Weekly Meal Plan: Week of July 23-29

Monday- Ham and Pineapple Kabobs:
http://goodenessgracious.com/2012/04/ham-pineapple-kabobs.html with steamed veggies.

Tuesday- Lasagna Rollups: http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2012/02/lasagna-roll-ups.html with garlic toast and a spring mix salad.

Wednesday- Taco Soup: http://mostlynice.blogspot.com/2011/03/soup-on-cheap.html with multigrain tortilla chips.

Thursday- Slow Cooker Chicken Ceasar Sandwiches: http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/09/slow-cooker-chicken-caesar-sandwiches.html with baked beans (we eat baked beans a lot because the 2 year old adores them.)

Friday- Grilled tilapia (possibly served on whole wheat tortillas as tacos) with mango salsa and black beans:

Ingredients for salsa:

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2 in squares

1/2 C fresh minced cilantro

1 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 C peeled and diced red onion

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped

Saturday- Dinner out... I'm thinking Japanese food sounds good!
Sunday- Leftovers/Birthday Party

Now, I'll use this meal plan to create my grocery list. To create my grocery list, I go back through each of my recipes that I plan on using. I organize the list into the following categories: refrigerated, non-refrigerated, frozen, produce, and meat. I add the items that I don't already have at home to the list in the correct category. Categorizing your grocery list makes grocery shopping quicker and more efficient. Especially when you're shopping with a 2 month old and 2 year old!

When I shop, I always try to get the lowest priced item so I often buy the store brand. But if there is a lower calorie, lower fat option that is not a store brand, I buy that.