My July Meal Plan

We have decided, after a family meeting where we discussed the topic at length, to try a new approach to our meal planning.  I love to meal plan and I've been doing it for years and years, but there is always room for improvement and sometimes change is good.

Instead of having such a structured menu we are going to try something a little differently throughout the rest of the summer and into September.  Three months is a good amount of time to give this idea a chance and see if it works for us.

So the plan is… there is no set plan.

We are going to create our meals based on a meal plan criteria as follows:

The Base:  (the main part of what is on our plate):

Freshly prepared salad greens or steamed vegetables

Fruit

Salads and vegetables will be prepared based on what I buy on sale and what happens to be on sale and in season.  The emphasis will be on purchasing mostly fresh fruits and vegetables and some frozen or canned.

Protein:  (roughly the size of a deck of cards)

Lean steak, ground beef, pork or chicken

Legumes

Eggs

Starch:  (for myself this one will be limited)

Rice, pasta, potato, bread

Fats: (in moderation)

Butter

Cheese

Salad dressing

Sour cream

Oils

Beverages:

Water (a lot)

Milk

Coffee/Tea

Juice

The goal for us it to eat "cleaner" and more simply.  Occasionally we plan to throw in a pizza every now and then.  Our eating plan isn't about deprivation at all, but about making better choices.  We recognize the girls need more fiber, fruits and vegetables in their diet and we are planning to really work on that.

Fortunately we are big water drinkers around here so that is never a problem.  The girls still drink milk and occasionally juice, while I do not.  My milk consumption is pretty much what I put on my cereal.  I do often eat homemade yogurt.

So here is the Plan

Entrees:

Garlic Shrimp                                                

Stuffed Bell Pepper

Teriyaki Salmon                                           

Herbed Chicken Breast

Grilled Steak                                                  

Ground Pork or Beef Patty

Buffalo Chicken Breast Strips                    

Ham & Egg Scramble

Taco Meat                                                      

Turkey Wraps

Omelet w/ Cheese                                         

Asian Garlic Chicken

Pork Chops                                                     

Poached or Hard Cooked Eggs

Soups

Taco Soup                                                     

Coconut Curry

Italian Black Bean                                        

Tomato Basil

So there you are.  We'll see how it works and I'll report in and let you know.