This week’s meal plan should really be called operation Clean-Out-Pantry. As vacation draws near for so many of us, now is the perfect time to use up what’s in our freezer and our pantries. Take some time this week to do an inventory of can go first from your freezer. Create your meal plan based on the protein you have on hand. Need a recipe? If you look on the right side of the blog, you will find a Search box. If you have chicken thighs for example, you can find all the recipes I’ve ever shared on the meal plan where you can use up chicken thighs. Easy, right?

Next week, focus on the refrigerator. Toss out all the old stuff, wipe down the condiments and do a reality check. Will you really use what’s in there over the summer? If not, let it go. You will be some happy to have more room when you come home from the grocery store with a full size watermelon to go in your fridge.

As you write out your grocery list for the upcoming week check out these healthy family friendly recipes from this weeks menu plan. Each featured recipe includes link to the complete recipe.

Dinner {GF= Gluten Free, P=Paleo, DF=Dairy Free, NF= Nut Free}

Meatless Monday: Whole-Grain Veggie Burrito Bowl, GF

Tuesday: Spring Vegetable and Quinoa Salad with Bacon, GF, P (swap butter for coconut oil to make it DF/P friendly)

Wednesday: Justin’s Paleo Meatballs (GF, P), zucchini or whole wheat noodles.

Thursday: Grilled Buffalo Chicken Tacos 

Friday: CORN= Clean Out Refrigerator Night!

Lunch

Waffle Iron Turkey Melt Panini

Breakfast

Sweet Potato Toast– yes, it’s the new thing.

Snacks

5 minute Lemon Garlic Hummus

Bonus

Make some watermelon ice to give your water a facelift!

For more inspiration, see years of past dinner plans here, my Pinterest collection here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of weekly meal plans.

Hello! Notice something new around here? Last week I said goodbye to Random Recycling and hello to emilyaroach as my new domain name. Over the past seven years the focus here has shifted from talking about eco-friendly ideas to one that speaks more about family nutrition. My goal is to keep delivering great meal plan ideas for all of you, develop simple recipes your kids will enjoy and share tools that can help you make healthy choices at home.

Hopefully all goes well this week as the nuts and bolts behind the blog are tweaked and updated. If you are a newsletter subscriber, you will start to receive content in an updated format. (I’ll share a link to subscribe once all is ready to go!) As a marketing nerd, it’s been fun learning about all the new technology offered to deliver content. I even sent out my first survey and it’s been awesome to read the responses. I’ll keep it open for a couple more days and I would love to have your input too: click here for survey.

As the weather took a dramatic turn towards spring this week, I was fixated on salads in my meal planning. I had noted four different salad recipes that look amazing so I’ll start testing them out. Large, chopped salads are fantastic meals with kids as it’s a great way to introduce new produce to picky eaters. Kids may not pick cucumbers for their salad the first time they see them, but getting them in front of them counts in the exposure column. Over time, suddenly out of the corner of your eye you notice them trying a vegetable they once questioned…I’ve been there. And it’s awesome to witness.

Here are the recipes I think you will enjoy trying out this week. And one other note, last week I mentioned I was going to try my favorite chicken nugget recipe with chopped pecans instead of breadcrumbs. It was a winner so I updated the recipe post and also made it printer-friendly (how hadn’t I noticed that before?!)

Dinner (V=vegan, P= Paleo, GF= Gluten Free)

• Veggie Paella (V)- healthy, meatless meal with bright flavors. Saffron is the key ingredient, but also on the pricier side. You can try a 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric in it’s place for a similar flavor. Need more protein? Add in some shrimp to the meal. (recipe). For kids, you can also deconstruct the meal and offer plain shrimp with peas. Always also offer the full meal too.
• Sheet Pan Salmon- we made this again last week and I was impressed with how tender the salmon came out, and how much my daughter ate. (recipe)
• Grilled Chicken BLTs (P, GF)- fun twist on grilled chicken. Skip the bread and thinly slice the chicken to create “buns” for this classic sandwich. (recipe)
• Strawberry Chicken Salad – inspired by the cover of the latest Cooking Light magazine this salad just screams summer to me. Mixing fruit in a salad is a helpful way to get kids interested in their greens. They may pick out their strawberries but hopefully a spinach leaf gets tasted too!

Lunch

• Update your tuna salad by substituting Greek yogurt for the traditional mayonnaise. You get the same texture plus the benefits of probiotics.
• Quesadillas with banana, almond butter and dark chocolate chips- a little sweet treat.

Breakfast

• Superfood Breakfast Smoothie Bowl- if you follow me on Instagram, you may have heard my story about the smoothie bowl. I’m determined to create a great base so everyone can customize their own bowl with lots of healthy toppings. (recipe)
• Spinach Feta Artichoke Bake- hearty and healthy recipe for dinner or a brunch. (recipe)

Thanks for stopping by this week! Which healthy recipe will you add to your meal plan? 

For more inspiration, see years of past dinner plans here, my Pinterest collection here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of weekly meal plans.