Meal Plan

Its always encouraging when the 4yr old walks in the kitchen and starts with "I don't like..." while he walks around the kitchen looking for something he can lay his hands on that he doesn't like. Today it was the kidney beans I put in the chili, which was a problem for him because he really like kidney beans.

Monday evening: Chicken Chili
Tuesday lunch: Chickpea & Veg Curry, Naan
Menu: Beef Rendang, Rice, Sayur (may be a little extra for the freezer)
Menu: Chicken, Bean, Cheese Soft Tacos, homemade salsa
Menu: BBQ Chicken Pizza with Zucchini Yeast Bread Crust
Menu: Baked Potatos, Brocolli, Cheese, Salsa, Sour Cream
Alternate: Tuna Burgers, Mashed Potato (leftover from baked), Corn Cob
Alternate: Spinach Quiche (my houseworker isn't crazy about this one I think)

Baking & Cooking
**Roasting Pumpkin to make Puree- freeze extra
Granola
**Homemade Applesauce - freeze extra
Tortilla - pure joy
Make extra taco chicken for freezer

**If you are buying these two things you're seriously missing out.
Pumpkin Puree (too simple for words)
- cut open a pumpkin
- clean out seeds
- put on cookie sheet skin side up
- bake 350 ish (maybe you have the oven on for something else, whatever temp in the 300s is probably fine) until the inside is soft and the outside looks like it wants to collapse
- cool, don't be a silly like me, you will burn your fingers, and scoop out into a freezer box.
Use like any old can of pumpkin only you're going to feel like a genius.

Homemade Applesauce
- buy a ton of apples
- sit in front of tv or kids playing games or whatever and cut, core apples (maybe you want peel, maybe you don't). You don't have to be standing in the kitchen to cut apples.
- Cook for as long as you like in pot that is big enough. Maybe you like chunky like my husband, maybe you like puree like his brother, you choose. Throw a little water on top if they start getting burny at the bottom, just some, not tons.
Now you've made applesauce and you know where it came from and you know how much sugar is in it, just what was in the apple. Again you feel like a genius for loving your body and your family's body. You want a lunch box cup- you just saved yourself money by making it so go buy a reuseable box, you're worth it.