Do you realize that it has been over a month since I’ve written anything new in the No More Excuses series I began this year? How ridiculous is that? I do happen to have several excuses I can give you for not taking the time to write these posts about excuses, just in case you’d care to hear them. I’m guessing you wouldn’t though. ;)

However, without sharing my excuses, I would like to apologize. It’s not very cool of me to start a series and then leave you hanging forever. So this week, I will be picking up that series where I left it off. Go catch up on all of the No More Excuses posts to read what I’ve previously written on the topic of giving excuses for not eating a healthy diet.

Ironically, this week, I’ll be writing about the excuse of “I don’t have time to eat healthy food…”. Funny, since I’ve not found the time to write that post, eh? :)

And speaking of not having the time – this week in our new Ask the Trainer feature, we will also be addressing the topic of finding the time to exercise. It seems that there’s a bit of a theme going on around here this week. How…timely. (And wow, how super cheesy was that?!)

While I’m finding the time to write those posts, here is our menu plan for this week:

Sunday, April 15
Baked oatmeal cups, applesauce
Hoagie sandwiches, chips, apples
High School Huddle – Pulled pork sandwiches with bbq sauce, baby carrots with ranch dip, cream cheese corn, grapes, chocolate chip cookies

Monday, April 16
Pancake sausage muffins, blueberries
Healthier cheese dip, chips, grapes
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Tuesday, April 17
Fried eggs on toast, oranges
Bbq chicken, creamy mac and cheese, strawberry peach slushies
Hamburger sauerkraut dip, chips, veggie tray, homemade ranch dip, chocolate crinkle cookies (I’m hosting Bunco!)

Wednesday, April 18
Honey whole wheat bagels, blueberries
Bean and cheese burritos, raw veggies with ranch
Lasagna, tossed salad, corn

Thursday, April 19
Banana bread, applesauce
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, carrots
Popcorn chicken, stir fried rice and veggies

Friday, April 20
Peanut butter honey toast, oranges
Sloppy joes, potato salad, green beans
Homemade pizza

Saturday, April 21
Scrambled egg sandwiches, apples
Leftovers
Grilled steak, baked potatoes, asparagus

This weekend, I experimented with a new chocolate cookie recipe, which is made with sucanat, whole wheat flour, and homemade white chocolate chips. They turned out great, so I made a triple batch to serve at huddle tonight. I’ll be sharing the recipe with you this week!

Here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Sunday, March 18
Oatmeal, fruit
Taco potatoes, pineapple
High School Huddle – Chili with fritos, cheese, and sour cream, baby carrots, ranch dressing, olives, chocolate cookies

Monday, March 19
Cream cheese pastry, strawberries
Pigs in a blanket, apple slices, carrot sticks
Teriyaki chicken and vegetables with rice

Tuesday, March 20
Mini breakfast pizzas, oranges
Taco corn fritters, applesauce
Pizza casserole, tossed salad, steamed broccoli

Wednesday, March 21
Coconut flour banana muffins, pears
Creamy orange cooler, chef salad
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, tossed salad, steamed carrots

Thursday, March 22
Fried eggs on toast, clementines
Tuna salad on crackers, grape tomatoes, pineapple
Cheddar ranch burgers, potato wedges, peas

Friday, March 23
Peanut butter honey toast, applesauce
Sloppy cornbread muffins, green beans
Cheesy salsa enchiladas, spanish rice, tossed salad

Saturday, March 24
Pancake sausage muffins, bananas
Leftovers
Steak, baked potatoes, asparagus, cream cheese corn

Read about how I plan my menus here.

What’s on your menu this week?

We spent the weekend in Kansas at a home school basketball tournament for our oldest, Asa. We had a great time! My dad and his wife were able to come join us for the weekend. Asa’s team played very well and ended up taking first in their division! Very fun. More importantly, we were able to focus on and build relationships with wonderful families. We’re so thankful to be a part of this program.

After eating out several meals this weekend, we’re ready to get back into the routine of eating healthy, home cooked meals. Here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Sunday, March 4
Oatmeal, pears
Tuna casserole, peas
High School Huddle – Italian pasta bake, tossed salad, corn, chocolate chip brownies

Monday, March 5
Whole wheat waffles, blueberries
Salmon patties, potato wedges, pineapple
Chicken enchiladas, tossed salad

Tuesday, March 6
Scrambled eggs, creamy orange cooler
Lamb burger patties, steamed broccoli and carrots, rice
Roasted chicken, potatoes, gravy, asparagus

Wednesday, March 7
Applesauce bread, bananas
Corn dog muffins, carrot sticks with homemade ranch, apple slices
Orange chicken and rice with carrots

Thursday, March 8
Turkey sausage, hashbrowns, fried eggs, clementines
Creamy mac and cheese, peas
Homemade pizza, tossed salad

Friday, March 9
Mini apple pies, bacon
Nachos, fruit
Bbq brisket, cream scalloped potatoes, green beans, buttermilk chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting and ice cream (celebrating a birthday!)

Saturday, March 10
Whole wheat donuts
Leftovers
Garlic butter shrimp, angel hair pasta, steamed broccoli

We’ve had several weeks off from hosting and cooking for our “High School Huddle” group, so I’m afraid I’m out of practice. Tonight, we start back up again. I made pans and pans of Pizza Casserole, which was easy and will reheat quickly tonight before the kids get here. Funny how taking a few weeks off threw me off my game. I stood at the store forever trying to figure out how much pasta to buy. :)

Here’s what our menu looks like for this week:

Sunday, January 8
Oatmeal, bananas
Mission fund raising meal at church
Huddle – Pizza casserole, green beans, corn, butterscotch bars

Monday, January 9
Homemade poptarts, yogurt
Potato soup, carrots
Chicken fried steak strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas

Tuesday, January 10
Scrambled cheesy eggs, clementines
Popcorn chicken, ranch potato wedges, carrots
Spaghetti, tossed salad

Wednesday, January 11
English muffins, turkey bacon, apples
Salmon patties, steamed carrots and broccoli
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, tossed salad

Thursday, January 12
Honey whole wheat bagels, clementines
Easy noodle stir fry with chicken and veggies
Steak tacos

Friday, January 13
Peanut butter honey toast, applesauce
Tuna salad on crackers, apples
Hamburgers with homemade fries

Saturday, January 14
Whole wheat donuts
Leftovers
Sandwiches at bball games

Since I’ve been sick, we made different plans for our High School Huddle so that I didn’t need to host and cook for 35 people tonight. With all the different events going on through the end of the year, we actually won’t be hosting Huddle again until January. I guess I’ll enjoy a nice long break. :)

While cooking meat for today’s tacos, I’ll be cooking extra meat to use throughout the week for Taco Potatoes and Taco Corn Fritters. Just trying to be efficient with my time during the Christmas season!

We’ve enjoyed this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe so much. One reader, Emily, mentioned that she’s been making these Coconut Flour Muffins into Pumpkin Muffins – a great gluten free variety! I’m hoping to give those a try this week and report back with the specifics. There’s not much better than pumpkin and cinnamon this time of year.

Here’s what’s on our menu this week:

Sunday, December 4
Oatmeal, pears
Spaghetti, tossed salad, corn
Tacos

Monday, December 5
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, bananas
Taco potatoes, fruit salad
Easy noodle stir fry with broccoli and carrots

Tuesday, December 6
Giant breakfast cookies, applesauce
Popcorn chicken, potato wedges, peas
Potato soup, raw veggies

Wednesday, December 7
Multi-grain pumpkin waffles
Lamb-burger patties, steamed veggies, milkshakes
Venison fajitas

Thursday, December 8
Honey wheat bagels, apples
Homemade beef balogna, creamy mac and cheese, green beans
Chicken burritos, fruit

Friday, December 9
Mini apple pies, cheese slices
Taco corn fritters, peaches
Homemade pizza

Saturday, December 10
French toast
Leftovers
Pigs in a blanket, green beans

Have you been doing any fun Christmas baking?

Be watching this week for a fun Holiday Giveaway Parade!