Life is crazy when you are moving! I swear the moving never ends!!! I think one more load should do it, but I’m afraid to look 🙈. Also I swear we have a garage, but right now it is 100% boxes. All that being said I am much more settled into my kitchen, so I was a bit more adventurous this week. Lets dive into the menu!
A quick recap on how this meal plan works. There will be 1 meal prepped lunch for grown ups, 3 dinners with leftovers every other night. One of the dinners will be vegetarian/ vegan. This is a tiny step we are taking to try and lower our impact on the planet.
What’s on the menu……
- BBQ Chickpea Salad (lunch)
- Air Fryer Fried Chicken
- Weeknight Pasta and Meatballs
- Restaurant Style Chickpea Tikka Massala
Shopping list……
Bellow you will find a complete shopping list for everything on the menu. I have separated everything by recipe, so there are a few duplicates of pantry staples.
Vegan BBQ Chickpea Salad
8-10 Lunches https://runningonrealfood.com/vegan-bbq-chickpea-salad/#tasty-recipes-20183
This is by far my favorite salad we have had in a while! I always feel skeptical of a lettuce based lunch because I worry it won’t be filling enough. These salads were so filling and almost felt indulgent. I chose romaine as my lettuce because it’s crunchy and holds up well over time. This salad has so many toppings that it makes it exciting to eat. For the chickpeas I used 2/3 cup sugar free bbq sauce and 1/3 cup hot sauce to add some spice. So yummy! I also kept the dressing on the side, just adding it in the morning so the salads didn’t get soggy. I doubled this recipe to make 8 salads, but it could easily have stretched to 10.
Air Fryer Fried Chicken
4 adult meals, 2 toddler meals https://grandbaby-cakes.com/air-fryer-fried-chicken/
So I have to admit that when I picked this recipe I thought my new oven had an air fryer…. it does not. So when it came time to cook this there was no way I was going to do it in my air fryer because it would have taken FOREVER to cook the chicken in batches. So what I did was quickly pan fry it to get them crispy then cooked them in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (or until they have an internal temperature of 165 degrees).
I also have to admit that I planned on grilling the zucchini. I got it all sliced and ready went outside to start the grill only to discover…. we hadn’t moved the grill grates. So I pivoted and made zucchini fries using the leftover chicken breading. Either pan fry or air fry these until crispy.
Serve all of this madness with your favorite dipping sauce. Asher had BBQ sauce and we had a Sriracha aioli.
Weeknight Pasta and Meatballs
4 adult meals, 2 toddler meals https://turtlelion.com/2021/04/07/weeknight-pasta-and-meatballs/
Lately whenever I ask Asher what he wants to eat he says, “NOOOOODLES!” So this week I planned to make my pasta and meatballs. This dinner is so quick to put together and is always a crowd pleaser. Honestly, who doesn’t like pasta night?! I always like to use Cybeles lentil pasta because it feels like traditional pasta but it has hidden veggies in it! They have a few different shapes but the rotini is my favorite.
Restaurant Style Chickpea Tikka Masala
4 adult meals, 2 toddler meals https://www.watchwhatueat.com/healthy-chickpea-tikka-masala/
I am a big fan of chickpeas… have you noticed? Sometimes I realize I’ve picked out like 10 meals all with chickpeas. What can I say…the are a great meat alternative, packed with nutrients and protein! I love this tikka masala. It has so much flavor and a little spice. I have definitely made this to spicy for Asher in the past so watch that if you are feeding little ones. If you do happen to make it to spicy you can always add coconut milk or a dollop of yogurt to cool it down. I served this with brown rice and added some spinach right at the end.
There you have it my friends, another week of delicious meals! If you try some of them out I’d love to hear what you think. Please like, share, and enjoy!
Turtlelion 