Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of February 14, 2011

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Menu Plan MondayHappy Valentine’s Day! I hope that you are celebrating the love of family and friends today. Now that my kidlet is in middle school we don’t make quite the school production of the day, and the adults had an early celebration at Luke on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. And oh my, it was absolutely amazing! New Orleans-inspired food with a San Antonio twist and a focus on locally sourced ingredients. I took my big girl camera with me and have a slew of photos to commemorate the meal. The staff was so accommodating and a result I can’t wait to write a post about a foodie weekend in San Antonio some time soon. If you’re headed toward San Antonio I highly recommend making it part of your itinerary.

All this is to say that Valentine’s Day will be a bit relaxed at our house this year. Instead I am focused/excited/terrified for the half marathon I’m running this coming Sunday. Yes, in a week I’ll run 13.1 miles through the streets of Austin in the culmination of 14 months of personal change and commitment. I’ve run the distance a few times, but there’s nothing quite like the real deal race, so I already have butterflies in my stomach. And while part of my commitment to my family’s overall wellbeing has been to put healthy food on the table (most of the time anyway), this week I’m loading the menus with pre-race food. Of course lean proteins and good carbs will make a showing, but I’m going to have several smoothies this week to help with fiber and water consumption. Towards the end of the week our schedules get hectic with school and life activities, so I’m going to rely on sushi food for my last couple of dinners because fish is so easy to digest. After I’m done with the race though, I’m going to treat myself to a big, fat, tasty brunch at a local gastropub. When I write my plan next Sunday I’ll be tired (and there’s a 50-50 chance it will be abbreviated) but I’ll have accomplished a goal I’ve had in my sights for well over a year.

Head on over to Org Junkie’s menu plan Monday post for more menu ideas.

Monday

Pulled Pork SlidersThere’s nothing particularly unusual or exciting about this Monday which is just fine with me. I am going to do a little recipe testing while the kidlet is at her music classes because I know that grilled polenta with goat cheese won’t be quite up her alley. It will be a great start to my week though and a good Meatless Monday dish as well.

  • Breakfast
    • Oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
    • Kidlet:
      • Chicken tenders and fresh fruit
    • Adults:
      • Grilled Polenta with butternut squash, goat cheese, spinach, and walnuts (recipe under development)

Prep Ahead

  • Steak to marinate overnight
  • Prep smoothie

Tuesday

Sometimes I have dishes on the menu and just don’t quite feel like making them, which is exactly what happened to the Korean-style skewers last Saturday night (we raided the freezer for chicken sausage to grill instead). So, I have all the ingredients on hand and will make it this week instead. The leftovers will be great for lunch and I’ll freeze some raw steak in the marinade for a future quick fix meal.

Wednesday

Blueberry muffin on a white plate with blueberries and sugar scattered aroundJust because I’m running a race this week doesn’t mean I’m giving up girl’s night out. By the time Wednesday rolls around I’ll probably need the R&R along with some help getting out of my own head. Dad and daughter will enjoy a night out and it’s totally up to them what and where they eat.

Prep Ahead

  • Marinara from the freezer

Thursday

I’m adding an evening yoga class to my schedule this week in preparation for the race, so I’ll need a quick dinner plan. It’s on nights like this that the freezer stash comes in handy. Some pre-made meatballs and marinara will turn into quick meatball sandwiches. I’ll have the extras for lunch on Friday.

  • Breakfast
    • Oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit
  • Lunch
    • Business lunch
  • Dinner
    • Meatball sandwiches
    • Spinach salad with goat cheese and strawberries

Prep Ahead

  • Prep smoothie

Friday

Thanks to a special school choir event, we’re not eating together at the end of the week. She gets to hang out with her buddies while we wait. And of course the event is nowhere near home so it makes no sense to try to cook dinner at home. On the up side, there’s a great sushi bar with a great happy hour near the venue, so we can at least have a budget-friendly dinner while we wait.

  • Breakfast
    • Berry and banana smoothie with protein powder
  • Lunch
    • Leftover meatball sandwiches
  • Dinner
    • Kidlet: at a school event
    • Adults: Sushi happy hour

Saturday

I’m attending an ally-day creativity conference called TEDx but I’ll be able to enjoy breakfast with the family before I head out. We’re also having friends over for games on Saturday evening (we’re nothing if not overscheduled) so make your own pizza is on the plan for dad and daughter. I’ll grab a sushi roll for a light dinner on my way home for game night.

  • Breakfast
    • Breakfast tacos
  • Lunch
    • Dad and daughter: leftovers
    • Mom: at TEDx Austin
  • Dinner
    • Dad and daughter: make your own pizza
    • Mom: Sushi take out

Prep Ahead

  • Prep smoothie
  • Make jambalaya

Sunday

This is the big day! I’ll have a small smoothie with no extra protein on my way to the race site so I’m not running wholly on fumes once the starting horn blows. After brunch I expect to nap and then we’ll have an easy dinner of pork tenderloin stuffed with jambalaya I can prep on Saturday evening. In a worst case, if I’m too tired, I can forgo the stuffing, roast the tenderloin, and serve the prepped jambalaya along side.



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