Being a one person IT team for a mid sized company is very demanding and overwhelming. I'm always curious as to how many calories I burn in a day - maybe I should buy me one of those fit bits (secondhand, of course). Once, I'm off of work, I hurriedly get to Oliver's daycare to pick him up before 5:30 since they start charging extra after that, then quickly get home where I have to do chores, tend the garden/flowers, take care of the animals, cook dinner, and handle a very agitated one year old who's screaming "NANA NANA NANA" (banana) at the top of his lungs until I give him a snack. Life is crazy right now. I seriously wish I could say it was slow and relaxing and I had no worries what so ever. But that's just not my reality right now. What makes these nights a little easier, is having a meal plan with easy, put together meals that are also low to no waste and plant based. It also makes life a lot more manageable to get as much prep done as possible with our nightly dinners. So like chopping, roasting, making rice in advance, muffins, bread, etc.
Sundays are usually our day to stock up on produce from the farmer's markets, dried goods from Sprouts, and meal prep as much as possible. It's actually our favorite day of the week considering we treat it as a family day. We always get canolis in our own container on our way out of the market and always try to sneak in a trip to the park.
After we meal prep, we just relax. We sit outside and watch Ollie as he plays with his trucks and eat dirt (I try to stop him but I figure he'll eventually realize it doesn't taste that great). We let that kid get as dirty as he possibly can on Sunday afternoons. We let him help pick weeds in the garden - while sneaking some strawberries of course, we let him wrestle with the dogs outside, and sometimes he finds his way to mud. It's perfect - it's our perfect. It's a much needed recharge before the craziness ensues again on Monday morning.
After we meal prep, we just relax. We sit outside and watch Ollie as he plays with his trucks and eat dirt (I try to stop him but I figure he'll eventually realize it doesn't taste that great). We let that kid get as dirty as he possibly can on Sunday afternoons. We let him help pick weeds in the garden - while sneaking some strawberries of course, we let him wrestle with the dogs outside, and sometimes he finds his way to mud. It's perfect - it's our perfect. It's a much needed recharge before the craziness ensues again on Monday morning.
So what's planned for this week?
Monday: Pasta with a Lentil Bolognese, Roasted Garlic Bread, and Kale/Carrot Top Pesto (I use my homemade, canned pasta sauce. You can also use jarred. Just add 1/2 cup to a cup of lentils and simmer until cooked through) Very easy, ya'll!
Tuesday: Sesame Cauliflower over Rice
Wednesday: Nachos with Black Beans, Lettuce, Salsa, Green Pepper, Radishes, Avocado, and Cilantro
Thursday: Homemade Pizzas with Pesto, Broccoli, Yellow Squash, and a Balsamic Glaze (Make a simple pizza dough then add whatever toppings you desire. Pesto makes a great sauce!)
Friday: We go out (Usually for....FAJITA FRIDAYS!)
Saturday: We eat with friends or family (Being social is good for the soul!)
Sunday: We clean out the fridge and pantry to use up any older food. (Kitchen Sink meals...right?)
Breakfasts: Granola over Almond Milk, Banana Muffins, and Fruit. Oh - and Pancakes on the Weekends!
Lunches: Leftovers from dinners the night before
Baby Meals: I steamed some broccoli and carrots, heated up some black beans and mixed it with seasoned rice for daycare. We also send him with fruit. For dinners, he eats what we have.
There are some food items not pictured for the following reasons:
- Pasta sauce comes from my canned stash. I make up a several quart jars worth in the late summer when our tomatoes are ripe.
- We make the pizza dough from scratch the night before and let it set in the fridge until the next day. You could also check your local pizzerias to purchase dough or you could get premade dough kits in cardboard.
- The yellow squash is coming from my garden along with the peppers.
- Almond milk we made last week. It's seriously just almonds soaked in water, blended once soft, and strained. We add dates to ours for sweetness. Recipe soon, I promise!
- The nacho chips we get from our local Mexican restaurant. They are so, SO good. I bring in a larger cloth produce bag and they fill it up for me. We get them right before we make dinner so they are fresh. It's on my way home from work. If you are looking for a waste free way to get chips, you should try out this method!
- Blueberries from the market - Ollie was eating them.
At that's it! All for around $50! Can you believe that?!
Have you saved my Pantry List? This list will help you only stock items that can be made into multiple, versatile meals.
You can find all of my previous meal plans here.
Have a great week, everyone!