good morning!

i’m usually not ready for the weekend to be over and i’m certainly never ready for zach to go back to work. however. this weekend ranked in the top ickiest weekends full of crud.

the girls came down with hand foot + mouth disease late last week after their cousins and blah it’s been awful.
fevers. blisters. late nights. vomiting. popsicles. through the night cuddles. pain meds. jello.
fun plans out were traded for jams and coffee by the gallon.
anyways, i’m welcoming a new week with prayers that my little peanuts are feeling better!!

one thing on my to-do list that actually did get done was meal planning for the week!
you know you’re a mama when… sickness + meal planning is all in one blog post.

i’ve been on a kick trying to get our meals planned and this week is definitely going to be a good one!

monday: zucchini casserole
it’s summertime in the country which means tons and tons of zucchini! since the girls now eat whatever we do, i tweaked the ingredients and added ground turkey to make this a filling casserole dish we could all dig into. we’ve been enjoying this dish around once a week and it’s definitely a crowd pleaser!!

ingredients:
about 4c. zucchini/yellow squash – or any combination
1 onion
1lb ground turkey/chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 eggs
1/2c. milk
3T butter
2c. shredded cheese (i’ve used cheddar + mozzarella)
1 sleeve ritz crackers

directions:
preheat oven to 350
sautee sliced zucchini + onions in butter
set veggies in large bowl off to the side
cook turkey thoroughly then add to the veggies in bowl
stir in cream of mushroom, milk, eggs and 1 cup cheese
pour mixture in greased 9×13 pan
sprinkle remainder of cheese on top of casserole mixture
crush ritz crackers and sprinkle evenly on top
bake for 45 minutes

tuesday: taco tuesday
call it what you will, tuesdays are meant for tacos. i mix it up but this week i have soft tortilla shells, so that’s what’s on the menu! we have TONS of tomatoes from grammies garden so we’ll be having some fresh salsa to top these babies off!

ingredients for our typical tacos:
hard/soft tacos, rice or quinoa as the base
ground beef, venison, turkey or chicken… whatever we have in the freezer, or is on sale
romaine lettuce. and lots of it. it’s just my fave.
fresh salsa
lime juice
sour cream (i try to not put  very much on… it doesn’t always work)
cheese ^
black beans
corn

wednesday: sausage, ricotta, + spinach manicotti
i saw amber rave about this recipe over at pb+j babes  the other week and it’s been on my list ever since.  thank goodness it’s on the list this week… i’ll keep ya posted because i’m pretty pumped about it!!

thursday: leftovers
we have two really large meals on the menu this week and while we always eat left overs for lunch, one night is always reserved for clearing out the fridge… or last resort a good bowl of cereal.

friday: loaded 21 day fix pizza
fridays are for pizza…every once in awhile we splurge, but if we’re not splurging, then i’ve found a couple of good alternatives that are 21 day fix approved!

ingredients:
1/4lb turkey sausage
1/4 ground turkey
1 whole wheat pita bread
1/3 c. red onions (1/3 green container)
1/3 c. tomato sauce (1/3 green container)
1/3 c. cheese (1 blue container)
1 pinch oregano
sliced basil

directions:
preheat ovent o 350
place pita bread on baking sheet and bake about 5 minutes
while cooking, add turkey sausage and ground turkey to skillet on high heat until cooked through. season with salt and pepper as desired.
spread pizza sauce on pita bread
add most of the cheese
then all of the meat + onions
sprinkle remainder of cheese + oregano
bake in oven for 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted
serve with sliced basil and enjoy!

there ya have it!!

this week will be a combo between egg casserole and whole wheat toast with pb + banana for breakfast and of course, our shakeology!

as i finish typing, the sun is shining and i hear giggling girls in their cribs… it’s going to be a great day!

question: do you meal plan? if so, what meal are you most looking forward to this week?!

xoxo,

lindsey