Weekly Meals Should Not Be Stressful

What I was going to eat for dinner was never a concern until I had a family. As a single girl, I'd order take out, pop a lean cuisine in the microwave (gross to think about now), or throw together a few things I had in the fridge, and call it a meal. Then, I met my husband and dinner was given more thought as we had to plan around both our schedules. Still, it was pretty much a walk in the park/day-by-day decision and I always loved to cook, so I embraced it. We either ate out, or I would run to the grocery and pick up something to cook on my way home from work. We also spent the occasional Sunday cooking all day. Weekday meals were never really a thought out plan until we had babies. Things certainly changed at that point, and I had to get more organized otherwise no one would eat. Also, my babies were hungry, like allll the time.

So here I was somewhat planning weekly meals, flying by the seat of my pants (tacos and frozen nuggets were a go-to), yet stressed every time my husband or 3-year-old would ask what's for dinner. My younger guy thankfully couldn't talk yet, but oh yesss he would cry, and his "hangry" cry was not pretty. My love for cooking was diminishing, and I finally had enough of the "what's for dinner worry" hanging over my head, daily. While mindlessly shopping at Target one day, I grabbed a magnetic dry erase calendar along with a few markers and it saved may life. I stuck it up on the wall by my sink and every Sunday (sometimes Monday) I wrote what we we'd be having for dinner each night. This also required some discipline on my part. I had no scheduled shopping day, and was hardly doing any meal prep. So I cleaned up my act in those facets, as well. Monday (Tuesday if we traveled), was my day to hit the store. I occasionally got a sitter to do this, because, well I'm a mom. When I shopped with kids, as much as I loved it we would always forget a few things (and add others we didn't need), so it resulted in multiple trips. (This was before delivery and drive up was around in Albany) I made time when I returned from the store to prep (wash fruit, cut/cook vegetables, marinate meats, make things easily accessible etc). Taking the time out to prep, and plan out meals was a huge game changer and still works like a charm.

Although my schedule has changed a bit since then, I try to stay consistent on a weekly basis. The biggest challenge is always putting together a sensible meal that everyone likes. I enjoy cooking organic, balanced and diversified meals for myself and my family, and staying organized has allowed me to get more creative. I'm always looking for new ideas to incorporate clean, healthy eating into our lifestyle, keep mealtime fun, and teach my kids to try new and different things. I also vowed to not be a short order cook once I had my boys, although confession: sometimes I am. Some weeks are certainly more challenging than others, because life happens and you have to roll with it. There are weeks we order take out multiple times, eaten leftovers, and have pancakes for dinner. Nothing is perfect, but if you stay dedicated, it will feel pretty close the majority of the time. Below is a sample of my weekly menu, including one of my go-to recipes that's always a hit.

Disclaimer: As difficult as it was to grocery shop with my boys, I can't tell you how much I miss it now that they are in school full time. Ahhh..motherhood. ;)

SAMPLE WEEKLY MENU

MONDAY: Leftovers. If we are home I make a big Sunday dinner or we get take out if we are away and I always get a little extra--who wants to cook on Monday anyway?

TUESDAY: GF/DF Breadcrumb Chicken, Krazy Salted Green Beans and Sweet Chips. This is a spin off my Grandmother's famous Oven Fried Chicken. Wish-Bone dressing was her secret ingredient, so I incorporate it in my own way. *Recipe Below*

WEDNESDAY: Maple Glazed Salmon with Brown Rice and Roasted Broccoli. Thank you to Unbeetable Nutrition for this recipe. I love feeding my family fish once a week for Omega-3's and my kids love the sweetness of maple syrup (used as part of the marinade) on anything.

THURSDAY: Taco Thursday! Our Taco night includes meat/chicken and veggie soft tacos, black beans, rice, sliced avocado. steamed spinach, onions, salsa and occasionally a side of nachos. I rarely eat dairy-free cheese so I go cheese less and put a side of organic shredded cheese on the table for my boys.

FRIDAY: Homemade Pizza. I make 2; one DF/GF and one with regular crust and cheese. Toppings vary depending on what I have in the fridge or what we are in the mood for. My husband usually has a little of both. If we are traveling, its typically a stop on the way to Panera, Juice Factory VII, Genoa, or DeFazio's.

BREADCRUMB CHICKEN, KRAZY SALTED GREEN BEANS AND SWEET POTATO CHIPS

Prep Time: 10 min./ Cook Time: 25 min. *4-5 servings*

INGREDIENTS (Breadcrumb Chicken):

1.5 pounds organic hormone free chicken tenders (I like FreeBird brand or from the butcher at Fresh Market)

1 3/4 cups Gillian's GF/DF Breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Cindy's Kitchen Barcelona Vinaigrette 'Mediterranean Style'

1/2 cup Wish-Bone Italian Dressing (combine dressings)

1 tablespoon Go Veggie Dairy-Free Grated Topping (optional)

(Steamed Krazy Salted Green Beans)

1 pound organic green beans (I don't usually buy frozen or pre cut, they just don't taste as fresh)

1 teaspoons organic olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt or (if you're kids don't like the herbs) Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

(Sweet Potato Chips)

2 good size organic Japanese sweet potatoes

1-2 tablespoons of organic olive oil

generous pinch of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Day of Prep:

Wash and dry chicken tenders and place in large storage ziplock bag, combine dressings in separate bowl and add to bag. Spread evenly and put in fridge for 1-2 hours (up to 8).

Cut stems off green beans, wash and place in tupperware in fridge. Wash, peel and slice sweet potato into thick potato chip like circles (think ruffles), place in same or different tupperware in fridge.

When ready to cook, Preheat over to 350 degrees, remove chicken and vegetables from fridge so everything is out. Combine breadcrumbs and vegan cheese in a separate shallow bowl. Take chicken out and coat throughout in the breadcrumbs mixture, then drizzle or spray the bottom of a 2 quart, 8x11 baking dish with olive oil (just enough to cover). Throw dish in the oven for 5 min to heat up the oil. Remove and add chicken. Add a little more olive oil on top. Bake for 25 min, turning halfway through.

Fill 8 quart saucepan with about 1 inch of water, place steam basket in and add green beans. Add a little olive oil and salt. Steam for about 20-25 min.

Spread sweet potato chips on cookie sheet, coat both sides with olive oil and cook for 25 min, or until crispy. I try to time it so everything is done around the same time. Note: green beans probably take the longest, so I would start with those.

Hope you enjoyed this post! As always, feel free to leave comments below, or message me with questions.

Xo,

Nichole