Menu planning...organizing your week to make life easier

I will admit I have been slacking, and not feeling like cooking or much of anything, for reason I will not go into here, but I am back.
What I am going to write about is some meal plans for the week, as I always say what works for me is making a plan for two weeks and getting at least a weeks worth of cooking done on Sunday. This makes your week that much easier and not have to worry about feeding your child junk because you are rushed. So this is what one of my weeks look like, complete with links to the recipes.

Monday: Lentil Stew (My mom's recipe which can be found at the bottom of this posting).
Tuesday: Couscous and shrimp
Wednesday: Chicken pizza (pizza dough recipe to follow) just cook your chicken and cut up toppings add homemade tomato sauce, toppings and bake
Thursday: Veggie Casserole
Friday: Pasta with tomato sauce and sausage


I will try to continue to post weekly meal ideas, for those of you trying to provide a healthier home cooked meal, that doesn't start from a box.
Hope this helps, and please add in any comments for meal ideas, good to freeze and easy to do a head of time.

Guiso de Lentejas (Lentil Stew)

Vegetarian option - Express

Chopped: 1 onion
                celery stalk - 1 or  2 pieces
                1 carrot

Put 2 tbls. olive oil in a casserole, warm up, add chopped vegetables, lower temperature and let it cook vegetables for a few minutes with lid on.
Add 1 can tomatoes, chopped, to vegetables, let it cook for 2 minutes, add 2 potatoes chopped, add water and 1vegetable stock cube. When potatoes are cook add one can of lentils (first rinse under cold water). When it has started to boil turn off.

Second option

All the same that first option until you add the vegetable stock - add 3/4 cup of dry lentils and 1/2 cup brown rice. It takes about 30 minutes for lentils and rice to be cooked.


Third option - non vegetarian

In olive oil cook 1 sausage cut into small pieces or cook pieces of bacon or cook pieces of stew meat (remember to dry with towel paper the stew meat before adding to the oil, for the meat to brown better).
After the meat is cooked you can continue with option one or two.



Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
2 1/2 -3 cups All purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp Quick rise yeast (1 envelope)
3/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Water
2 Tbsp Olive Oil


Directions:
Combine 2 cups of flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Heat water and oil together until hot (125F/50C), stir into flour mixture about 2 minutes. Add enough remainig flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 4 minutes, adding more flour as needed to make the dough smooth and elastic. Shape dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes or until doubled in bulk make 2 pizzas.
(To cook roughly 400F for 10-20 minutes)