Menu planning

Whenever I have the energy to sit down and write out meal plans for the upcoming work week, 90% of our supper plans involve chicken.

For instance, last night I sat down for the first time in weeks and pre-planned our menu for next week. It makes things way easier on my end, since most of our meat is stored in the freezer and not getting old in the fridge.

Sun: Chicken quesadillas
Mon: Pork chops… with something (still haven’t decided)
Tues: Lemon pepper chicken stir fry
Wed: Mac & Cheese (the best recipe EVER)
Thurs: Rich & creamy white chicken spaghetti
Fri: Pork marinate, scalloped potatoes and veggies
Sat: Chicken wraps and salad

I don’t always stick to the menu plan and sometimes just stick in some frozen fish and french fries in the oven. But having the plan helps, as I take out whatever I need the night before to let it defrost in the fridge. Some evenings I’m just lazy. Occasionally one needs a break from the kitchen. Especially when you’re the only one who likes to cook! :)

I chop up the veggies before hand, cover them in saran wrap and stick them in the fridge so they’re ready to cook after my workouts. Otherwise, I’m lost in the kitchen when I have to start from scratch and come up with a meal. I always workout after work and don’t get home until 8pm and by that time I’m starving.

Whenever there is a sale on chicken I stock up. I’m talking I get tons of looks from other customers shopping around the grocery store with their cart. It’s like I have a family of 6 to feed. But in actual fact it’s just me and the Boyf. We love chicken … clearly.

My favorite type of chicken is the Maple Leaf Prime Naturally chicken breasts. Mainly because the cuts of meat are nice to look at and I don’t have to be grossed out by any red veins swimming through the chicken breast or any of that white fatty stuff that you get from the cheaper meats. Those gross me out to no end and I need to wear gloves to remove the stuff. I can’t even think about it, it just makes me ill. Plus the Prime Specialty Cuts comes in a variety of different forms of chicken cuts like regular chicken breast fillets (which is what I usually go for since it’s the cheapest – boneless skinless is my fav), or butterflied, or even thinly sliced chicken breasts for something like wraps or salads. These cuts are specially selected to cut down on your preparation and cooking time. As I’m sure you know, they’re already in stores, and so easy to find.

I always like to surf the internet for new recipes to try out in the kitchen. Anything that involves chicken, I’m on it. Maple Leaf Prime has a website geared to their fresh chicken breasts where you can find all sorts of recipes like Powerhouse Spinach & Chicken pizza (sounds mouth watering), or even a refreshing, crunchy summer Chicken and Raspberry salad. Or view all of the recipes here.

Use this $2.00 coupon that I found on Facebook to get a discount on your next purchase of Maple Leaf Prime Naturally Chicken breasts! You just have to watch a short video and answer an easy question to get the coupon. Everyone loves saving money.

Do you meal plan? It sure is a time saver, let me tell you that!