I will begin my planning for week 88 by saying that the best laid plans often go awry!  Last week’s plan did just that.  There were several meals including the biscuits and gravy, egg salad, meatballs, steaks and chicken piccata that were never prepared. http://threeforksintheroad.com/menu-plan-for-week-87-with-trim-healthy-mama/  Yes, I agree…a lot!  The reason…simple.  Several meals fed us an extra day and I added a family dinner on Sunday featuring chicken enchiladas and Mexican Kale Salad requested by my grand daughters.  Huge adjustments.  Normally I would simply move the missed meals to the following week, but we will be traveling.  When we return, we will be entertaining out of town guests, so I have lots of planning and very little time prior to their arrival for food prep.  With that being said, the menu plan for week 88 is very simple.

The breakfasts planned for week 88…uncomplicated.  No creativity here.

The lunches planned for week 88 are basic as well, except for a new recipe, lasagna soup which I plan to make ahead.  Our guests arrive on Tuesday at noon, so I want to have a fairly easy lunch.  It is a new recipe, but looks enjoyable.  One of our guests is fairly picky about food, so that is in the back of my mind.  We will have soup and salad.

Lasagna Soup  THM S

The dinners for week 88 are totally easy before we leave on our road trip.  We have busy evening schedules and I have no interest in rushed evening meals.  We plan to return mid day Sunday, and I will have my daughter thaw the steaks I planned last week.  I will serve the steaks with a salad, and grilled mushrooms.  We have left over lasagna in the freezer for a quick and easy meal on Monday as I get the house ready for guests.  Tuesday evening I plan a meatloaf and cauliflower casserole.  The meatloaf, a family favorite, can be made ahead and frozen.  The cauliflower can be put together ahead as well.

Bobby Flay’s Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

Most of the planning for week 88 stems from the necessity of preparing ahead for the end of the week and thinking ahead to week 89.  I find that it is very difficult to prepare for guests when I am away prior to their arrival.  When my schedule changes I become very disorganized with my daily routine and my thinking.

I find that I am thinking more about week 89 at this point.  I need to be extremely organized with that meal plan.

We will look forward to getting away, but the trip definitely makes planning ahead a necessity.

So, we will eat simply, but remain in sync with the THM eating plan.  Bon Appetit!