Meal plans and the week ahead

This week will be a bit busier than the last couple have been - it'll be nice to get back into things again. Today, we're having my grandma and my cousins Michelle, Tyson, Josh, Mandy, and Macie over for dinner, so that will be fun! My second session of Zumba starts up again on Tuesday night - I'm looking forward to it. I missed having it last week and I have several old friends in this new session, so it'll be fun to catch up with them. Thursday I'll be in Detroit for meetings. Friday is my flex day, but we're going to skip Kindermusik. Carson will be sad about that, but he'll still get to have fun. We're meeting Kevin's family in East Lansing at the MSU Butterfly House and Children's Gardens to play for a bit and then go out to lunch together afterwards - either in East Lansing or in Ionia if we end up meeting Kevin's grandparents now, too. We'll be celebrating three of Carson's cousins' birthdays that fall in March and April. Then it's home to start the baking and food prep for Easter dinner. I think we'll just hang out at home on Saturday - prepping for Easter and working on some projects inside and outside. Although, we may go up to a local easter egg hunt... we'll just see what we feel like doing.

We'll be continuing to work on Carson's new bedroom this week. We didn't work on it much at all this past week. We ended up doing projects outside or just relaxing instead. The weather is supposed to be super nice this week, so we'll see how much painting we get done again. I'd really like to have the walls done this week and get started on the doors, if not the trim. In addition to the bedroom project, I'm planning to do some more spring cleaning, and we're hoping to get quite a bit of work done outside in the yard.

I've been focusing on trying to use up some things from the pantry and freezer lately. I'll be continuing it this week. I just have quite a few things that need to be used up fairly soon. Plus, it's always nice to see the pantry and freezer stocks reducing in size in preparation for the upcoming harvest season. I'll be doing tons of preserving from the garden, orchard, and farmers' markets before I know it, so I need to get everything ready. Anyway, here's what I'm thinking for meals this week...

Sunday ~ family over for dinner
(make ABin5 dough for week and bake a loaf; make steel cut oats for week; work outside in the morning/afternoon or paint walls in Carson's new room)
B: pancakes with strawberry syrup
L: tuna sandwiches on toasted bread with dill pickle slices; raw green pepper slices; oranges
D: ham (from our pig last year); lamb chops; cheesy potatoes; roasted cauliflower/carrots/zucchini/brussels sprouts; creme de menthe cake

Meatless Monday ~
(clean out and organize the upstairs pantry; work on debris pile in backyard)
B: steel cut oats with dried cherries and brown sugar
L: leftover ham, potatoes, veggies
D: bean chili in the crockpot (no meat)

Tuesday ~ Zumba
(clean kitchen and bathroom; work on debris pile in backyard)
B: toast with PB
L: leftover chili
D: ginger glazed mahi mahi; whole wheat couscous with mushrooms; pea pods

Wednesday ~ Kevin leaves for Lafayette
(vacuum entire house)
B: steel cut oats with maple syrup and brown sugar
L: misc.
D: baked chicken with garlic scape pesto; potato wedges with garlic scape pesto; broccoli; applesauce

Thursday ~ Detroit for work; pick up 2-year portraits; Kevin comes home from Lafayette
(paint in Carson's new room; remove doors and prime)
B: banana bread from freezer
L: S - lunch at my meetings; K & C - leftover chicken, potatoes, broccoli, applesauce
D: salmon cakes; green beans; peaches

Friday ~ flex day; MSU Butterflies and Children's Garden; podiatrist
(make lemon blueberry cookies for Easter dinner on Sunday; paint in Carson's new room; paint doors; work outside)
B: banana bread from freezer; fruit
L: out to lunch in East Lansing or Ionia
D: beef roast in the crockpot with potatoes and carrots

Saturday ~ Ben and Kati over for dinner and MSU Final Four game!
(make blueberry buckle and layer salad for Easter dinner on Sunday; paint in Carson's new room; paint final coat on doors; work outside)
B: scrambled eggs; toast with homemade jam
L: leftover beef roast; misc.
D: peanut turkey burgers; zucchini fries; pineapple grilled food... steaks or burgers; grilled baked potatoes; applesauce; Kati's bringing salad and a dessert