants to make Mac& Cheese? You can’t hold the Mac & Cheese monopoly.
The only solution is to learn how to make new things. You can keep yourself happy, because you’re learning new things, expanding your repertoire. You keep your family happy, because they have to eat the leftovers and you know they were getting sick of the same thing over and over and over. And most importantly, you keep Karen happy.
This week I went to my Mom’s Group Breakfast Potluck at church, where I was asked to bring a “main dish”. After just a few minutes of internet research, I decided to attempt a Strata. Strata is an egg/bread based casserole that sits in the fridge overnight and is baked in the morning. The ingredient list was simple: eggs, loaf of bread, and milk. From there, you dressed it up with whatever extras you’d like, added into the mixture and baked right in. I chose cheddar cheese, salsa, green chiles, and tomato. Mr B called it a “Fiesta Strata” and I liked the sound of the of that.
When I think of new meals, I usually think towards dinner so it was nice to shake things up a bit and try a new breakfast recipe. The Fiesta Strata was a hit and I still managed to have enough leftovers that my family could pronounce it a hit, too. Thanks, Potluck, for encouraging me to keep pushing the envelope.
Meal Plan 2/15-2/22
Thursday
- Breakfast-Whatever Fruit is Left Smoothies and Cereal
- Lunch- LO Jambalaya
- Dinner- Leftover Smorgasboard!
*Normally, I leave Thursday night dinner open. But this week, I have a ton of leftovers because Mr. B had various lunch meetings and I need that fridge space. So we’re just going to put everything out on the table and everyone can graze.
Friday
- Breakfast-Avocado Smoothies
- Lunch-Costco Food Court, the Greatest Lunch of All
- Dinner- Pizza!
*Ya’ll, one of the SavEars turned me onto this avocado smoothie recipe that time we bought two million avocados. I had never imagined avocados in smoothies, because I think of them as such a savory food but they were delicious. I modified her recipe slightly, to accommodate my littles. I did two avocados, three tablespoons of milk, one tablespoon of honey, and the juice of half a lemon. The milk was my addition, as the littles need a somewhat lighter smoothie texture and avocados can be think. I substituted honey for agave, and the lemon is really to taste. I think next time I might substitute lime, since lime and avocado go so well together.
Saturday
- Breakfast-Scrambled Eggs with Sliced Apple
- Lunch-LO Pizza
- Dinner-Baked Salmon with Carrots
*Salmon was on sale this week for $5.77 a pound. That’s almost $3 less than it usually is. I’m a little limited in my Salmon cooking skills, so I didn’t stock up. But I did get enough for a nice dinner tonight. If you’re encountering new proteins, feel free to go at your own pace. Fish especially can be intimidating, since it’s so easy to overcook. For this meal, I tried a baking technique where each salmon is individually wrapped in the oven. I was pretty pleased with the results, but of course I have some tweaks for the next time I make it. If you’re stumped with how to prepare an unfamiliar protein, use search terms like ‘salmon easy recipe” or add on a chef you admire, “salmon the Pioneer woman”.
Sunday
- Breakfast-Cereal with Bananas
- Lunch-Buffalo Chicken Tenders and LO Carrots
- Dinner-Surf-N-Turf Featuring Sirloin and Shrimp with Side Salads
*Breakfasts are such a rush job on Sundays that I always try to make up for it by doing big dinners and lunches. Buffalo Chicken Tenders are some of my favorites and while time consuming, fairly easy. The steak and the shrimp were on sale this week, for $4.99 and $5.77 a pound respectively. This was one of those meals I came up with in the store, once I saw what was on sale. I did a butter drizzle with shaved blue cheese as a topping, since I still had some blue cheese to burn from last week.
Monday
- Breakfast-Berry Smoothies and Scrambled Eggs
- Lunch-LO Surf-n-Turf
- Dinner-Chicken Parmesan over Spaghetti
*It wasn’t until I was proof reading this meal plan that I realized this week has a very Italian theme. Unintentional, I swear! But the Little Mermaid has been asking me for pasta for over a week now, so I gotta deliver. She is seriously obsessed. On her Valentine’s project at Preschool she told her teacher she loves her mama because mama makes her pasta. I get the hint, kid. No need to get the teacher involved.
Tuesday
- Breakfast-Bacon Eggs and Cheese Breakfast Quesadillas
- Lunch-LO Chicken Parmesan
- Dinner-Cajun Sausage ‘Pasta’ with Zucchini Noodles
*Ok, this is another one of those things I was supposed to make like two weeks ago, but life happened, and we had leftovers, or I made something easier and faster. Thank goodness Zucchinis keep. Cooking with zucchinis is a relatively new thing for me, so I am learning as I go. One tip if you’re going to use zucchini for noodles: they hold a LOT of water. An almost unbelievable amount of water. Place your zoodles on a few layers of paper towels, sprinkle salt over them and let sit for 10 minutes. You’ll then need o transfer them to a newt of paper towels (so much water!) and squeeze out the remaining liquid.
Wednesday
- Breakfast-Green Chile Strata with Mango Relish
- Lunch-LO Cajun Zoodles
- Dinner-Stuffed Chicken Primavera
*The last time you saw this on the meal plan was the first time I made it. Like I do with all my first timers, I followed the recipe to the letter. Then I spend the entirety of the meal pestering Mr.B for constructive criticism. “What do you think about the cheese? Too much cheese or not enough cheese?” “I like the tomato. There should be more tomato. Where do you land on the tomato?” “If you could change one thing about this meal, what would it be?” His answer? “I would change nothing…except maybe the amount of questions I have to answer while eating it.” He’s got jokes. Armed with my hard won feedback, I’ll try it again, this time adapting the recipe for my own preferences. Using the split breasts I got on sale this week, so I’ll let you know how that goes.
Thursday
- Breakfast- LO Strata
- Lunch-LO Stuffed Chicken Primavera
- Dinner- Dealer’s Choice!
*Leaving this one up to chance and the grocery store! Leaving your dinner open on the day of your shopping allows you the opportunity to push your savings further. Pay attention to manager’s specials, discounted unattractive (but still delicious!) produce, and bakery items priced to move. You can create an amazing meal for a lot less keeping an eye out and your imagination open.
Are you a regular on the potluck scene? What’s the biggest motivating factor for learning new meals for you? Tell me what you got in the comments!
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey three years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!