To Cook or Not to Cook

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I generally don’t make many New Years resolutions, not because I don’t have things to improve on, I just generally don’t keep up with them until I really decide I want to make the change. This year, I decided to be brave and make the resolution to stop spending as much money on things just because they were on sale and to spend less money eating out. Most days after working and coming home to play, the last thing I want to do is make dinner. My first week of January, I failed miserably. Athleta and Nordstrom had their semi annual sale, and I didn’t have any food that even seemed like they would be good for dinner, so we ate out a good 4 times that week. Ugh. I decided I needed to meal plan and get exactly what I needed for each meal so I wasn’t frivolously buying whatever I was craving randomly waking through the store. This was my first week of it and we’ve done great so far! Below is my meal plan for the week with the grocery list to go along with it! Everything has turned out so yummy so far and I have felt all sorts of accomplished. I’ve been so less stressed having it planned out instead of trying to figure out what I want driving home and inevitably ending up at cafe rio.

What are some of your favorite meals?

Grocery List:

Dairy

• Ricotta Cheese

• Cheddar Cheese (2% milk)

• Mozerella Cheese

• Grated Parmesan  and Shredded Parmesean

• Butter

• Sour Cream (optional)

Grains, Pasta & Sides

• Tortellini

• Lasagna noodles

• Spaghetti Sauce

Meat

• Turkey Pepperoni

• Ground Beef

Produce

• Tomatoes (grape or cherry)

• Bell Peppers – 3

• Sweet Potatoes

• Lemons – 4-6

• Asparagus

• Fresh Parsley

• Garlic – 10 cloves

• Onion – 2 (optional)

Seasoning

• Italian Seasoning

• Salt and Pepper

• Olive Oil

• Balsamic Vinegar

• Taco seasoning

• Red Pepper Flakes

• Sugar

• Dried Basil

• Dried Parsley

• Dried Oregano

• Bay leaf

Soups & Canned Goods
• Crushed Tomatoes

• Canned Tomato Paste

• Chicken Broth

• Black Beans

• Salsa

• Olive Garden Italian dressing

• Frozen Corn

Seafood

• Salmon (1.5 lbs)
Baked Parmesan garlic herb salmon http://therecipecritic.com/2015/10/baked-parmesan-garlic-herb-salmon-in-foil/

Taco Stuffed Peppers

http://thecozycook.com/taco-stuffed-peppers/ (I added frozen corn)

 

One Pot Lasagna Soup

http://www.carlsbadcravings.com/easy-one-pot-lasagna-soup/

Spinach Tortellini Salad

1 bag spinach

1 container tortellini (I find in refrigerated section)

1 container grape or cherry tomatoes

1 small can chopped olives

1 package pepperoni (I use turkey pepperoni)

1 container shredded Parmesean cheese

Olive Garden dressing to taste (I use 1/3 to 1/2 bottle)

Slice tomatoes in half. Cook tortellini as per package instructions. Chill. Mix everything together. Enjoy!