Meal Planning: Getting Back in the Kitchen

A Week of Busy Schedules and Quick Meals

I know it’s been a bit quiet here, and some might be wondering if my family has been eating this past week. Honestly, it was just one of those weeks! Between a hectic holiday weekend, a major school event, and all the kid activities and sports now in full swing—along with a few headaches and migraines—the fact that we managed to eat at all is a small miracle.

Quick Fixes and Looking Forward to Cooking

Beyond a few planned meals, I went to the store more than my standard two times, we ate frozen Trader Joe’s stuff, had Door Dash deliver our favorite Mediterranean salads, and grabbed food after a game and at a school event. Needless to say, I’m happy to get back in the kitchen this week. This week is full of flavorful, easy recipes.

Have a good week!

Christina

MEAL PLAN:

White Chicken Chili (Crockpot)

*Trying a new recipe* We are going to have this tonight after my son’s late afternoon baseball game and I know we are going to come home hungry! I’m going to prep it in the morning, let it cook, do the final simple step about an hour before we leave for the game and let it sit on the warm setting so when we get home it’s ready to go. I think it’s going to be tasty and hope it’s good enough to go in my recipe binder- only the best make their way in there!

Mexican Lasagna

This is a great recipe to make-ahead and cook later, or make/cook ahead and reheat an individual portion when you need to eat dinner in waves. It’s adaptable because you can use ground beef, ground turkey, or no meat at all. You can also change out whatever canned beans you like or have on hand as well as make it gluten-free and use corn tortillas. Most importantly for families with younger kids- you can control how mild or spicy you want to make it depending on which salsa/taco sauce you use. We like to top ours with sour cream and sliced avocado and serve it with tortilla chips. This week I am planning on leftovers the following night. It might even be served on paper plates for a truly easy dinner!

Roasted Salmon with Maple Mustard Glaze

This is a tasty recipe and couldn’t be an easier dinner to throw together. This particular recipe calls for roasting the salmon but it’s just as delicious and easy to throw on the grill. Tip: Place salmon on a sheet of foil with the edges turned up to make a tray – makes cleanup easy and fish doesn’t stick to the grill. I often like to serve salmon with roasted broccoli, Brussels sprouts or sweet potatoes and either a mixed green salad or kale salad with lemon vinaigrette. Easy, tasty, healthy dinner!

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

These Shrimp Tacos are a family favorite. My kids generally prefer a taco with a flour tortilla and my husband and I like our taco in bowl form – over a pile of greens with all the fixin’s. When buying shrimp – wild is best!

Bonus Recipes:

Wait, there’s more! Because we are having leftovers one night this week and frozen beef and cheddar hand pies another, I thought I’d share a few extra non-dinner recipes that I made last week or will be making this week. Hope you enjoy!

Apple Spice Cake

September always signals apple season for me even though I feel like I can get great apples year-round. Some of my friends from other parts of the country have fond memories of the changing seasons and apple picking with their families- I cannot tell you how many times we’ve talked about apple picking, apple cider and donuts in the fall. And since I grew up in California where we are lucky to get a passing cloud, I can only imagine bundling up and trouncing though the apple orchards, steamy cups of hot cider and sweet puffy donuts. In honor of my friends’ fond memories, and because it’s officially apple season somewhere- I’m baking with apples!

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve made this bundt cake. It’s super easy to make and makes a tasty snack or dessert. I have never made the caramel sauce but I can imagine it’s delicious. The cake is perfectly sweet even without the additional sauce.

Layered Mediterranean Dip

I brought this dip with pita chips to a barbeque last weekend. As expected, it was a hit, just like the other 5 or 6 times I’ve made it. Not many dips are very healthy, but this one really is! It’s easy to make, (just a lot of chopping) and impressive to look at. Your friends will ask you for this recipe!

French Toast Waffle Sticks

These are a fun change to the weekday morning breakfast routine. It does require me to get up a few minutes earlier and throw on a hat for morning drop off, but my kids love this treat and it’s worth the minor extra effort every now and then. They are very quick and easy, and are a great way to use up that dry loaf of bread that even peanut butter and jelly cannot save. I give the kids each a tiny bowl with warm real maple syrup to dip and they are all pretty happy. So far, sourdough bread and whole wheat have been favorites. A side of eggs or a fruit smoothie with Greek yogurt and you’ve got a pretty yummy breakfast!