This was a wild week. Our schedule was so weird but we made it through. This weeks meals were quick and easy for the most part. Sometimes, I really like to go all out for dinner, use every dish in the kitchen, and make a super fancy meal. When the pandemic hit, I like a lot of people, turned to the kitchen as my escape from reality. I baked everything I could think of, mastered macarons. I also cooked gourmet meals all week. Now that Asher is a toddler that is just not a possibility. So quick and easy is often where it’s at! That being said, there is no reason a quick and easy meal can’t be delicious.
A recap on what my meal plan includes. 1 adult meal prepped lunch for the week, 3 planned dinners with the intention of having leftovers every other night. On the 7th night we either have family dinner, extra leftovers, or get take out. One dinner a week will be vegetarian, this is our small effort to help save the planet. Check out the menu bellow!
What’s on the menu…..
- Lentil and butternut squash buddha bowl (lunch)
- Creamy bacon chicken
- Grilled pizza
- Honey garlic baked cauliflower
Shopping list…..
Bellow you will find a downloadable shopping list for this weeks menu. I’ve separated everything by meal, so there are some duplicates of pantry staples.
Lentil and Butternut Squash Buddha Bowl
10 Lunches https://foodbyjonister.com/recipe/lentil-and-butternut-squash-buddha-bowl/
I really enjoyed this weeks lunch! The lentils are kinda earthy, the squash is sweet, and there is a nice acidic note from the pickled onions. The recipe has a little button to scale up or down how many servings you want to make, which I LOVE. If I were to make this again, I would cut the onions differently. I cut them in rings, and would probably slice them next time. The rings were to much for one bite. The recipes for the dressing and the onions was a little tricky to find, so I will link them bellow.
Creamy tahini dressing… https://foodbyjonister.com/recipe/creamy-tahini-dressing/
Pickled onions….. https://foodbyjonister.com/recipe/pickled-red-onion/
Creamy Bacon Chicken
4 adult meals, 2 toddler meals https://40aprons.com/creamy-whole30-bacon-mushroom-chicken-thighs-paleo/
This photo is misleading…. I didn’t get the chance to take the picture the first night and we must have gotten carried away with the sauce. The sauce is so creamy and delicious, it’s a shame you can’t see it in this photo. The recipe calls for chicken thighs, which are DELICIOUS! I often opt for bite size chicken breast to save time. I just quickly pan sear it, and then make the sauce. That way I can skip the baking. I served it on roasted sweet potatoes, but this would also be yummy on rice. I added some peas to the sauce for something green, but sometime I do steamed broccoli. I also leave out the mushrooms because no one likes them in my house. I have obviously changed this quite a bit, but rest assured the original recipe is great!
Grilled Pizza
4 adult meals, 2 toddler meals https://turtlelion.com/2021/04/30/grilled-pizza/
Everybody loves pizza! This is a great easy meal, and is always a crowd pleaser. We have been making this in my family my whole life! So fun for everyone to get to make their own pizza. When I do this for dinner, I prep all the toppings, and grill the pizza’s fresh each night. It is super easy to thaw and roll out the dough. Cooking time the second night is 15 minutes or less, minus thawing time.
Honey Garlic Baked Cauliflower
4 adult meals, 2 toddler meals https://kirbiecravings.com/honey-garlic-baked-cauliflower/#wprm-recipe-container-41972
This was our meatless meal. It can be so hard to find a veggie meal that isn’t some kind of pasta! There are so many things people do with cauliflower these days, I thought it was time to try a crispy version. This definitely took some effort, but it was easy to do. You’ll want to utilize the wet hand dry hand technique when coating the cauliflower. I served them over farro, and with some pan fried brussel sprouts that I got in my basket. Rice and whatever your veggie of choice would also be great! I doubled the sauce just to be safe and it was more than enough. I did put in about a TBSP of Sriracha and it was a tiny bit spicy. You could 100% leave it out. I found this surprisingly filling, and Asher ate two bowls!
Another week down! I hope you enjoy this weeks meals. If you try them out I’d love to hear from you. Please like, share, and enjoy!
Turtlelion 