Weekly Meal Planning, Week of 1.30.12

This second half of January has seriously not been kind to me, health-wise. Last week I had horrible cold, and this week, I came down with strep throat. It was a particularly nasty case, including a fever, chills, fatigue, head and body aches, and, of course, the incredibly painful sore throat. It's been a long time since I've been that sick. I was aboslutely miserable, and didn't even eat anything for nearly three days, much less cook anything or meal plan for the coming week. I pretty much spent the entire time huddled in my bed, trying to sleep, and trying not to cry. 

I started feeling more like myself on Friday, and today I feel practically 100% -- my head still just pounds a little bit when I start doing too much, know that feeling? Anyway, I was able to eke out a meal plan for the upcoming week, and it's filled with all of Joe's favorite meals (as well as a couple of things from last week's plan that I didn't get to make, due to The Sickness). I am all about celebrating him for the coming week, since he did such an amazing job of taking care of me and the boys while I was sick. I didn't even see Andrew and Will for a couple of days, so he had to do everything on his own: morning wake-ups, breakfasts, daycare drop-offs and pick-ups, packing lunches, making dinner, doing the dishes, baths, stories and songs and the entire bedtime routine. He did an awesome job keeping the house up and running, and it really made me appreciate having him as a partner on a completely new level. Making a few of his favorite things is the least I can do. And another good thing? Most of these meals are so hearty that I probably won't need a meal plan next week at all.

Monday: Chicken with paprika cream sauce, egg noodles, steamed green beans. I'd planned to make this last Wednesday, but that's when The Sickness hit. I did not, sadly, make a batch of homemade noodles this weekend (instead I used my baking time to make a mocha cake that I can't wait to share with you), but I found some high-quality spaetzle at the supermarket that I think will be perfect for this dish.

Tuesday: Crescent pizza rolls and salad. I felt better on Friday, but I still didn't make these. I ordered pizza instead, because I was just that lazy.

Wednesday: Bacon pierogi bake. Joe has requested that I double this this time around, so he has plenty to take to work for lunches. I'm happy to oblige, since I love this so much too.

Thursday: Black bean and salsa soup, cheese quesadillas. Okay, this isn't technically one of Joe's favorites, but he does like it. I put it on the meal plan because I was talking about it to someone at work recently, and it just made me remember how delicious it is.

Friday: Swedish meatballs, egg noodles. Technically these aren't Joe's favorite meatballs, but considering all the spicy sausage we'll be eating this coming weekend I figured three in a row was overkill. He does love these, and his eyes practically lit up when I told him I'd be making them.

Saturday: Lasagna and garlic bread. This is the very first recipe I posted on this blog, and even though I've made so many delicious things since, this is still Joe's absolute favorite meal.

Sunday: Chili with Monterey ranch bread. It's Super Bowl Sunday, so it seems like a perfect night to have this for dinner. And Joe's been clamoring for a pot of this ever since the beginning of football season. The bread is the perfect accompaniment, and is too delicious for words.