What We Are Eating This Week (6/1)

It's time for my weekly meal plan!  In case you are wondering how I come up with this, here is my method.  

1. Look in the fridge and see what I still have on hand

2. Shop sales at the store

3. Find/create recipes using those things

That seems to be the most cost effective way I've found.  I definitely find recipes ahead of time and shop specifically for those at times, but it's not always the case.  Sometimes I don't even know I'm going to the store until 20 minutes before it's time to go.  That leaves me little time to plan!  So, I usually just load up on produce, lean meat, whole grains, and canned items like tomatoes and beans.  Those provide a good base for just about any recipe.

This week we are having...

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables 

(will prep this Sunday and use for lunches during the week)

Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Veggies

Beef Fried Rice

Salmon Teriyaki Skewers

(will sub honey for the brown sugar and add green bell peppers)

Also, these recipes are more of a guideline.  I usually tweak things a little to either make them cleaner or fit ingredients I have on hand.  Either way, at least I have a plan!  What are you cooking this week?

Snack Time: Greek Yogurt

One my favorite snacks is Greek yogurt.  It is a staple on my grocery list each week.  There are so many ways to prepare it, so it never gets boring.  The high protein content makes it a great choice to keep us full and buying plain keeps us from overloading on sugar.  Besides a healthy snack or breakfast, it also makes a great topping in the place of sour cream!  You can also make chicken salad with it instead of mayo.  Try it!  I promise you won't miss the taste of mayo and your body definitely won't miss all the artificial ingredients in mayo!

Here are a few of my favorite variations of Greek yogurt:

Greek yogurt with stevia, flax meal, and frozen raspberries

Greek yogurt with peanut butter, stevia, and slivered almonds

Today I tried it with stevia, cinnamon, and chopped apples.  It was delicious!

What's your favorite variation?

What We Are Eating This Week (5/24)

It's time for the next edition of what we are eating this week!  We actually didn't eat everything that I prepped last weekend, so I don't have to plan as many meals.  I'll add a couple suggestions  in case you need a couple more ideas!


Skirt Steak Fajitas

Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers

A few of my favorite recipes you need to try:

Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins

Chicken Bacon "Alfredo"

Almond Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato and Collards (I use kale)

Let me know if you try any of these recipes and what you think!  

My Review of Hello Fresh

Overall, I was really pleased with Hello Fresh.  The recipes were very easy to follow and the flavors were out of the ordinary but not too wild. I like that I have recipe cards now that I can use again. All of the ingredients were clean, so it was easy to eat healthy meals using this service. I will definitely do it again!

Meal 1 was chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes with a kale and couscous salad. The chicken was really good, not a huge fan of raw kale. A little too strong of a taste for me! Sara liked all of it though and ate the whole meal which almost never happens. 

Meal 2 was baked salmon with brown rice and a tangelo and avocado arugula salad. This meal was delicious, super easy to prepare, and very flavorful. It actually came with quinoa but Gonzalo has requested no more quinoa so I made brown rice.  I will definitely make this again. 

Meal 3 was mustard pork chops with roasted green beans and crispy potato cakes. This was also really really good! The mustard sauce had a shallot which I love and the potato cakes were something different I wouldn't usually make. Gonzalo and I devoured it all. 

Here's the recipe for the salmon:

Oven Roasted Salmon with Avocado, Tangelo, & Quinoa (or brown rice) Salad

2 salmon fillets

1/2 cup brown rice or quinoa

4 cups baby arugula 

1 avocado

2 T white wine vinegar 

1 tangelo 

2 scallions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare brown rice or quinoa according to package directions using water or vegetable stock. Meanwhile, zest the tangelo, then peel it with your hands. Slice the tangelo into thin rounds, then into half moons. Remove any seeds. 

Rub salmon fillets with 1/2 T olive oil, half of the tangelo zest, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven 8-10 minutes, until flaky and opaque. 

Meanwhile, halve and pit the avocado and thinly slice. Slice the scallions, keeping greens and whites separate. 

Make the vinaigrette: mix remaining tangelo zest with 2 T white wine vinegar and 2 T olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Toss half the vinaigrette with the cooked brown rice, season with salt and pepper and set aside. 

Toss the arugula, tangelo segments, scallion whites, and avocado with the remaining vinaigrette. 

Serve arugula salad atop a mound of brown rice. Top with the salmon and sprinkle with scallion greens. Enjoy!

If you want to try it out, use this link to get $40 off your first order! https://www.hellofresh.com/?c=LKWLVH

What We Are Eating This Week

I'm hoping this will keep us on track as well as give you some ideas for healthy meals! Here is what we are having this week and how I prepared for it!  

Whole grain waffles to keep in the freezer for easy breakfasts during the week (click for recipe)

Egg Muffins
12 eggs
1 bell pepper, diced
2 cups spinach, chopped
Mix all ingredients together and make in 12 cup muffin tin at 350 until eggs are set.

Sweet Potato Bacon Turkey Burgers (click for recipe)



Beef and Been Enchilada Casserole (click for recipe)

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Zucchini Noodles (click for recipe)

Grilled Balsamic Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin (click for recipe)

Oven Roasted Salmon, Brown Rice, and Orange and Avocado Salad (will post recipe later)

On prep day, I first made the turkey burgers. I grated half a sweet potato and cubed up and roasted the rest for an easy side dish later in the week. I cooked the bacon in a skillet, poured out the fat, and cooked the burgers in the same pan.  Adds some flavor and creates less dirty dishes!  Then I made the enchilada casserole.  I put it into two 8x8 pans instead of one 9x13 so we would have two separate meals.  I prepared them all the way up until the baking step and put them in the freezer.  I made the egg cups and baked a large chicken breast for salads at the same time.  Once those were in the oven, I made the waffles.  I cooked all the waffles, cooled them, and put them in the freezer.  Next time I will double the waffle recipe.  Sara loves them!  Now I've got a plan for the week and several things ready to go!  Was this helpful to you?  Comment below and let me know!