Posts tagged “Meal Planning”

CSA Challenge: Fall Inspiration

Posted on October 13, 2024

CSA Challenge is back this week and I had some incredible options thanks to our Jones Valley Teaching Farm farmers. As I was meal prepping for the week, I was reminded of a few things: So this post is dedicated to all of you meal planners out there who need inspiration today. It is also dedicated to all of the farmers that continue to provide food for us and to those of you who are on the front lines fighting for fresh, affordable, safe, and healthy food is available to everyone in our community. Roasted Vegetables I decided to do what I know works with great tasting veggies: You roast ’em. Throw them on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper and…

Categories: Community, Jones Valley Teaching Farm, meal prep, Uncategorized

Tagged: Birmingham, CSA Challenge, DInner, farmers, Food, Meal Planning, Recipe, recipes, Vegetables

Guess Who’s Back? (back again) Meal Prep’s back. (tell a friend)

Posted on September 26, 2022

Buckle up because it is technically Fall and it is Sunday and that means I’m meal prepping and planning and cooking and everything in between today. If you need some inspiration like I always do, let’s just go ahead and dive in, shall we? I went ahead and prepped for the week because who has time to cook during the week? I’ll wait. Nope, me either. Does my meal prep take a lot of time on a Sunday? Sure, but that’s how I have to do it, which may be different than what you need to do. That’s a beautiful thing. It takes all of us to get through a week, right? So here’s the plan:

Breakfasts

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix (I chose muffins and added dark chocolate chips)
Trader Joe’s Vegetable Hash with scrambled eggs
Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Biscuits
(this post is not sponsored by Trader Joe’s, but maybe it should be?)
Sweet Potato Toasts with avocado + eggs (for me) (and btw, the toasts should be thicker)
Bacon

Lunches

Spinach, Quinoa, and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Sunflower Seeds and Lemon Tahini dressing
Leftovers

Dinner

Sunday: Fish tacos, cole slaw, rice, and black beans (I got it all done but none of us ate it tonight)
Monday: Hopefully, Gran will come to the rescue since we have a work event
Tuesday: Steak Tips, rice, peas, and Trader Joe’s Aloha Rolls
Wednesday: I got a request to make what Chef Ama made at Camp Grow this Summer! Though I wish I could pretend that I am as talented as Chef Ama, I decided to get some frozen meatballs from Trader Joe’s, add some Rao’s pasta sauce, and call it a day. And… the kids absolutely noticed. Help, Chef Ama!
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Let’s just see how the week worked out, shall we?

Extra

I also decided to make a few items for back up. Don’t we all need a back up?
1. 99% ground turkey with less sodium taco seasoning (3 pounds) for my favorite turkey bowls, the kids’ favorite nachos, and quick taco salads

2. Banana Oatmeal Cookies (I had two rotten bananas and I found this 3-ingredient recipe)

Snacks:

I will be snacking on fresh fruit, That’s It, 2Good Vanilla Yogurt, boiled eggs, and Skinny Pop (White Cheddar, please).

Obsessed

I discovered these new YouTube channels and can’t stop watching them:
Good Eatings
Jess Beautician
Cecilia Blomdahl

I think that’s about all for this week. I was so inspired these food blogs, and favorite things lists, and youtube channels that I decided to make my own little centerpiece (if you know me, you know that this happens once every ten years). My 7-year-old thought we needed a wee bit more drama.

Wishing all of you a wonderful week ahead. Next Sunday I definitely will not cook this much.

Categories: Family, Prioritizing Me, Recipes, Uncategorized

Tagged: Meal Planning, meal prep

Cooking and Planning Up a Storm

Posted on March 31, 2019

I was on a roll. I lost 10 lbs starting back on Weight Watchers. I was diligent. Intentional. I was a total PLANNER. I was really feeling good and then I had sinus surgery. I will spare you the delicious details, but let’s just say that it took me a minute (or two) to recover. Then we had the most beautiful first week of Spring and I wasn’t sick and I could smell and taste everything.

So I celebrated.

And the celebration lasted a little longer than it should have and well, I’m back to the drawing board.

Here’s the other thing: When I was following the rules and being mindful of my meals, I was also prepping and planning the weekend before. I’m not the person that can just fly by the seat of my pants because when they ask me if I want fries with that, my answer will ALWAYS be yes. Here’s where I should defend myself in some way, but the truth is I have VERY low will power. With everything. So, planning is a necessity. And I’m going to need all of us Weight Watcher folks to be in solidarity with each other and not pretend that planning and prepping isn’t part of the success because it totally is.

I’m proud to report that I’m back on it this week. Or at least that’s the plan. How many times can I say plan in this entry? I reckon we’ve found us a theme, folks.

Though I usually focus solely on Skinnytaste recipes, I randomly decided to look at 101 Cookbooks this weekend and was totally inspired. Probably because her site is just gorgeous, but it could also be the Spring veggies I’m seeing on the farms (I work at Jones Valley Teaching Farm for those of you new to FoodRevival).

Or maybe it was that beautiful first week of Spring despite the crazy pollen (just look at my shoes).

Whatever the inspiration, the following recipes spoke to me. Actually, they hollered at me. And so I made them. I also went ahead and entered in everything on the Weight Watchers website so I could include the points as well.

First up: Double Broccoli Quinoa
At 8 points per serving, this recipe is a little higher in points than I’d like, but I’m just going to eat it sparingly.

Second recipe is Vegetarian Paella with Homemade Sofrito

This was definitely more involved than the first recipe. Per her suggestion, I went ahead and made homemade Sofrito for the Paella. A sofrito is a sauce that is used as a base in Spanish dishes. It was super easy and I’m glad I took the time to do it.

Next up: The Paella.

I must admit that the recipe as written intimidated me. I kept worrying that I would burn the rice, but miraculously I followed the directions and it turned out great. It didn’t get the “crust” she mentioned, but I’ll keep trying.

Skinnytaste’s Banana Bread

Finally, I had to do something with the bananas that were going brown on my counter, so I found my way back to Skinnytaste and made her Banana Bread. This recipe is 4 points per slice (though I went ahead and made one BIG ‘ol loaf instead of two) so it may have more points, actually. The only thing I did different was use a cup of whole wheat flour with the all purpose flour.

So there you have it! I’m excited to get back on track and looking forward to ALL of these meals this week. If you want the recipes, simply click on the title of each section where I list the title of the recipe and it will take you directly to the website.

Have a great week,

Amanda

Categories: Community, Family, Jones Valley Teaching Farm, Skinnytaste, Uncategorized

Tagged: 101 Cookbooks, Banana Bread, Broccoli, Delicious, Food, Inspiration, Meal Planning, meal prep, Paella, Planning, Pollen, Quinoa, Sofrito, Spring, Spring Veggies, Vegetarian

Menu Planning Survival Kit: Instant Pot + Skinnytaste

Posted on January 20, 2019

When I used to plan meals for the week, I’d be on my feet in the kitchen for at least 5 or 6 hours. Since I converted to the Instant Pot, my Sunday routine has been cut down from SIX to TWO hours. I know a lot of you may have not had luck with the Instant Pot or perhaps don’t believe the hype and that is totally okay, but I’m 100% converted. Like, Instant Pot Believer over here. Let’s jump in and see what I managed to cook in less than 2 hours this morning.

First up: Red Lentil Soup with Spinach. Publix was out of red lentils, so I just got brown and everyone survived. This was super easy and a great way to use up my Jones Valley Teaching Farm carrots. I even had enough to freeze.

While the soup was cooking, I started on this Cheesy Rotisserie Chicken Enchilada Skillet. I had left over rotisserie chicken from last week, which was perfect to use in this recipe. I used canned everything (black beans, chicken stock, and enchilada sauce). You can do you and make it from scratch if you’d like. I made it on the stove and then stuck it in the oven to finish it off.

While the Cheesy Rotisserie Chicken Enchilada Skillet was baking, I quickly cooked some ground sirloin with taco seasoning. I plan to give this to the kiddos this week because God forbid they have to eat something like chicken enchiladas or lentils.

I rounded out the morning with some meal prep for me: Boiled Eggs and Low-Fat Ranch Dressing. As you can see from all of the links above, Skinnytaste is my go-to for recipes. Look at these eggs.

Skinnytaste’s recipes are easy to follow, always delicious, can be counted via calorie-counter or Weight Watchers, and she has a treasure trove of Instant Pot recipes. She’s like the perfect guide if you are starting new this year and trying to be accountable calorie-wise and she’s especially helpful if you happened to get an Instant Pot over the holidays. Win. Win.

Wishing all of you a great start to your week.

Categories: Family, Instant Pot, Jones Valley Teaching Farm, Prioritizing Me, Recipes, Skinnytaste, Uncategorized

Tagged: boiled eggs, carrots, chicken enchilada bake, lentils, low-fat ranch, Meal Planning, meal prep, Soup

My Mission: Planning Meals, Saving Money, and Appreciating Leftovers

Posted on January 18, 2015

I’m on a mission. I’m on a mission to do better when it comes to shopping for groceries and planning meals. I don’t know about you, but I tend to plan new meals each week and build my shopping list around those NEW meals. The truth is, I never look for sales in the weekly ads (yes, this horrifies my Mom). I don’t do coupons (I can’t even keep up with my keys much less remember coupons). I don’t eliminate new meals that call for a specific spices I’ve never heard of, which ultimately means I have to buy that new spice in addition to the other ingredients I probably don’t have on hand. I’m trying to change all of this, which I’m finding just…

Categories: Family, Recipes

Tagged: 101 Cookbooks, Better than Bouillon, Efficiency, Family Meals, Food Bank, Grocery Shopping, Leftovers, Meal Planning, Pioneer Woman, Privilege, recipes, Sales, Savings, Skinnytaste