Meal Planning

I have tried and failed at this "meal planning" for months (maybe years).  But I think I finally got the hang of it and it is fabulous!

Brian and I try not to eat out too often.  And when we do go out it is only on the weekends.  I am home all day with Elise and yes of course I am busy with her, but I can make dinner every night so we can: 

A: eat healthier 

B: save money and

C: get Elise to bed by 7:00 and not be at a restaurant before all of the local senior citizens.

So meal planning.  Every Sunday I plan out our dinners for the week and make an exact list of what I will need for each meal.  Then Monday morning I head to the store and get our supplies. There is still the occasional "Oh crap I need tomatoes" run to Trader Joe's but nothing like I was doing before.

I don't plan out our breakfast and lunches (yet) because those are typically leftovers or fresh veggies for Elise that I can whip out easily.  BUT I do plan our weekend breakfast (Brian's guilty pleasure!)

So this week we had a few great dinners:  Beef Stroganoff, Crunchy Onion Chicken, Steak & baked potatoes, fish and chips and tonight we are trying something new!

Tonight we are going to try the Food Network BLT Pasta Salad

I am going to add some grilled chicken to it for some more protein and probably play with the mayo/sour cream/milk combo to find a way to make it a little "lighter"

But here it is:

• Cook Time:

  22 min

• Level:

  Easy

• Yield:

  4 servings

Recipe Tools:

• Print Recipe
• Get Card
• Save Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 ounces corkscrew-shaped pasta
• 1/2 cup milk
• 12 ounces lean bacon
• 3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons chopped chives or scallion greens
• 5 heads Bibb lettuce, quartered, or 5 cups chopped romaine hearts

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and toss with the milk in a large bowl; set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 tablespoonsdrippings from the pan. Add the tomatoes, thyme and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper.Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside 1/4 cup for garnish. Toss the remaining bacon and the tomato mixture with the pasta.

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and 3 tablespoons chives with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 tablespoon chives. Serve at room temperature.

Per serving: Calories 960; Fat 56 g (Sat. 20 g; Mono. 30 g; Poly. 18 g); Cholesterol 125 mg; Sodium 2,114 mg; Carbohydrate 73 g; Fiber 5 g; Protein 44 g

Photography by Antonis Achilleos

I will let you know if it will be a regular part of my repertoire.