Meal planning while staying in a hotel room in Manhattan is pointless – especially if you’re staying in the smallest hotel in the city. What do you do when hunger strikes and you’re taking in Times Square? Head to the very tasty “99 Cent Fresh Pizza” and enjoy pizza by the slice while people watching. Yes, standing on the street corner and eating pizza on a paper plate – it’s what all the tourists do – and plenty of locals as well!
And after several nights of restaurant dining, I was ready to do some cooking and eating of fresh vegetables from the garden!
Meal Plan
Meal planning saves money, resources and time. Only after I make the meal plan do I make the grocery list. It helps me keep track of what food we have so less goes to waste.
Meal plan from Monday, July 1, 2013 to Sunday, July 7, 2013
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: leftovers
Wednesday: a very big green salad (beginning of our home swap adventures – Cambridge, Mass.)
Thursday: chicken and pasta with green beans (lunch at James Hook – lobster rolls!)
Friday: shrimp scampi and edamame (lunch at Regina Pizzeria in the North End)
Saturday: pork cutlets, zucchini, mushrooms and bread – all grilled (lunch at The Paramount in Beacon Hill)
Sunday: black bean, corn and tomato salad – yes, I used canned beans!
Meal plan from Monday, July 8, 2013 to Sunday, July, 14 2013
Monday: pasta, sausage and green salad
Tuesday: leftovers (lunch at The Boynton in Worcester, Mass – where else do you eat in Worcester, Mass???)
Wednesday: grilled chicken, couscous salad and green salad in Marion, Mass – a lovely meal prepared by our hosts – and it was delicious!
Thursday: street tacos – I brought so many black beans (cooked at our home exchange house) and cooked pulled Mexican pork and served it with fresh salsa, cheese, tortillas and sour cream sauce – and it was gone! Teenagers are such good eaters and we were still in Marion, Mass with about 20 people for dinner.
Friday: fish and chips – dinner was at A Salt and Battery in New York – we arrived late in New York, we were starving, and we chowed down!!
Saturday: This was the pizza on the street corner night – (after we enjoyed lunch at Prosperity Dumpling – $1 for 4 dumplings – located in Lower East Side – it’s the best!!)
Sunday: some people ate hot dogs from the street vendor (not me – ) and then we met up with my stylish friend, George, at Tortilla Flats and we almost won the “trivia night” competition. “Almost won” because the tie breaker was chugging a beer and my husband just missed beating out the much younger competitors!
Meal plan from Monday, July 15, 2013 to Sunday, July 21, 2013
Monday: pizza in Philadelphia at my brother and sister-in-law’s home – we took the train there early –
Tuesday: (back in Portland) – green salad from the garden – this was the beginning of major healthy eating!
Wednesday: shrimp and pea salad served on greens from the garden
Thursday: leftovers and more vegetables from the garden
Friday: salmon (fresh from Alaska – Prince William Sound Salmon – yes, they shipped it to me fresh and it was delicious, grilled with salad fresh from the garden!)
Saturday: whole wheat pasta, sausage and green salad (my son made dinner this night)
Sunday: leftovers (whole wheat pasta and sausage) with sauteed kale from the garden
Meal plan from Monday, July 22, 2013 to Sunday, July 28, 2013
Monday: fresh albacore tuna on the grill and green salad from the garden
Tuesday: black beans and fresh salsa
Wednesday: tuna fish salad sandwiches
Thursday: pork burgers and all the fixings – cooked on my new gas grill – you’ll hear all about this later!
Friday: ground pork and sauteed kale from the garden with quinoa – dinner for 10!
Saturday: leftovers from family party
Sunday: leftovers from family party with cheese and crackers and whatever vegetables were available
What’s for dinner at your house? Are eating fresh vegetables from the garden or pizza on the street corner on your menu?
Go Gingham related links:
Our favorite summer tomato meal – it’s called summer dinner!
Asian shrimp noodle salad – another tasty make-ahead dish you’ll love
Betsy’s best brownies – our chicken who is no longer with us
Healthy and tasty chocolate chip cookies – yes, with flax seeds and chocolate chips!
New to cooking at home? Fear not!
11 reasons to meal plan every week – save money, save time and reduce food waste
More related links:
The New York Times wrote about this tasty pizza, too, and you’ll find the article taped the wall of the restaurant while waiting for pizza to come out of the oven.
Disclosure: Prince William Sound Salmon sent me salmon and I loved it!! We ate some and froze some so look for it on the meal plan again, too.
Go Gingham 
I have a hole in my pantry right now, no canned pinto beans. Fortunately the dry ones were on ad this week, so I cooked up some of those.
Serving burritos made with the beans, cooked ground turkey, salsa, and guacamole. May try serving the burritos smothered with enchilada sauce, as I have seen on a few TV commercials.
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Karen,
It’s funny that you’re trying the “ad” food at home! We do that – especially the billboards while driving. Your meals sound extra healthy and excellent job not using canned beans. 🙂
Thanks for leaving a comment.
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You have a very beautiful family!
Thank you for sharing your meal plan – always gives me ideas!
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Janna,
Thank you about the family! 🙂
The kids aren’t always happy when I have the camera out!
I’m glad you like the ideas. I sometimes feel like we’re having the same foods over and over so it’s good to hear that you’re getting ideas!
Enjoy August and all the fresh foods from the garden. Thanks for leaving a comment.
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