SCENES FROM A WEEKEND

We had a great weekend-up until yesterday afternoon where I was reminded of a Jen Hatmaker post, in which she prays to God that He protect her children from dying at her hands for their attitudes. It was a...challenging...Sunday. But! It's a new day and a new week. Things can only go up.

I started off my weekend with a much needed, long overdue. girl's night. We went to a comedy club, something I had never done. I had low expectations-I'm not one for jokey humor. But it was actually so much fun and one of the comics was truly funny. Plus I got to make a new friend and hang out with two of my favorite people ever. We have plans to make this a regular thing, trying out new places and things one a month or so. I'm excited to plan our next mini adventure!

Despite the fact that it was about 100 degree and 100 percent humidity, we took the kids to an outdoor expo Saturday. It was super fun-lots of crafts and displays. Also a blood hound puppy and a a falcon. I obviously need both of these animals as pets.

I finally got a run in. Two of the slowest miles ever.

 Meal prep like a boss. Or a Queen, to be more precise:

Still trying to understand Snapchat. It's more than just the filters, right? Maybe? I'm not sure at this point.

Sunday breakfast, Whole 30 style.

Sunday supper. We always have a nice, sit down dinner on Sunday evenings. I made salmon cakes (recipe here) and they were super good. The kids liked them which surprised me. Plus steamed green beans with ghee and garlic, and red skinned mashed potatoes, with ghee, coconut milk, and my homemade version of seasoned salt. A simple, delicious meal. Those salmon cakes are going into the fall meal rotation! Even in the midst of Meltdown Central that was our Sunday, everyone managed to pull it together and enjoy our dinner.
And then bedtime happened. But let's not think about that.

Happy Monday! Hope you have a great week.

HOW TO START MEAL PLANNING

Thinking about what you are going to have for dinner shouldn't start at 7 PM. That's the kind of thinking that usually ends up with ordering pizza. Again.

Meal planning is one the simplest and best ways you can eat healthy and save money. But, despite it being simple and straight forward, it can feel daunting to start if you've never done it before. But here's the thing: you can totally make meal planning fit to YOUR life and once you start, you can't really mess it up. Promise.

I'm going to walk you through simple ways to get started meal planning. It's going to be fun! Really.

Step One: Assessment

Think about these things before you get started:

-What do you and your family like to eat? A key to my meal planning is I have a list of food I know everyone likes and will eat. I change this list seasonally-for example, right now in the summer we eat a lot of big salads, grill regularly, and eat tons of squash and tomatoes. In contrast, during the fall and winter, I use my slow cooker twice a week to make soups and chili. Make a list of the things you like and take from that every week.

Not sure about what to add to your list? Or maybe you're trying to change your eating habits? Look through cookbooks, websites and blogs, and Pinterest for inspiration and ideas

-Who are you cooking for? Every week is different. You might have family visiting. You might have a kid away at camp. You might be going away for a weekend. Plan for this! 

-What kind of time do you have and what is your budget? There are times and seasons where things are hectic. If you have a a crazy busy week ahead, plan accordingly. (I use my slow cooker religiously during the months of April, May, and June when we have baseball three nights a week.) Try to keep meals simple most nights, especially during the week. On the weekends, I'll try new recipes and make a big meal that requires more time.

Also, consider your budget and be realistic. Make your mantra "eat healthy for less."

Step Two: Make Your Plan

It's time, Take a deep breath, You can do this!

-Check your pantry and fridge. See what you already have on hand. Go from there.

-Things You Need: Pen. Paper. Write down what you want to make each night. A good starting point:  Aim to cook 4-5 meals, add in a day or two of leftovers, and a night to eat out. As you write out your meals, think about what ingredients you'll need. Make your grocery list concurrently as you make your plan. 

So if you're planning grilled chicken seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika, green beans with walnuts, and a nice loaf of bread for Monday's dinner, write down all your ingredients on your grocery list: chicken, green beans, walnuts, bread, butter. Wait, do you already have butter in your fridge? Don't put it on the list! Are you running low on salt? Write that down!

And then move on to the next meal!

I write my meal plans in my bullet journal. I find it very effective to be able to go back and see what we've been eating over the past few weeks. A notebook is certainly not necessary to meal plan, but I think it's helpful.

Step Three: Shop

-There is truly only one "rule" for this part: Take your list. Shop from your list. Ignore the candy aisle (unless candy is on your list).

Step Four: Cook and Enjoy!

A Couple Tips:

-Keep your meals simple. I can't stress this enough. Keeping things simple, but delicious, is the way to make your meal planning successful. 

-Meal Prep. I've talked about how much meal prep is essential to my week. If there are things you can do to help make your week easier-cut up veggies, wash fruit, marinate meat-it is super helpful to take an hour on Sunday and get it done.

There! Four steps to an easier week, healthier eating, and money saving. 

Look for more posts about meal planning and food prep soon!

RUSTIC BEEF & ZUCCHINI FRITTATA

Frittatas are both an easy and delicious food. This egg dish tastes equally good warm or cold, and can be a perfect meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Also, as long as you have eggs, you can put pretty much anything in a frittata and have it taste good.

This beef and zucchini frittata is Whole 30 (so that means gluten, sugar, and dairy free!) and super easy to whip up during food prep. You can make it on Sunday and have it in your fridge for breakfasts and lunches all week or you can serve it for brunch on Sunday. I'm, using ground beef in this one, but it would be equally delicious with ground turkey if you don't eat beef, or with potatoes and bell peppers if you don't eat meat. That's the genius of frittatas: you can make it totally to your taste AND clean our your fridge at the same time. It's a winner.

(Also, I called it rustic because I like the top of my frittatas to be browned and also I don't have to worry about it looking perfect. Fun fact: "rustic" makes it sound like your not perfect things are that way on PURPOSE so you never have to feel like you've failed. Try it out:

"I made a rustic birthday cake!" instead of "I totally ran out of frosting."

See?? Totally changes the perspective. You're welcome.)

Rustic Beef & Zucchini Frittata

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground beef

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 white onion, chopped

8 eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp. cooking fat, such as olive oil or ghee (or butter if you aren't trying for whole 30/no dairy)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the ground beef in a heavy bottom pan over medium high heat, until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. Remove meat to a plate and drain the pan, retaining one tablespoon of grease. Add zucchini and onion to pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Return beef to pan and combine. Add cooking fat. Pour in beaten eggs and gently fold into meat and veg mix. Allow to sit, without stirring 3-5 minutes, until eggs are set on the side and bottom of pan, but still wet looking. *Carefully transfer to a pie dish  Cook under the broiler (or at 500 degrees) for 5 minutes until the top is browned and eggs are cooked. Serve warm or refrigerate. Can be reheated of served cold.

Enjoy!

*If you're cooking the frittata in a cast iron pan or other oven safe pan, you do not need to transfer it to a pie dish; you can simply stick that pan in the oven. I use the pie pan because it's easier to store in the fridge and I need my cast iron throughout the week. 

WEEKLY MEAL PLAN // WEEK 25

*This is obviously not the the 25th time I've posted my weekly plan, since this is a new series I'm starting here, It is however, the 25th week of the year, and the 25th week of meal planning in general for me this year :). 

Every week in my bullet journal, I write out my weekly meal plan, my grocery list, and a list of things I want to prep for the week. And I'm letting you guys have a sneak peek at it, cross-outs and all! Plus links to some of the recipes I'm using this week.  For me, meal prep is essential to a smooth running week. It makes a difference in my entire mood and only takes a couple hours. And it allows us to sit down as a family almost every night for dinner.

This week I'm making these recipes:

Chicken Gyro Salad from Smitten Kitchen  I've been using a lot of SK recipes lately, mostly from her cookbook. It's a great book if you're looking for one to pick up!

Chicken Lettuce Cups from Shutterbean This are a HUGE hit with my family.

My own Whole 30 compliant meatballs

Paleo Tzatziki from Jay's Baking Me Crazy

When the weather is nice, we basically barbecue/salad it up all weekend and Monday through Thursday I try to focus on simple, healthy meals. This summer, I'm having the kiddos cook on Thursdays, to the best of their ability. The idea is that they chose what to make and then, with minimal assistance, make dinner themselves. Last week was our first week trying this out, and they loved it! We'll see how they feel come the last week of August.

Come back next week for another installment of weekly meal plans!*

*Hopefully I can manage to do this weekly!!

WHOLE 30 Compliant MEATBALLS

Ignore this not beautiful photo. These meatball are delicious, easy to make, family friendly, AND Whole30. Win/win/win/WIN. You will make these. You will eat them. Your family will eat them and not complain. If you double it, you can eat them for the lunch the next day because they reheat wonderfully.

Simple ingredients: ground beef (or turkey or chicken or bison, whatever your meat choice is!), eggs, onion, garlic, almond flour, parsley, spices.

 We mix.

 We roll.

 We brown.

We bake.

I made these during my meal prep this week. We ate them for dinner on Tuesday and had them for lunch on Wednesday. Tuesdays we have baseball practice for 98720 hours, so I always like to have a quick meal ready to go when we get home. Not to mention that everyone, especially my son who has been the one practicing for those 98738689 hours and is growing like a weed, is starving by the time we get home. By doing my meal plans and meal prep on Sundays, I'm sure to have a nice meal planned for these crazy busy evenings.

Whole 30 Compliant Meatballs

Ingredients:

2lbs. ground beef (or chicken or turkey or bison or a combination)

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped 

1/4 almond flour (optional)

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 tablespoons cooking fat ( I used ghee)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix until evenly combined, but do not over mix.

Roll mixture into 2 inch balls. (Or larger! Or smaller! Your meatballs, your choice.)

Melt the cooking fat in a heavy bottom pan over medium high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides, in batches so they are not touching. Remove meatballs to prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.

SUNDAY MEAL PREP

 

Every week, I do meal prep. I plan all our dinners for the week, write out a detailed grocery list, do all the shopping, and then spend a couple hours on Sunday preparing things for the week. Doing all of this is a LIFESAVER during the week. Having a plan for dinner every night means I'm not stressing out after work about what to make and if we have everything. It allows us to sit down together for dinner nearly every night, and it makes packing lunches (and all four of us take packed lunches most days) so much easier.

 

I start on Friday morning by making a dinner plan for the week, and then writing a detailed grocery list. I have a large chalkboard in our kitchen that I write things we're out of throughout the week, so I make sure to add those items to the list as well. When I make dinner plans, I ask everyone in the house if they have any requests (spaghetti is asked for every single week). Then I go through my cookbooks and Pinterest to see if there are any recipes that I want to use for the week.

 



 

I do all my grocery shopping after I pick up the kids on Friday from school. On Sunday morning, I do my meal prep!

 

 

I like lists.

 

Any cookbooks I'm using throughout the week go on the kitchen counter with the pages I need marked. Otherwise, I'm likely to forget which of my many books has the recipe I'm looking for.

This week I'm using recipes from:

 

 

 

Things change from week to week. This week for meal prep I made:

 

-Against All Grain chicken satay with almond dipping sauce

-roasted spaghetti squash

-roasted potatoes

-cut up carrots, bell peppers, and radishes

-roasted pecans and almonds

-a jug of lemon water

 

There was lots of roasting.

 

 

All of this was done in under 3 hours! I make sure to clean up as I go along so I don't end up with a sink full of dirty dishes at the end.

 

Then I  put everything into bags and containers and label everything. Because that's the type of person I am. Sorry/Not Sorry.

 

 

 

 

Here are some great sites for more meal planning inspiration!

 

 Shutterbean

 (Is there such thing as Meal Prep Goals? There is now and her skills are my goals.)

 

Skinnytaste

 

Runaway Apricot

(The dirty rice recipe is awesome)

 

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