January was so good but so LONG! We did really well with our meal plan, making a few edits here and there. I try not to make it too rigid- it sucks the fun right out of it. We decided to continue with focusing oh high protein, whole foods and clean food choices for February. We’ve both lost a few pounds and are overall just feeling better. I did the Make A Shift Reset from Young Living with their antioxidant NingXia Red drink and that really kick started things for me. It helped me with sleep, energy, mood, sweet tooth cravings and so much more. You can read more about it here (coming soon).
Here’s the Plan:
Joe and I sat down and pulled together a handful of dinner ideas (focusing on whole foods and high protein) to make a list of ten dinner ideas to shuffle through and a handful of breakfast and lunch ideas. We used Pinterest and searched terms like Whole 30 dinner ideas, Paleo dinners, and healthy dinner ideas. We are in no way doing either of those plans but they do give you meal ideas with whole food, high protein, low sugar- which is where we’re going to continue focusing on.
Our general rule of thumb to this meal plan is to eat healthy foods Monday through Saturday and then ease up on Sunday. This is by no means a diet or a good food versus bad food, but just our on personal way of fueling our bodies while still enjoying ourselves. Balance, right? Also, wine is not off the table. We have three little kids.
Breakfast Recipes:
OVERNIGHT OATS– these have quickly become a favorite for both of us for breakfast. I’m still trying a bunch of different combinations so I can compile my favorites but so far there are no losers!
SCRAMBLE EGGS + TOAST WITH BERRIES- pasture raised (or farm fresh) eggs are definitely preferred and I lean towards blueberries, strawberries and blackberries the most.
HOMEMADE BANANA BREAD– I found the PERFECT breakfast banana bread recipe. It’s sweetened with honey, uses whole wheat flour but you wouldn’t even know it and tastes SO good!
SMOOTHIES (CHOCOLATE PB, VANILLA SPICE, CINNAMON ROLL)- this is the protein powder that we LOVE. After trying so many and wasting an absurd amount of money only to find it chalky- I am SO glad to have found one with clean ingredients that tastes amazing.
YOGURT PARFAIT- unflavored greek yogurt (more protein!), honey, homemade granola + berries! The girls LOVE this for breakfast or snack and it’s a quick option for Joe and I in the morning. We have been making that granola for YEARS. I just leave out the chocolate chips these days.
Our lunches are pretty basic and self explanatory but these NO BAKE PROTEIN BITES are killer. I don’t always love having to roll them all out but dang am I glad when they’re made. So good!
Dinner Recipes:
We are LONG time favorites of this BURGER BOWLS W/ FF + BIG MAC SAUCE recipe! I use frozen burger patties from Costco to make it quicker! The sauce is an ABSOLUTE must make!
SWEET POTATO BURRITO BOWLS w/ black beans, avocado, cauliflower rice and salsa. This is such a good hack for lunch and dinner! Basically starting with cauliflower rice and a protein and then topping with anything you have on hand!
FAJITA BOWL (CHICKEN SHRIMP BEEF OR VEGGIE) GIVE ME ALL THE MEXICAN FOOD.
A true menu planning staple. BREAKFAST (EGGS, BACON, SWEET POTATO HASH) I use this recipe as a starting point and just use what I have on hand.
BBQ MEATLOAF W/ BROCCOLI + SWEET POTATO I LOVE this recipe and it’s so easy to make.
This has been in our meal plan multiple times and the whole family loves it. The tater tot crust is a big hut with the kids. Crustless was really good, too, just wanted to add another something to it. HAM + CHEESE QUICHE. I spray my pie dish with avocado oil, I line the pie dish with tater tots and put them in the oven at the temp on the package. I check on them after about 15min. Once they’re soft enough to flatten with a fork I remove it from the oven and use the back of a fork to flatten them into the crust. Then I fill with the quiche mix and bake according to the recipe from The Gay Globetrotter Blog.
TACOS W/ LETTUCE SHELLS- nothing fancy here, just our usual taco dinner with Siete taco seasoning and romaine lettuce “shells.” Oh, and ALL the fresh toppings!
SHEET PAN CHICKEN THIGHS W/ SWEET POTATO + BROCCOLI is as easy as it sounds. While the oven is heating up I put the sheet pan in there to get hot as well. This helps the chicken skin get crispy. I season the chicken thighs well and place on the sheet pan when the oven comes to temp. Add the sweet potato slices and frozen broccoli, adding salt and pepper. Bake until chicken reaches 165degrees.
I haven’t made SPINACH LASAGNA ROLL UPS in such a long time. This is a family favorite and actually something I like to make for friends and family when they need a home cooked meal dropped off. New babies, the loss of a loved one, hard times in general sometimes call for a cozy meal that takes zero work for the recipient.
CAJUN CHICKEN BAKE W/ QUINOA + BROWN RICE is a favorite of Joe’s. I love any dinner that I can make, put in the oven and not think about again until the timer goes off. It comes together fairly easy but looks like I really went all out. I grabbed Quinoa + Brown rice packs from Costco recently and they’re actually really good!
This is a new recipe to us and I’m excited to try! I love the idea of a jacket potato and stuffing it with all kids of yummy stuff. TURKEY STUFF’D SWEET POTATOES Make it sweet potatoes and you’ve got a delicious dinner you can feel good about.
And that’s it! We’re rotating through these (some more than others) and planning for take out on Sundays, unless I have the urge to cook something specific. I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going over at @Emma.Prentiss on IG! xo
