What I'm Eating: Week 1
Are you curious what is on my weekly meal plan? Some of my Facebook followers told me they were, so we are going to test drive a new (possibly weekly) segment here on TNN called "What I'm Eating." In these posts, I'll share what my dinner lineup for the week looks like and the links to the recipes I'm cooking from. Since I'm a busy working mom, the recipes I use will either be ones that come together really easily at the end of a busy day, slow cooker recipes, or something that I can make during my weekly meal prep and quickly reheat. Truth be told, some of what I put on my weekly meal plan doesn't even have a recipe just a collection of balanced foods that work well together on a plate and are simple to make. Nothing that will take me (or you) 3 hours to cook or that is wildly complicated...because who really has time for that? Yeah, not me!
Drum roll, please! This week, my dining room table featured.....
1. Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers over bib lettuce with goat cheese. I made these with my weekly meal prep, as they do require some work and a bit longer in the oven then is realistic for me to do on a work day. This recipe made a nice big batch, so I had enough to feed my family of 3 dinner one night plus leftovers for lunches the following day. I love recipes that let me cook once, but eat twice.
2. Crockpot Pinto Beans with quinoa and roasted veggies. You guys will probably see this meal show up quite a bit on my meal plans, as my family is kind of in love with it. Its super easy to make, makes great leftovers, and is nice a hearty. Plus, it is very budget friendly if you are trying to feed a crowd! Since the beans cook in the slow cooker, I save it for a day that either my husband or I have to work late or a night that I know I will be pretty tapped for energy and will be tempted to get take-out. You can even roast the veggies as part of your meal prep and reheat night of, but if you have 10 minutes to chop veggies and 25 more to snuggle on the couch and snuggle or read a book while they cook, I prefer them freshly roasted.
3. Green Veggie Eggs with Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries and a simple fruit salad. I really love, love, love making breakfast for dinner. Its easy, usually pretty budget friendly, and just feels cozy. We typically do breakfast for dinner once a week...sometimes more! These green eggs are really tasty, dye free, and taste even better when you read Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham before dinner. The fries have become a trademark of mine, as it seems that my friends always request that I bring them whenever we are joining a potluck dinner.
4. Lentil Sloppy Joes with Roasted Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese. Hmmm, it appears that I am on a bit of a goat cheese kick....and a roasted veggies kick. It is, no lie, my favorite cheese. And I love to roast pretty much every veggie, especially during the colder months. Roasting takes away the bitterness of some veggies (like broccoli) and gives them a lovely flavor. Goat cheese and roasted veggies is an especially lovely flavor combination and I highly recommend you give it a whirl!
The salad was easy enough to throw together once I got home from work, but I did make the lentil sloppy joes ahead of time. They reheated beautifully (like many legume recipes) and were a fun, new way to enjoy lentils.
5. Coconut Flour Pancakes with a little almond butter, carrot sticks, and oranges. See, I told you I loved making breakfast-for-dinner. We did it twice this week because it was cold and rainy here in San Diego all week and snuggling up with pancakes and a cup or oranges, caffeine-free tea for dinner sounded like it fit the bill perfectly.
This coconut flour pancake recipe is my daughter's absoutele favorite! I can't tell you how many times we have eaten them. Plus, they are mixed entirely in the blender, so fewer dishes! I always double the batch so I can have leftovers. And you guys know how fond I am of leftovers. Make these pancakes for dinner and save the leftovers for a quick breakfast later in the week or for a "breakfast-for-lunch" in your favorite little person's lunch box.
There you have it, my dears. My nibbles and noms for the week. The other two days of the week, we enjoy leftovers, dinner out, or at a friend's house (we all need a break from the kitchen now and then). Nothing terribly fancy, just tasty nourishing food made from real ingredients.
If you find this meal plan helpful, please let me know! I want to provide you guys with the tools you need to make a healthy, real food life possible and appreciate your feedback on how to help you guys best!