2 Wk, Simple Meal Plan!

Sometimes, I think I make things too complicated! I know lots about nutrition, but I am too tired to do it. So I end up buying frozen pizzas and hot pockets when they're on sale to have something "just in case", but we've been eating lots of stuff like that lately. I'm just so tired, and cooking is the hardest household task for me. (just because I don't like it, not because I don't know how. I think if I could cook w/o distractions every 30 seconds, I may like it more, but now is just a really hard time for it.) When I'm not tired, I get too adventurous and want to try these new, super healthy, super time-consuming recipes. When they flop, I get super discouraged.
So I need to simplify, but that can't mean all pre-packaged foods. My goal was healthy-ish meals- whole grains, good proteins, fresh veggies.

I don't want to have to stare at my blank meal plan every week and imagine I am building a rocket to the moon! I want a few meals I can get really good at and in the habit of preparing, and then maybe I'll move on to become more adventurous after I have this down! I am sticking to a few, easy, tried and true recipes. 

As time goes on, my goal is to make more and more of this from scratch, and then to start modifying more and more. 

Monday	Spaghetti & salad	Italian chicken w/ pasta & roasted veggie
Tuesday	Pork & veggies w/ rice	Salmon patties & sweet potato fries
Wednesday	Grilled cheese w/ soup*	Crockpot night*
Thursday	Out	Out
Friday	Breakfast	Tacos
Saturday	leftovers	leftovers
Sunday	Salad night	Chili

*Flex meal- have on playdate days

Recipe Notes:

Spaghetti- I never really liked spaghetti until I started making it this way, kind of by accident. You use 1/2 packet of spaghetti seasoning when you're browning your ground beef, AND use an already seasoned jar of spaghetti sauce. It's so good. 

Pork & veggies- Just chop some pork chops into bite sized pieces (you could sub another meat), and then throw in any veggies you have on hand, grill in a skillet with some oil. The SECRET, and this is a MUST, is to add Tony Chachere's regular seasoning to it. This meal is so simple, and tastes SO good. I serve it over rice. (credit goes to my mother for this one!)

Salmon patties- I got this recipe from Trim Healthy Mama, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to share, but basically, you add 1 egg per can of salmon, some more Tony's, and some oats. If you use 1/3 C per 2 small cans of salmon, it will stay low carb. I fry them up in some coconut oil (refined if you don't want them tasting like coconut!)

Chili- This is from Rachel Ray, and it's also low carb and pretty healthy, if you don't serve it over corn chips like we like to. :)

1 lb of ground beef, 2 garlic cloves, crushed, 1 chopped onion (I use 1/2), 2 T chili powder, 1 T cumin, salt, pepper, dash of cayenne (opt), 1-2 jalapenos (seeded & chopped), 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes & 1 of crushed, & 1 can of beer (opt). Simmer 20 min, covered.

Salad- This is an amazing recipe for rotisserie chicken in the CP. I make these all the time, and then I make the bone stock after I remove all the chicken. (I cook my rice in the stock.) I will use the meat in sandwiches for lunch or on salads. I also like to have these ingredients on hand: roasted, seasoned nuts, feta cheese, or shredded cheeses, tomatoes, avocados. Just those ingredients, with some dressing, make a FABULOUS salad. :) 

Re-fried beans- This recipe is great! I use 1/2 black, 1/2 pinto. I freeze them in small batches; some I puree before I freeze, and some I leave whole. We will have these on taco nights. Sometimes, I even put it with some cheese in a tortilla for the boys' lunch.

Freezer list: This is a list of items I can make ahead of time and freeze to make it even easier. This is optional, of course.

Spaghetti sauce/tomato sauce w/ o meat

Ground beef

Meatballs

Pancakes

Biscuits

Roasted nuts

Pasta dish ingredients (uncooked w/o pasta)

Sweet potato wedges/fries

Any CP meals we want

Taco meat

“refried” beans

Chili

Chopped onion- ( I buy them chopped & freeze in ice trays w/ some oil to make each cube stick together. I have yet to find frozen onions already chopped! I HATE chopping onions J)

Grocery list:

Pasta- thin spaghetti & one other type

Rice

Bread

Black beans

Pinto beans (other beans?)

Oats

Bread crumbs (could also use oats)

Carb smart tortillas

Corn chips J

Organic boxed soup- we like tomato (you could also make your own)

Canned tomatoes- crushed & diced

Pasta sauce

Salsa

Biscuits (or pancake ingredients)

Salad greens

2 veggies for pork meal- I like green beans & zucchini

1 veggie to roast- I like broccoli, among others

Tomatoes

Avocados/guacamole

Sweet potatoes

Onion

Shredded cheddar

Sliced cheese

Canned wild caught salmon

Eggs

Bacon (sometimes sub sausage)

Pork chops

Ground beef x3

Chicken

Any other ingredients for “crock pot night”