Meal Plan October- first two weeks

As mentioned in my very first post on meal planning, I try to eliminate my time in the kitchen.  We eat a lot of the same meals for multiple days, which cuts out a lot of prep work, but the meals are made hot and ready the day of for the most part.  Thus, I cut up most veggies, etc. and put in containers until the day it is time to cook   I do not use a microwave, so if needed, I reheat meals such as soup on the stove or reheat in the oven on 200.  On meals that I am able to, I make even more, so I can freeze and pull out when in a bind. 

Most of my meals this time come from a facebook group entitled ' Dinner Outside the Box' unless otherwise stated.  You should check it out! 

Breakfast

Greek Yogurt Oatmeal Pancakes (3 breakfasts first week/ 3 breakfasts second week)
We discovered these about a year ago and since then have them 3x a week. They are AMAZING and FILLING. To feed our family, I have to double them! I make 3 batches(doubling each....so really 6 batches I guess) of dry ingredients and of wet ingredients and then the work is done for the week. When we want to eat them, all I have to do is mix a set of dry and wet put them on the griddle. If you want them to taste like cookies, use normal Greek yogurt. We use plain Greek yogurt mostly, but they are still amazing!

http://cookieandkate.com/2012/blueberry-lemon-yogurt-pancakes  4 ww points per pancake

Crustless quiche by Catherine Elder  (3 breakfasts first week/ 3 breakfasts second week)

5 large eggs
a few cups of spinach or kale through the food processor,
chopped onion and garlic...whatever veggies you feel like. I put them in raw....
 ½ cup coconut milk or other milk;
½ tsp baking powder;
Sea salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp. coconut oil

I triple this and we eat this three days in a row.....I whisk the liquid and toppings together and place in 3 separate containers until ready to bake.  The morning of I pull out one mixture and put it in a 9 inch round dish, top with mozzarella cheese, and put in the oven! 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

Crock Pot Oatmeal (1 breakfast first week/ 1 breakfast second week)

1 cup steel cut oats

4 cups water

1 medium apple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

2 TBSP maple syrup

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup whole milk or half and half or other milk substitute

Grease the bowl of your slow cooker with butter.

Add all ingredients and stir well.

Cover and set slow cooker to low.

Cook for 8-9 hours overnight.

In the morning, stir contents of slow cooker well. 

Topping suggestions:

Brown sugar

Blueberries

Toasted almonds or other nuts

Dried fruit

Butter

Milk

Note:  We found the oatmeal to be really good by adding local honey, blueberries, and almonds on top. 

Lunch time

Sweet Potato, Sausage, & Kale Soup - week one all meals

1 lb sausage of choice
1 bunch of kale (food processed)
a few diced peeled sweet potatoes
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
homemade chicken broth

http://www.nourishingdays.com/2009/02/make-chicken-stock-in-the-crock-pot/

(I do all of this, but if just making broth, I leave out the veggies)

coconut oil
1 cup brown rice

In a large pot, heat up 3 cups of broth and add brown rice.  Cook rice until done. 
Meanwhile: saute sausage and set aside.
Dice some onion and then garlic and saute in sausage grease. Set aside.
Add 2-3 tbls of coconut oil and saute sweet potato cubes for several minutes and toss in kale at the end.
When your rice is finished, add 7 more cups of broth along with everything else, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil, then simmer making sure potatoes are cooked. I love it with a sharp white cheddar on top!

Southwest Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Avocado Buttermilk Dressing - week two all meals
1.5 lbs ground turkey
1 tbsp. oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 onion, finely diced
3 green onions, finely diced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
2 c. chopped frozen spinach
1 head of iceberg lettuce for lettuce wraps
Combine garlic,  red bell pepper, onion, green onions with oil in a hot pan. Cook for a couple minutes and then add ground turkey. Add spices. Cook until turkey is browned. Add frozen spinach and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated. Serve with lettuce leaves and Avocado Buttermilk Dressing for the sauce.

Avocado Buttermilk Dressing
1 garlic clove
1 medium avocado
1 green onion
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cumin
3/4 c. buttermilk
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined.

Dinner

It is winter squash time of year!!! 

Spaghettti Squash Burrito Bowls (3 dinners)

http://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/2014/09/24/spaghetti-squash-burrito-bowls/

I cook a whole chicken and use all of it's meat, some black beans, corn, a red onion, some garlic, a couple bell peppers and some cheese to top. I sautéed the raw ingredients together and then added the chicken to heat it up before filling the pre-cooked spaghetti squash boats.  I scooped out about 2/3 of the squash and then filled with the tex-mex goodness. I didn't layer like the recipe says.  I saved the extra spaghetti squash for a veggie squash spaghetti dish listed below.  We use 3 spaghetti squash per night to feed our family.  

Baked Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash, cooked and stringed
1 lb ground turkey or ground beef, cooked
1/2 bag kale- food processed
1 jar of good quality marinara
I c shredded cheese (parmesan or a mix or mozzarella)
salt and pepper to taste on top
In buttered 9x13, layer spaghetti squash first, then meat, then kale, then sauce, then cheese, then salt and pepper.  Bake at 350 until bubbly and cheese browns a little (about 25 minutes).

Lentil burritos (3 dinners)

I cooked the lentils separately. While they were simmering I sautéed zucchini, peppers, onions and garlic. Seasoned with cumin, salt, & pepper. I  add cilantro too when on hand. I mixed the lentils and veggies all together.  Served on tortillas with sour cream, homemade salsa, and cheese. They are so yummy that I fooled a high school student who is allergic to healthy!

Salsa

2 tomatoes, 1 can mild rotel- drained, large 32 oz can crushed tomatoes, 6 stalks green onions, 1/2 onion or 1 onion depending on how spicy you like it, lime juice or juice of one lime, 1 bunch cilantro.

Put all ingredients in food processor. 

Delicious!

Chicken Tenders (from my mama) paired with broccoli and potatoes (3 dinners)
10-12 chicken tenders
1 cup Italian dressing
2 tsp lemon or lime juice
4 tbs honey
mix marinade together and let marinate for at least an hour, but preferably all day.  Dump all into a pan on medium high and keep stirring as they cook.  The key is you want to cook it until the marinade absorbs into the chicken to form a glaze....takes about 40-50 minutes. 

*For potatoes, I just chop them up in small pieces and toss in coconut oil and bake at 400 until a little crispy.

Pizza Night (2 dinners)
*add in basil, oregano, Italian seasoning to dough

 top dough with sauce, mozzarella cheese, and toppings  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pizza-dough-recipe.html