I have a new family meal plan to share with you!
If you missed the introduction to the series, be sure to check it out as it walks you through why my week is arranged this way and how to make similar accommodations in your own family’s plan!
The menu for this week is:
Monday: Bell Pepper Taco Nachos
This is an easy meal that can be individually customized. Simply brown some meat and prepare the toppings. For the hubby, I had him add his own toppings to make a traditional taco. For the little one, I can whip up a quick quesadilla for her. And for me, the bell pepper nachos. One base meal made a few different ways relatively simply and quickly.
Tuesday: Lemon Chicken with Pasta and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
This is a family favorite that I do not need a recipe for. No matter how late it is, how tired I am, this is my go to recipe. The whole family likes it, or at least the little one will pick and choose whatever she likes and wants to try for that particular day…
Wednesday: Pulled Pork
There really isn’t any day of the week that doesn’t pose its own unique challenges, but Wednesday being in the middle of the week just has that fatigue-feeling at the end of the day. If you can plan a simple enough recipe on Tuesday (or even eat leftovers or if you’ve gone out), prepping a slow cooker meal for the next day is a smart move to ease the to do list on Wednesday.
Pulled pork – or any pulled meat- is my favorite, and this recipe is perfect to solve those humpday problems. Throw a lean pork tenderloin into a slow cooker, add some vinegar and spices, in the am and at the end of the day you simply shred it and eat! Pair with a salad or quick slaw and a 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat sandwich thin | round | flat- any brand will do!
Thursday: Dietitian-Approved Burgers
I recently tested out having Thursday nights be the night I have the hubster cooks, and it worked beautifully! It freed me to focus on the babe, do a load of laundry or anything else I need to get done as the week winds down.
Keeping it something simple and grilled, is the key here, at least for his culinary preferences. He can throw together some homemade burger patties made with ground sirloin {90/10 or 93/7} and I can roast some sort of vegetable to go with it. He gets whatever bun he wants and I’ll use my go-to sandwich thins.
Friday: Homemade Pizza
This is another themed-meal where it can be individually customized. I can use a 100% whole grain tortilla, English muffin or pita whereas my husband can use Naan bread. The baby will eat anything cheese + bread so this is a family favorite for Friday night. It’s minimal cooking and if we don’t have everything we need on hand, it’s a quick trip to the local store for just a few ingredients. I’ll use up a homemade marinara if I have some in the fridge, if not I opt for a lower sodium sauce.
Saturday: Fish Tacos
Another customized meal? You guessed it. I’m not ever going to recommend that anyone makes multiple meals for their family, but it’s nice when meals can be tailored to consider other’s preferences with just a little extra effort.
I’m not a fan of just baked white fish. But my husband can be in charge of cooking the fish and boiling water for his beloved daily rice. I’ll work on a veggie for all plus make a quick zesty slaw for myself. We always have tortillas on hand – because I’m part Hispanic, didn’t you know? So I turn baked fish into fish tacos and everyone is happy. Except Lillian, she’s not a fan either so we are still working on what she can do on this night. Eat leftovers? PB & J?
Sunday: Zucchini Lasagna
If I’m going to make a more labor intensive type dinner, 99% of the time I’ll save it for Sunday. I can kind of work on it throughout the afternoon while doing other things as well. I make two small batches of his and her lasagna. His comes with regular lasagna noodles, her is made with grilled zucchini or eggplant. Both are made with the same cheese-mixture- and meat sauce using reduced fat cheeses & extra lean ground meat.
If for some reason our plans change and the nights switch or we decide to grab take out instead, that’s no big deal, just one less meal to figure out for next week!
xo,
Becca
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