Meal Planning - Week of CHRISTMAS

Hello! 

I'll start by saying, safforn is CRAZY expensive!!  ???  I sent Greg to the store to do our shopping last week, and he came back with a $20 bottle of saffron!  We could have purchased 2 (or 3) bottles of wine for that amount!  I definitely would have revised the week's menu had I known that the 1/2 teaspoon of saffron I needed for the couscous would have been more than what the entire meal should have cost.  I probably should have read through the reviews of the recipe (as I'm doing now) as it would have been obvious to me at that point!

But hey - my husband is awesome and buys me what I ask for so I'll stop complaining now.  (However, the couscous was just eh, so whatever).

All in all, last weeks dinners were good! I tend to mix up the nights on which I cook things, and on Monday I ended up cooking both the soup and the spaghetti which made the next night very easy :)

Here is Ben eating some of the sausage/vodka sauce spaghetti:

 

My challenge lately is to find stuff to make that Ben will be able to eat with his hands.  We are going through an "Oh Hell No" phase when it comes to utensils, so anything offered to him via spoon or fork is NOT HAPPENING.  (And him eating with his own utensils is also not happening yet - probably due in equal parts to my cleanliness OCD and for his own safety).

 

Since we are hosting Christmas morning brunch this year and then having Christmas dinner with Hilary and her family, we will attempt to "eat what we have" once more on rest of the days next week.  I also would like to clear out what remains in the freezer and pantry and sort of start fresh in the new year.  Does anyone else ever get like this?  With their homes stocked full of stuff that gets pushed to the back and never eaten?

 

Additionally, on January 2nd I'm starting a 10 day cleanse.  Fun, right? (No?)  I have been interested in trying this one though, as we sell it at the yoga studio and I've only heard great things, and after a month year of cookies, I think my body could afford to go 10 days without them (and wine, and dairy, and wheat, and sugar).  So, it would be nice if my fridge was somewhat cleared out and organized so that I can prepare for this. 

 

Monday/Christmas Eve: We have a Groupon to use at the Mukilteo Lodge, so I'm thinking Christmas Eve may be the perfect time to use that up.

 

Tuesday/Christmas:  Brunch will be eggs, breakfast sausage, and fruit and my mom is bringing over a danish.  My favorite.  Yum!  That evening, we will be heading over to Debbie's to have Prime Rib and will be bringing a green salad and a green bean casserole.  (If anyone has a better green bean casserole to share, please send it to me)!

 

Wednesday: Marinated chicken (of some sort), arugula salad and quinoa with whatever veggies I have on hand.

 

Thursday: Frozen Costco Pastas with an arugula salad.  (We have a few different kinds in the freezer right now that I'd like to use up)!

 

Friday: Black bean tacos with cabbage slaw (a new favorite) and fresh guacamole.