Menu Plan Monday August 15-19

Hi everyone! Well, our weekend ended with some excitement – we got a puppy! My friend Stephanie’s Golden Retriever & Labrador had puppies a while back, and of course I kept telling Brian how adorable they were every time she’d send me a photo. We went to check them out today, and Brian even said going in he knew I’d be a lost cause once I saw them. SO true – I fell in love! So, without further ado, meet Sally:

Named, of course, after Sally from Cars (we vetoed Lightning McQueen & Buzz Lightyear as options). Our miniature dachshund, Josie, has kind of adopted Sally and has spent quite a bit of time cleaning her. I’ll have to take some video of them playing together to show y’all!

We also got to spend time with my family this weekend, celebrating family birthdays and hanging out. It was a fun weekend for all of us! My brother is back out here for college, which of course is great because that means we get to see him more!

Breakfast: Flat Iron Steak with Scrambled Eggs & Fresh Fruit (230 calories)

I don’t know that I’ve ever had steak for breakfast before, but this was great! It was another one of those meals that didn’t look like a ton on the plate, but was really filling. The steak was tender and the eggs were cooked just how I like them. The toast was more like a crouton, but was provided crispiness and seemed to round out the meal. And of course, fruit! Can’t go wrong with that.

Lunch: Andouille Chicken Sausage Salad with Mango & Cucumber over Crisp Romaine Lettuce (330 calories)

I know I was supposed to eat the salad with the sausage, but for me keeping the elements separate fit more to my tastes. The sausage was spicy and flavorful, and I enjoyed it (which is saying a lot for someone who doesn’t really like sausage very much!). I wasn’t a huge fan of the salad dressing so I ended up just picking at the salad, but I still felt satisfied and wasn’t hungry throughout the afternoon. I love the concept of this salad, because the sweetness of the mango and the coolness of the cucumber really balance the spiciness of the sausage.

Dinner: Ginger Steamed Tofu with Baby Bok Choy & Forbidden Rice (480 calories)

This one was outside of my food comfort zone, for sure. I’ve never tried tofu before, and I have to admit I have a preconceived perception that it’s, well… gross. I was determined to try it, though. The texture was softer than I expected; a little softer than the white of a hard-boiled egg, if that makes sense. It was really mildly flavored, so not too bad at all. That being said, this is a meal I wouldn’t pick to eat again solely because it doesn’t fit my specific tastes.

Dessert: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (140 calories)

Great, tender cookies packed with a lot of flavor! They’re smaller – about the size of Oreos – but in having two it felt like a substantial dessert.

I’m excited about the meals I have waiting for me for the next few days (including chicken tortilla soup and – yay -a muffin for breakfast! I’m sure you’re wondering what the guys will be chowing down on this week… let’ take a look:

Monday: Pasta that we didn’t end up having this past week. I’ll sautee some carrots and we have leftover garlic bread to go with it. This meal won’t take long to prepare, which is good because J has gymnastics class.

Tuesday: We’re babysitting our friends’ girls plus C has his first gymnastics class, so we’re doing Chick Fil A for dinner.

Wednesday: Leftover pasta with salad

Thursday: Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato basil soup, and raw veggies to snack on with it.

Friday: Breakfast for dinner! We’re doing our breakfast in a biscuit, which we’ve affectionately renamed Breakfast Cupcakes.

Don’t forget to check out Weber’s Grilling Recipe of the Week – Peach Shortcakes! I love this because I never think about doing dessert on the grill – and this sounds soooo good!