Food, glorious Food

Meal planning time again......all set until March 1st! Feel free to share some ideas and/or snag some of mine:
2/2 - baked potato bar with cantaloupe and strawberries
2/3 - Superbowl! hamburger/hot dogs, chips, etc......NOT counting calories
2/4 - beef stew over creamy polenta
2/5 - baked ziti with Italian sausage; baked eggplant
2/6 - pork chops, perogies, stmd. broccoli
2/7 - oven-fried chicken, beans, salad
2/8 - take n' bake pizza (Mom scrapbooking)
2/9 - bbq shrimp, sauteed green beans, homemade applesauce
2/10 - chicken piccata, brown rice, stmd. broccoli
2/11 - turkey tettrazini, salad
2/12 - Mardi Gras! red beans and rice, french bread (maybe make a pecan pie)
2/13 - pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, garlic steak fries
2/14 - tuna melts, fruit salad
2/15 - meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green peas
2/16 - Boboli, make your own pizza (saus., pepp., veggies)
2/17 - herb-grilled chicken, roasted red potatoes, stmd carrots
2/18 - ham steaks, scalloped potatoes, soy beans
2/19 - tacos/chicken quesadillas, refried beans
2/20 - lasagna, salad, garlic bread
2/21 - crab cakes w/ lemon aioli, green beans, risotto
2/22 - Sean is 13! Chip-HALL-tole (homemade burritos/ Chipotle style)
2/23 - chef salad (ham, turk., hb eggs, celery, cuc., bell pepp, bac. bits, avoc., carrot, lettuce, cheese)
2/24 - pork loin stuffed with spiced peaches, stmd broccoli, wild rice blend
2/25 - roasted whole chicken, couscous, steamed cauliflower w/cheese
2/26 - spaghetti w/meatballs, salad, garlic bread
2/27 - hearty minestrone soup, crusty bread, fresh melon
2/28 - baked fish, baked sweet potato, sauteed spinach
3/1 - popcorn-coated chicken, salad, mac n cheese

WOOT! So excited to not think about dinner for another month. The kids love it and have told me multiple times "I really like knowing what's for dinner." I like being able to log in the calories for my fitness pal/counter thing. AND I'm happy to say that except for the night out with Collin to The Habit while I was scrapbooking, our family did not eat out ONCE last month. I am really trying to spend money on good food and not eating out (too $$$$, too bad for you, blah, blah)

To answer a couple of questions that friends have asked:
1) I shop at Albertson's and Sprouts. I make an ingredients list twice a month. I go in the beginning of the month and again around the 16th or 17th. I buy meat when it's on sale or even clearance. I use coupons as much as I can for all the extra stuff like yogurt, cheese, toilet paper, etc. Buy store brand stuff; not loyal to any labels. Most of my produce comes from Sprouts because the prices are amazing; seafood comes from there as well; I buy bulk stuff there too (flax seed meal, nuts, couscous, brown sugar, etc.).
2) I shop only at Costco WITH a list. Things like butter, granola bars for lunches, eggs, lunch meat, canned chicken, trash bags, choc.chips, kitchen wipes. You have to have tunnel vision and avoid the samples (empty calories and way too much temptation). Trust me - I know how good those little chicken sandwiches are, Ma'am; AND why am I drinking this smoothie stuff because I will never buy it; Wait, maybe I do need that super-deluxe-mega-awesome-soup-making-blender.
3) I try to bake from scratch on a regular basis. I make chocolate chip cookies and banana bread (and add in wheatgerm and flax seed meal, muhahahaha)
4) We have family dessert on Sundays. Sometimes I make something; sometimes it's a Sara Lee cheesecake; sometimes it's an angel food cup with berries and whip cream.

BUT before you think my kids only eat healthy.....let it be known, they eat ice cream or popsicles after school every day!!!! (Did you know Blue Bunny is cheap at Walmart?) :)

Hmmmmm, maybe I know what they should give up for Lent?