Meal Planning

Here we are again, at the beginning of another school year with all the hustle and bustle that comes along with the end of Summer.  Every morning when the alarm sounds, I jump out of bed and get to work - making breakfast, preparing lunches, and doing a general sweep of the house so that I can begin the day with some semblance of order.  Often, I feel like a farmer’s wife, awake before dawn, and completing chores before the rest of the brood stir to life.  But those first few solitary hours, give me a warm feeling of success that our day has started off with purpose.  In order to continue that sense of accomplishment, once everyone is out the door and to their respective school and work locations, I look ahead to what we can plan for our family dinner, ideally something I can make ahead or at least have the majority of it prepared before dinner time.  My goal, which is always a challenge, is to navigate the busy work schedules, soccer practices, cross country meets, school activities, guitar lessons, etc., so we can all enjoy a family dinner together a few times a week. 

To help accomplish this goal, I recently signed up for a meal planning service called Real Plans (www.realplans.com).  I am still getting the hang of it, but the thing I like is that you can pick and choose how many meals you intend to make during the week (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and they have several options that cater to any diet (Whole 30, Paleo, Keto, etc.) With Real Plans, once you create your weekly menu, they take it a step further and create the corresponding shopping list along with mapping out the plan for what time is needed to prepare the meals in general.  I look forward to delving in to the plan and having a better idea about what our family can eat at home, instead of last minute plans to eat out or on the go.  My hope is that this plan will allow us to spend more time together at the family dinner table along with spending less money eating out at restaurants on a regular basis.

Our family will continue to have our weekly Taco Tuesdays, and one or two days with crock pot or Instapot meals.  I have recently made a Kalua Pig Instapot Recipe that is from Nom Nom Paleo, and it is easy, delicious, and the whole family loved it.   Another favorite recently added to our rotation is Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, by The Real Food Dietitians.  This dish can be part of a meal, or made as appetizers, which will be perfect for the upcoming football season!

If there are quick and easy meals you enjoy preparing and sharing, please shoot me an email so I can add them to our family meal rotation.  My mom always wanted to feed anyone who stopped by for a visit, as she was instilled with the motto “Food is love.”  If we can take the time to sit and eat together as family and friends, we open ourselves up to being filled with more than just nourishment for the body, but also nourishment for our souls and minds.  Enjoy!