I haven’t done a Menu Monday in awhile.  I was working a crazy schedule prior to our move: I worked, slept, and that was it.  I ate once a day, if you can believe that {no, that wasn’t a diet plan – I was too tired to eat and too busy at work to take a “lunch” in the middle of my night shift}.  Our “weekly menus” were dishes that I could cook a large amount of on my day off, freeze, and eat during the week.  Anything made in a slow-cooker was a favorite!

I’ve discovered that meat in NZ is a bit more expensive than in the US {except for lamb!}.  Do I hear a vote for vegetarianism, anyone?!

This week, I’m making things from Cooking Light.  First is Butternut Squash Lasagna.

Over here, squash is referred to as pumpkin, and there’s a lot of it.  Might as well capitalize on that and turn it into something useful.  The recipe calls for homemade sauce, but I went the easy route and bought it pre-made.  I don’t have many cooking implements in NZ yet {still waiting for our stuff to arrive!}, so making anything too involved is out of the question.  And yes, homemade sauce is too involved in my book.  I made 1 big pan instead of 2 smaller ones, and used frozen spinach and dried parsley instead of fresh.  I also used 1/2 reduced-fat ricotta and 1/2 reduced-fat cottage cheese instead of only using ricotta.  This is a yummy, healthy alternative to meaty lasagna, but I thought it was a little on the bland side.  When I make it again, I’ll probably add a bit more salt and pepper {and maybe a hint of garlic!}, buy a better sauce, and use more cheese.  Chris loved it and said that he thought this should be one of my new staples.  That’s always nice to hear!

Second on the list is couscous with chickpeas, tomato, and edamame.

Image via

Since edamame is harder to find, I’m going to substitute it for peas.  I’ve never made couscous, but Chris bought some, so I’ll give it a shot!

Next up is antipasto-style penne with provolone.

This dish calls for prosciutto, but I’m going to replace it with provolone, as the recipe suggests.  I’m not an olive fan, either, so I’ll trade those for broccoli.

And last but not least, we have Chipotle Bean Burritos.

Doesn’t that look good?  I love burritos, and I love chipotle style food.  However, if you’re not a chipotle fan or if you can’t seem to find chipotle powder, then you can substitute the 1/2 tsp of chipotle chili that this recipe calls for with 1/2 tsp of regular chili powder with a dash {or 1/8 tsp, if you want to be specific} of ground red pepper.

So tell me – what’s on your plate for this week?  Do you have any simple yet to-die-for recipes?  If so, please share them with me!  You can send them my way at mrs{dot}practicallyperfect{at}gmail{dot}com.  I’d love to give them a try, and maybe they’ll be featured on a subsequent edition of “Menu Monday”, ha ha 😉

*Images via Cooking Light unless otherwise specified

**I should also add, we are not switching to a vegetarian diet.  I still love my meat 🙂