I love it when a plan comes together

Every week - usually on or right before the weekend - I set down and look at my week and come up with a meal plan for the week. I find that it helps me stay on budget for our food expenses, since it eliminates additional trips to the grocery store, and helps keep my head from spinning too much during the week. Most recently I did this on a Sunday morning with a plate of pared down huevos rancheros.

Fuel for the planning fire

I toasted three store-bought tortillas that had been leftover for a while now, dropped some salsa and shredded cheese in them, and topped with a pair of fried eggs and some chopped scallion. Very tasty I must say, and just the thing to keep me on track as I scouted out my meals for the week.

Perfect planning preparation place!

I take into consideration what is going on with everyone as I prep for the meals. Will the meals make leftovers for lunches? Is it something the kids will eat? If the kids won't eat it what will they eat instead? Are we skipping meals at home this week for parties or other events? All of these things are important, as well as any other things that could come up. This Friday is the final day of kindergarten for my 6-year old, so I decided to plan in a macaroni and cheese covered pizza - one of his personal favorites.

Do you plan out your meals? Share your thoughts on making a meal plan in the comments section below!

I'll have what he's having

Lunches on the weekends around here are often scattered and disorganized. The 1-year old gets whatever he is eating at the time, normally some yogurt, possibly some leftovers, and fruit. The 6-year old has a grilled cheese, leftover pizza (if there is any), a sandwich, or some kind of pasta. My wife and I often look around for what leftovers we need to use up and try to eat those.

I am known for dressing up leftovers for myself, and often my wife will get leftovers for herself and then see what I made for myself and want me to make that for her instead. Today, I decided to make a double portion of the leftover upgrade for the both of us, and I used the carnitas that we made the other day to make some loaded nachos.

Loaded Carnitas Nachos

I started by putting a good layer of blue corn chips into an oven-safe dish. Then I topped with some shredded cheddar cheese, sliced cherry tomatoes, a healthy dose of leftover carnitas, and finished off with a little more shredded cheddar. This then cooked in the oven at 250 degrees for about 10 minutes or so - just to make sure that everything was warmed through and the cheese was nice and warm. Then I topped the whole dish off with a little of the salsa verde I also had laying around.

Fan. Tas. Tic. 

The perfect nacho bite - a bit of everything!

I mean, who can go wrong with a tasty meat smothered in cheese with some fresh veggies and a tasty sauce - especially delivered on a tortilla? No one can.