Weekly Meal Plan

A few weeks ago, during a conversation with a random friend, I said that most of my days are now quiet and uneventful. For some reason, said friend thought of this as something negative. I, on the other hand, find that quiet and uneventful is a good thing.

Sure, I sometimes feel like I have nothing to write about because my life could be perceived as boring, but that’s just the way it is for me.

I love those days when I can just stay at home, run my errands, watch my TV shows, and not have a lot of things to do or places to go to. I’ve always been a homebody, and now that I actually have a home to hang out in, there’s really no place else that I would rather be. 

Anyway…

Today is one of those “at home days” because classes were called off. It’s been generally uneventful, thankfully. Told you, I like uneventful. I welcome rest, especially on days like today. We’re coming out of a weekend that was pretty full by my standards, you see. We had a dinner party on Saturday, then Lunch in Tagaytay on Sunday followed by some family time before heading home. Yes, full weekend na yan for me.

 

How amazingly beautiful is this salad????? Check out the rest of the colorful and delicious buffet at @discoverycountrysuites Feast of Colors on my IG stories feed! #tagaytaycelebrations

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Aug 13, 2016 at 8:39pm PDT

 

Today started with French toast for breakfast, and yes, they were gluten free. Then the kid and I have been studying for his exams, which start tomorrow. We ordered fried chicken and fries for lunch because nothing makes study day better quite like junk food can. Right now, we’re taking a break, and I thought it would be a good time to plan our household’s meals for the week.

Truth: I seem to be in a meal planning funk where nothing seems exciting or appealing. I asked the boys last night to let me know what they’d like to eat, and of course their suggestions were all old favorites. Comfort food. So that’s what this week’s menu will be centered on.

 

I have yet to post any gluten free recipes because I’m still not super duper, 100% happy with my experiments. Hopefully I’ll be able to soon, though. Also, about the spaghetti-style baked rice, it’s this amazing dish I stumbled upon online where you use rice instead of noodles in what would ordinarily be a pasta bake. Hope it turns out good, the way my Mexican rice from a few weeks back did.

 

Mexican rice casserole. #100homecookedmeals #theglutenfreeproject #itswhatsfordinner

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Aug 2, 2016 at 3:40am PDT

 

Well that’s all for today, folks!  What’s cooking in your kitchen this week?

Hooray, a meal plan! 

The kid stayed home from school today due to a tummy ache, so I cancelled everything on my schedule. Because of this, I’ve been able to find time for meal planning and blogging over a nice cup of tea.

My week is going to be a busy one, so a lot of the meals on my plan are dishes I prepared ahead then packed away in the fridge and freezer. I also went a little crazy in the supermarket last week so I, thankfully, don’t need to go food shopping until the weekend. It really pays to plan ahead and be prepared when you have a schedule that’s as unpredictable as mine.

 

There’s really nothing special on the menu this week, just a lot of simple meals and dinner staples. I don’t have the energy for anything new or fancy at the moment, so I guess I’ll just have to make up for that next week. To be honest, though, there are times when the boys prefer these simple dishes over the kitchen experiments. So, it’s all good.

 

In case you want to make any of these dishes at home, too, here are some of the recipes I used.

• Bangus ala Pobre
• Adobo – I used the same recipe but with pork instead of chicken. 
• Sinigang – Try this unique version!
• Bistek Tagalog – Use thin slices of sirloin instead of pork in this recipe.
• Banana Muffins – With Swiss Miss!

Have an awesome week, everybody!

Hey, guys! What’s everyone been up to lately?

I’ve had a pretty busy week. There has been a lot of writing going on my life, but, obviously, it hasn’t been for this blog. Well, what’s important is that I’m back today (naks, important) and with a new (sorry it’s late) meal plan, too.

Confession: I only got to accomplish half of my chore list last week, and I wasn’t able to make it to the market when I planned to go. I finally ended up food shopping just this past Tuesday, which is also one of the reasons why I’m posting my meal plan late.

The husbandry says that I’m really bad at assessing my time, and figuring out whether or not I can actually accomplish all that I’ve set out to do in a day. It looks like he may be right, unfortunately. Oh, well. One more thing to work on, in my eternal quest towards self-improvement.

But enough about me, let’s move on to this meal plan. So, I’m super excited about it because I got to buy a lot of fun stuff at the market. I have a nice rack of pork ribs. I also got a nice pork loin that I had the butcher roll up for roasting. There’s tapa marinating in my freezer now, too. I used Michelle’s (Momma N Manila) tapa recipe again, because we really, really love it.

 

Tomorrow is #knorrnationaltapaday, according to my IG feed. My favorite tapa is my own homemade recipe. Yes, love your own! I made some today, and I have another batch in the freezer for baon next week. This makes the best #tapsilog! It’s salty, sweet and garlicky all at the same time. ☺ #instafood #foodstagram #instagood #goodeats #instaeats #athomewithmrsc #homecooked #homecookedmeal #madefromscratch #tapa #pinoyfood

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Jan 28, 2016 at 3:15am PST

 

You’ll see in my meal plan that our family gets a double treat this week, which is/was something to look forward to. Was because one of them is over – My mom’s birthday was yesterday. We had dinner at Neil’s Kitchen, and or course I ordered the arroz caldo and tokwa’t baboy. Then, this weekend it Father’s Day, and we usually celebrate that three times – Once with my grandfather, then with my dad, and finally with MrC. Fun!

Plus, the husbandry and I get a movie and lunch date this weekend, since the kiddo will be sleeping over at my parents’ house. Woohoooo! Me Before You, here we come!

So, yeah, I include these “eating out” days when I plot our meals for the week because they give me something extra

to look forward to. I can’t say, though, if it’s the eating out, or the fact that we don’t need to prepare and clean up, that excites me more.

 

There you go. Just a short and sweet post for today. 

One final note. I’ve been seriously thinking about a reboot for this blog, because of course I want it to grow and move forward as I grow and move forward in life. This past year of living in our own home has seen our family change in so many ways. I can say for sure that my ideas, and even my interests are so different now from when I started this blog.

The change of blog name, and other little adjustments that I’ve made over the last few months were only the start. Now I have a better idea of where I want things to go as far as my writing here is concerned. I’m at this analysis-paralysis phase, though, and I really don’t know where to start. I’ll get there. Hopefully soon. Hopefully, you’ll be there when I do.

 

So, what’s cooking in your kitchen this week?

PS In case you wanna cook along with me, here are some of the recipes I’ll be using this week:

• Baked ribs
• Spicy beef caldereta
• Chicken sopas (I’m using rotisserie chicken bones to flavor my soup. Makes things extra yum!)

It’s official – This is the last weekend before classes resume. Ang bilis!! I feel like I was just starting to enjoy summer, and now it’s over and done.

 

My favorite summer view. ? #summervacation #makeitblissful

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Apr 29, 2016 at 6:10pm PDT

To be honest, though, I am looking forward to having more structured days again. I think I say this each time the start of the school year draws near. Then, a few days in, I long for my easy days and lazy mornings to return. Lol. Same thoughts, different school year lang.

This year, I’m starting to shift myself into back-to-school mode earlier than usual. It’s something I always hope to do, but never actually do. I guess I’ve been at this long enough for me to already know what works and what doesn’t. And yes, I know that it pays to plan and prepare ahead.

I’m so prepared that I already have a set menu plan for the first week (or half-week since we start on a Wednesday) of classes. I’ve also already stocked my fridge, freezer, and pantry with what I need to prepare these meals. O, diba???

As always, this plan is made up of a few tried and tested dishes plus new recipes that I want to try. I also chose lunchbox fillers that I’m sure the kiddo would like to eat. This is so we can avoid the unfinished food drama that comes when I experiment with baon. I’m not ready for that just yet!

So, I know I keep saying that I hope to become more consistent with my meal plan posts, then I never do it, but this time I promise to try harder. Not just for you guys, but for me, too.

Meal planning helps me at home in so many ways. I get to stick to my budget when I know exactly what I should be buying. I don’t have to spend so much time thinking about what meals to prepare. I get to manage the contents of the fridge well, and make sure that leftovers are eaten up. I also am able to vary what we eat and make sure it’s some sort of healthy.

So there, more meal plans from me. Hopefully. Yes. I’m already off to a good start with this one.

P.S. In case you wanna cook along with me, here are some of the recipes I’ll be using this week:

• Pancakes from scratch
• Blueberry muffins
• Banana bread
• White adobo
• Chicken parm casserole