Menu Plan for the next two weeks - July 15th to 29th, 2026

Well hello,  yes it is me, I am still here.  I have been so bad with updating my food blog, it's been forever since I've added a recipe or a post of any kind.  I can't make promises that I will be updating all the time, but I am hoping to get back to it as time permits.

 

Today, I am bringing you the meal plan for the next two weeks, as you may know if you've followed me for a while or follow my main blog Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, I shop for two weeks at a time.  it's something I started doing when we were an active duty family, and it's just stuck.  Why change a good thing right?

 

So here we go, the meal plan for the next two weeks:

 

 

 

Garlic Tilapia, Curried Couscous, Salad

 

 

 

 

 Eggplant Ground Beef Casserole, Steamed Broccoli

 

 

 

 

Ground Turkey Pasta Bake, Garlic Bread, Salad 

 

 

 

 

Chicken Shawarmas, Garlic Tzatziki

 

 

 

 

 Islak Burgers, Fries

 

 

 

 

 

 Sausages in tomato sauce, mashed potatoes, roast veggies

 

 

 

 

 

 Italian Chicken bake, Chickpeas and tomato salad

 

 

  

 

Ground Turkey Zucchini Casserole, Salad

 

  

 

 Fish Fillets in tomato sauce, Quinoa, Sauteed Squash

 

 

 

 

 Hot Sesame Pork, Basmati Rice

 

 

 

 

 

 Sandwiches or leftovers

 

 

 

 Fettucine Alfredo, Garlic Bread, Salad

 

 

 

 

Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries

 

 

 

 

 

 Brother in law's birthday, out to eat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Portuguese Coconut Cakes

 

If you don't yet know, I am a huge lover of coconut.  I just absolutely love coconut anything.  I grew up eating fresh coconut, drinking fresh coconut juice straight out of the coconut, and really there's nothing like it.

 

 

So it goes without saying that since I was a child, one of my favorite cakes are these Portuguese coconut little bars, sometimes they are round cakes too.  If we went to a Pastelaria (cake shop), I would usually order one of these.  

 

I haven't made them in years, but was having a craving for them yesterday, and since I had everything I needed on hand, I whipped up a quick batch.  Needless to say, I have got to be good and stay away from them, or I will eat the whole thing.  They are so good, and I hope you enjoy them too.

 

Bolos de Coco (Portuguese Coconut Cakes)

 

  

2 cups shredded coconut 

1 cup sugar 4 eggs 

1/2 cup butter, melted 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

 

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). 

 

 In a bowl, mix shredded coconut and sugar together. Add eggs and melted butter to the mixture and stir well. Mix in vanilla extract and flour until combined. 

 

Grease a baking pan and pour the batter into it. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Best Snickerdoodle Cookies

Without a doubt, my favorite cookies are Snickerdoodle, and especially when they are just perfect, soft and yummy.

 

I have made many cookies over the years and some recipes are ok, some don't come out as great, and this one is by far my go to, and my absolute favorite Snickerdoodle recipe.  They are no fail, always turn out amazing and are so easy to make.

 

I don't know where I got it from, over the years I have scribbled recipes on pieces of paper and notebooks, when I am scrolling online or on social media.  Wherever it came from, it is the best Snickerdoodle, truly.

 

Snickerdoodle Cookie

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter (1 cup)

1 and 1/3 cups of sugar

1/3 cups of brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

3 and 1/4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 and a 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

3/4 teaspoon of salt

Cinnamon sugar to roll cookies in 

 

 

Method:

 

Preheat oven to 375 ° F.  

 

In a stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugars until creamy.  Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix. Add the flour a little at a time, then the baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.  Mix well but don't overbeat, you just want everything mixed together.

 

The size of the cookies depends on you.  I just grabbed small bits of dough about the size of a golf ball, rolled into a ball and then rolled them in the cinnamon sugar to coat.  Place on a greased baking sheet, and then slightly flatten.

 

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool. 

Menu Plan Monday - February 9 to 15th, 2026

Good morning.  It has been a while since I've posted something on this blog, and I do miss sharing, so am hoping to start doing more of that.  I have a couple recipes to post, just need to sit down and do it instead of getting distracted.

 

One thing I do want to get back into is posting the Meal plans for the week, it helps me stay on track and also gives me a place to look back and see what I was making, for future meals.

 

So without further ado, here is the meal plan for this week.

 

 

Monday 9th
Breakfast: Low Carb Banana Pancake
Lunch: Tuna Salad
Dinner: Sticky Asian Chicken, Sesame Noodles, Sauteed Squash

Tuesday 10th
Breakfast: Oatmeal, Coffee
Lunch: Leftover Salad
Dinner: BBQ Pork Ribs, Roast Sweet Potatoes, Five Bean Salad

Wednesday 11th
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Multigrain Toast
Lunch: Honey and Vanilla Greek Yogurt, Walnuts
Dinner: Steak and Shrimp, Garlic Rice and bean salad

 

Thursday 12th
Breakfast: Weetabix, Coffee
Lunch: Leftover roast sweet potatoes, boiled egg, leftover shrimp
Dinner: Meat, Chicken Rissois, Leftover Rice, Avocado Ranch Salad

Friday 13th
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Greek Yogurt with honey, granola and blueberries
Dinner: French Bread Pizzas

 

 

Saturday 14th

Breakfast:  Toast, Coffee

Lunch:  

Dinner:  Fend for yourself 

 

Sunday 15th

Breakfast: Oatmeal with coconut and dates

Lunch:  Salad

Dinner: BBQ Chicken Legs, Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli and Cauliflower

Islak Burgers

These delicious burgers are a typical Turkish street food. 

 

I have been enjoying Mediterranean recipes for the past year, and one of the foods we have most enjoyed, have without a doubt been from Turkey.  There are so many delicious recipes, from heart warming stews and kebabs, to yummy street food like Pide and Simit.  I had not heard of an Islak Burger before, so when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it.

 

Wow was it good.  It was not only easy to make, it used simple ingredients but the result was fantastic.  You can make them in a skillet or in the oven, I chose to do the oven because I was making quite a few for the whole family.  Here is the source for the recipe.

 

 

Islak Burgers

Ingredients:

1½ pounds ground beef chuck (20% fat)

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided

1½ teaspoons paprika, divided

5 tablespoons (or more) unsalted butter, divided

¼ cup tomato paste

4 hamburger or brioche bun

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix beef, parsley, half of garlic, and 1 teaspoon paprika in a large bowl. Divide into 4 loosely packed patties 4″ wide and 3/4″ thick. Make a small indentation in the center with your thumb to help keep it flat as it grills. Chill until ready to use.

Meanwhile, cook 4 tablespoon butter and remaining garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until butter turns caramel-brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and remaining ½ teaspoon paprika, whisk to combine, and cook until paste begins to caramelize, about 30 seconds. Add ¾ cup water and whisk until smooth; simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and cook buns, cut side down, until cut sides are golden-brown, about 2 minutes (you may need to do this in 2 batches, using additional butter if needed). Using a brush, generously brush cut side of buns with tomato sauce.

Transfer buns to a 13 x 9″ glass baking pan.

Add oil to the skillet and increase heat to high; heat until oil begins to smoke. Season patties on both sides with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook burgers until lightly charred on the bottom, 2–3 minutes. Flip and cook to desired doneness, 2-3 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer burgers to the pan with sauce and coat burgers in sauce. Transfer burgers to bun bottoms and top with top bun. Brush the top of bun with sauce. Cover the pan with foil, transfer to the oven, and bake for 5 minutes. Carefully remove foil and serve immediately.