Pie Week
How my week turned into pie week.
I’ve been planning my meals lately. It takes a little pressure off figuring out what to make for dinner. We usually plan it as a family, so there is always something on the menu that everyone likes. It also helps with grocery shopping and taking things out of the freezer. When you plan ahead things do always work out better.
Things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes Tuesday’s meal ends up on Friday. Sometimes we decide to get a pizza and I’m ok with that. I have to give myself some wiggle room, after all the meal plan is supposed to make my life easier, not cause more stress. You know, nobody is watching. If I decide not to stick to my plan I’m not going to get in trouble.
I told you how we have board game night on Wednesdays, so our Friday dinner is generally chosen by whoever wins best out of three on Wednesday night. Sometimes it’s pizza. Sometimes it’s souvlaki from up the street and tonight it’s actually mac & cheese – from a box. You can judge me, that’s ok. But I will say that it’s the organic version with a rabbit on the box, so I obviously feel better about it.
I went through a period where I was determined to never eat mac and cheese from a box again. I searched high and low for recipes of a healthy version that I could make at home with wholesome ingredients. I tried over 10 recipes and although they were mostly edible and even enjoyable I just gave up. It just doesn’t taste the same. So what if I have mac and cheese out of a box once a month? It may not even be that often. There are definitely worse things I could feed my children. AND I LOVE IT. So, while I’m not using the original version made by the brand that everyone knows, this ‘healthier’ version tastes just as good. So there’s that…
As I was saying, this week somehow turned into pie week. It wasn’t intentional, and it was a group effort. This week, our week looks like this:
Monday – Chicken pot pie with roasted broccoli and salad.
I had leftover chicken from my favourite Portuguese rotisserie chicken place, so I searched for a recipe and found this one.
I had never made a pie before, and yes I bought the crust — it was Monday and there was no way that I was going to actually make my own crust! It was delicious. The only thing I did different was add salt and pepper.
Tuesday – Meatloaf muffins with steamed asparagus and garlic bread.
Yum. I only tried meatloaf for the first time as an adult. Actually in my 30s and I love it! I recently discovered that if I put it in a muffin tin, my kids will eat it! I also put red peppers in it and my kids really dislike peppers but were ok to eat it in my meatloaf! WIN! I’ll share this recipe on my blog later.
Wednesday – Fish Pie with steamed green beans.
My lovely sister in law Helen introduced this pie to me. What a yummy, healthy meal!
I add shrimp to the pie and my sister in law sometimes uses a mixture of sweet potato and regular potato. So good!
Thursday – We ate at a mall.
We went to see a play and I don’t want to scare you with the nutritional value of what we ate.
Friday – We are going to the movies!
Woohoo! When does this ever happen? My mom is watching my kids, so luckily I don’t have to cook. She’s making said mac and cheese with a side of something green and I am ok with this! I will be eating movie theater popcorn with chocolate covered raisins mixed in. YUM.
Saturday – Penne a la vodka with salad.
This is my son’s favourite! So easy to make, and so yummy.
Sunday – We’ll be working at the Hamilton Bump, Baby and Toddler Show.
If you’re in the area come and say hello! I have no idea what we will eat! Sometimes you just have to wing it.
As you can see, most of our meals are healthy, but we’re a busy family just like yours and sometimes you just have to eat out and have fun! Who doesn’t love a night off of cooking and washing dishes?! Let me know if you try any of my suggestions and please share your favourite meals with me, I’m always looking for something new!
