A rough sketch of how we try to eat--plus RECIPE LINKS

I've had several people ask me for linkys to some of my favorite healthy recipes.  I've had other people ask me to just post all my weekly menus from the past, present, and until the end of time.  Ha.  I won't be doing that.  I will post a prototype of our weekly menus, though, with some linkys to the recipes I've tried lately that I love.

Sun
B: cold oatmeal (we have 9:00 am church so always have cold oatmeal)
L/D: whatever I can scrape together--I'm terrible at planning Sunday food items
Snack: popcorn


Mon
B: hot nine grain cereal (I get mine from Kitchen Kneads in 25 lb bags) and banana smoothies
L: roasted cabbage (usually without bacon, but sometimes with--yum)
D: tacos with lentil-walnut meat substitute (don't be scared by the meat substitute--my children, husband, and I all LOVED it and we are not vegetarians.  I use it because it adds more lentils into our diets)
Snack: peanuts and apple slices

Tues
B: whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana slices
L: green salad (we eat a lot of lettuce salad for lunch--we add kidney beans for fiber)
D: apricot mint salad with brown rice
Snack: cut up veggies and ranch dressing

Wed
B: oat pancakes with yogurt and maple syrup dressing
L: roasted cabbage (we love that stuff) with a slice of bread
D: plain old white pancakes because we have them whenever I don't manage to get supper on the table and that happens at least once a week
Snack: banana smoothie

Thur
B: hot cereal and watermelon (I love watermelon for breakfast)
L: green salad
D: steak edamame salad with homemade baked potato fries
Snack: strawberries

Fri
B: hot cereal (we eat it the most of anything for breakfast) with scrambled eggs (I always add onions and green peppers to our scrambled eggs because I love it.  We also add mushrooms, spinach, asparagus--a favorite--or any other veggies I have on hand that sound yummy)
L: whole wheat toast with peanut butter and bananas
D: baked potato, fried green beans, cucumber and tomato slices (this is one of my favorite meals)
Snack: celery sticks with peanut butter

Sat
B: oat pancakes with yogurt maple syrup
L: leftovers (when I make rice I make double what I need so I can have one quick meal ready to go--a bowl of rice.  I usually broil some zuchinni to toss in and some scrambled eggs.  My children love this and call it a "rice bowl" though I think they use the term loosely.  Bulgar wheat also works well for this).
S: Sandwich with some sort of fruit.  I dislike cooking after a long, physical work day.
Snack: nothing.  My kids grab carrots if they are hungry.

There you go--a one week menu.  I usually have four nice meals per week, and the other three nights we munge along with lesser meals.  I used to shop for one week, but now I can't fit all the milk and fresh produce in the fridge so I switched to shopping for three days.  I find I waste WAY less now because if something happens and meals get switched around, there is more wiggle room.  Someday, though, I'd like a second fridge.

*Important note for LINDSAY: I make my homemade frozen burritos by taking one tortilla, adding a bit of the lentil-walnut meat substitute, sauteed green peppers and onions, and one scrambled egg.  Then I roll that up, wrap it in saran wrap and stick three into one ziploc bag.  When we eat one, we microwave for two minutes and douse with green salsa.  Yum!

Here are some linkys:

Banana peanut butter smoothies: http://www.cranialhiccups.com/2014/10/chocolate-peanut-butter-banana-smoothies.html

Roasted cabbage: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-roasted-cabbage-with-bacon-recipes-from-the-kitchn-105338

Lentil-walnut meat substitute: http://ohsheglows.com/2014/06/17/ultimate-green-taco-wraps-with-lentil-walnut-taco-meat-vegan-gluten-free/

SO YUMMY Apricot/Mint Salad: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/romaine_salad_with_chicken_apricots_mint.html

Oat pancakes with yogurt maple dressing: http://www.health.com/health/recipe/0,,10000001991442,00.html

Edamame salad (this will be a staple for my kids' lunches this year--it is very hearty and is eaten coldish--though I'll omit the steak most of the time): http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/edamame-salad-with-crisp-steak

ONE BONUS RECIPE; this is the recipe Timothy wants me to make and have on hand all the time for his snacking pleasure.  It is a granola bar, but there is no sugar, so you should think of it as something else entirely or you won't like it.  I like it because it is pretty healthy and filling, and I like all the crunch and chewiness.  So--a healthy alternative to a granola bar.  It is also gluten free, which matters to some of you and I like because I'm always trying to diversify my grains: http://ohsheglows.com/2014/05/20/feel-good-hearty-granola-bars/

Hope this helps someone!!!