Did you get a taste of fall last week? The crisp air felt great but I’m excited to see the sun and warmth will return again in the days ahead. Fall and winter cooking is my favorite….but it lasts forever so I’m happy to keep things light this week.
With schedules filling up fast, meal planning is a great opportunity to sit down and map out the week ahead. You can ask family members for their requests (always meatballs from one of the kids) and give yourself a chance to figure out which days need to be crock-pot days or fast dinner ideas. Taking just 15 minutes can make a huge difference in your stress level during the dinner witching hour.
We are making an effort to focus more on Clean Eating. What that means to us is less processed foods, more fruits and veggies and less red meat. There are so many resources out there for Whole30 meals, paleo-friendly dinners and of course Meatless Monday ideas. As I build future meal plans, I’m curious if any of you are following any of these eating strategies? I avoid the word “diet” as I think that feels limiting. These new meal planning ideas are more about adopting a healthy lifestyle approach to eating instead of just “less.”
In addition to Pinterest, I’m finding some great ideas on Instagram by finding #Whole30 or #Paleo hashtag trends. Recently I started reading the Clean Eating magazine and there are some great ideas I’ll test out and share here soon.
On to the menu this week…
Sunday~ Chicken Chasseur I mentioned last week was a winner last night. The recipe made it into the binder. The sauce was great over whole wheat couscous.
Monday~ Meatless Monday Omelettes to order. Mushroom and tomato for grown ups, kids voted for cheese and salsa. Avocado on the side to round out the dinner.
Tuesday~ Fall Salad (recipe) An easy prep ahead dinner for one of our busy nights. Note~ I think the recipe is supposed to include bacon as per the picture above. Or maybe I just think it should include bacon…
Wednesday~ Parm-Style Chicken Sliders. (recipe) It’s a healthy recipe and it’s easy enough to skip the buns and enjoy the Italian flavors on their own.
Thursday~Grilled sirloin steak while it’s still warm enough to enjoy grilling outside. Spinach and strawberry salad on the side.
Friday~ Pizza night! Recipe for homemade pizza dough in bread maker. I cheated and bought a ready made pizza for the kids last weekend…it was awful. Never again.
Have an awesome week everyone!
For more inspiration, see three years of past dinner plan here, my Pinterest board here, or OrgJunkie for a link-up of weekly meal plans.
Oh and the chocolate, be excited for the chocolate DO NOT FORGET THE CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!