Well our hopes of hubbers staying in the same province fell through. The job we were all excited about is no more and I have a week to get ready before he leaves us for 20 days. We’re disappointed but on the positive side, it gives me another meal plan to create. It’s a stretch but I’m trying to make a little lemon curd from the lemons the universe is pitching our way lately.

My plan is to get my freezer filled so that I can pull together a quick meal for me and the kids. Freezer meals are a little tricky, some things don’t freeze well and end up just gloppy messes when you reheat them. I’m hoping by freezing a few key ingredients instead I’ll be able to make quick and yummy meals. Funnily enough I don’t need a lot. A few frozen items will go a long way and I like to keep dinners pretty simple when hubbers isn’t around. I’ll be making some baby food too so that I can have a couple good purées for the littlest one in between other stuff. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll post about those.

Monday Night

Waffles – We eat a lot of waffles because they are so easy and versatile. I use whole wheat flour and cut up cooked sausage into the batter, then top them with fruit, yogurt and a touch of syrup. They are great for dinner and reheat awesome in the toaster. I’ll make a double batch and freeze half.

Tuesday Night

Roast Chicken – I’ll make us a week night roast chicken dinner and cook up three more breasts for the freezer. These will be great for easy dinners and with it being just me and my 2 year old eating them, they go a long way.

Wednesday Night

Meatballs and spaghetti – Meatballs freeze well but get a bit dry, so they need to be used in saucy dinners where they can absorb some yumminess. I’ll make a shwack of them and then I’ll have them to use for soups or spaghetti.

Thursday Night

Chickpea tacos – Hubby’s request. Not a freezer meal but since he’s going and will miss my scrumptious cooking how can I say no to the guy. A great vegetarian version of something that I think is a staple in a lot of homes.

Friday Night

BBQ Chicken Pizza – Another hubby request. It’s one of his favourites with spicy bbq sauce, pineapple, peppers and cilantro. I’ll use the chicken from the roast chicken dinner so we’ll have lots of time for a last family movie night.

Saturday Night

Romantic Date – This may not fit into your meal plan but maybe it should;) I’m hoping my parents will take the kids and we can enjoy a quiet evening together.

Beef Roast with mash, glazed carrots and asparagus – A last treat for my honey before he goes. With just the kids we eat a lot lighter so this will be a special dinner for all of us. I like to rub my roasts with a combination of 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 clove smooshed garlic. Brown every sides of the roast in a dutch oven over medium heat and then move the roast to a 350F oven until a meat thermometer reads 145. Remove from the oven and allow to rest at least 10 minutes before cutting.

I cube my potatoes with the skin on and add to boiling salted water. Cook until tender when poked with a fork. Drain and add 1 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup milk and 1 clove of smooshed garlic, season with salt and pepper. You may need more milk if they aren’t coming out as creamy as you like.
Peel and roughly chop the carrots into equal sized rounds about thumb size. In a sauce pan over medium low heat melt 1 tbsp butter, add 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 cup chicken stock and 1/2 tsp ginger powder. Stir in the carrots and cook until fork tender. Season with salt and pepper.
I like a quick sauté on my asparagus with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

I hope this helps make your meal planning a little easier. If you have any questions I’d love to hear them. If you’d like more information on how I create our families meal plans here’s my guide, Meal Planning Basics