I work full time and have a pretty long commute. That means
I leave the house before 7 am and get home right around 6 pm. Kiddo goes to bed
around 7 and our family prioritizes eating together. I’m rarely in the mood to
cook when I get home and want to make sure that as much of that 6 to 7 o’clock
hour are spent with my little guy as possible, since I don’t get to see him
much during the day. One solution for
this is making meals ahead of time so that they are either ready or really
close to ready when I get home.
This is a new venture for us and it has come with some trial
and error. But my last round has worked really well. For us this also means
some comfort with leftovers and eating the same thing a few times in a week. I
don’t LOVE that, it isn’t ideal, but it is cost and energy efficient.
A note: We try to eat healthy. Not perfect, but moderately healthy.
We try not to eat meat too many times a week. So what you see here is a meal
plan that is light on meat and cheese, that prefers whole grains to…not, and
that tries to be heavy on vegetables.
And remember, this is for the work week- so Sunday dinner through Friday at lunch. The other meals I cook or we treat ourselves out.
Meal Plan (recipes follow)
Sunday Dinner: Whole Chicken
Monday Lunch: Wrap or salad made with leftover chicken
Monday Dinner: Mixed Bean Chili and Brown Rice and Salad
Tuesday Lunch: Wrap or Salad made with Leftover Chicken
Tuesday Dinner: Vegetarian Lasagna
Wednesday Lunch: Leftover Chili
Wednesday Dinner: Salsa Chicken
Thursday Lunch: Leftover Lasagna
Thursday Dinner: Either leftovers if you have too many OR Minestrone Soup
Friday Lunch: Something leftover- there is always something left to eat!
Friday dinner: Eat out, or cook :)
How it work:
On Sunday, I...
Throw a whole chicken (patted dry and coated with kosher
salt, pepper and garlic powder and with some lemon squeezed on top) into a slow
cooker on low for 6-8 hours. Nice to put some potatoes and carrots along the
bottom. This is what we will have for
dinner, and the leftovers will be used for lunches during the week.
While the chicken is cooking, I prep another handful of
meals.
First, and easiest,
are my Freezer Bag Meals. These are recipes where you throw everything into a
gallon sized Ziploc. Make sure and label the bag with cooking instructions and
with what’s inside. Lay it flat in the freezer and it doesn’t take up much
space! (TIP- Buy double the ingredients and easily make two of each recipe. It takes 5 minutes more time and gets a whole other set of meals prepped!)
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| This picture was taken on a day when I made THREE weeks of work-week dinners! |
Mixed Bean Chili:
1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can of Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
1 Small onion, diced
1 Cup of Frozen Corn
1 14 oz Can diced tomatoes
1 10 oz can diced green Chiles
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Sweet Potato, chopped (I like to leave the peel on, but
you can peel it)
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
Chili Seasonings: Either toss in a packet of seasonings
that you buy at the store, OR add the following to the bag:
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
Dash of ground pepper
On the bag: Write what’s inside and a reminder to Cook on Low for 6-8 hours.
The night before you want it, put it in the fridge to thaw. Add it to the slow cooker before you leave for work in the morning. You can add broth or water if you like your chili to be more like soup and less like stew. I like to cook a pot of brown rice when I get home and have a salad on the side.
Salsa Chicken
3 Pounds of chicken and 1 big jar of your favorite salsa.
Cook on low for 6 hours.
This can be yummy added to a bowl of rice or to a bowl of
salad greens to keep it healthy. Of course sprinkle cheese or add as much sour cream or avocado as your heart desires. Green onions and cilantro are also a nice touch.
Next up are meals that require a little more effort. There is some cooking and more prep work involved. These ones are the hardest for me because I always want to eat them once they are ready!
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| Veggies are prepped and ready to go |
Veggie Lasagna
5 cups chopped fresh vegetables- I like broccoli, peppers, zucchini, carrots and spinach but You Do You!1 tblsp Olive Oil
Spices you like- Basil, oregano, garlic powder (or actual garlic) are my favorites
1 small container ricotta
1 egg
1 large jar pasta sauce
1 package oven-ready lasagna noodles
Mozzarella cheese to put on top- as much as you want
1) Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic here if you want. Then add veggies and spices and sauté until a little soft.
2) Mix Ricotta and egg together
3) Pour some sauce into the bottom of the pan. Add noodles. Cover with 1/2 ricotta mixture. Top that with 1/2 of the veggies. Cover with sauce. Repeat -Noodles/Ricotta/Veggies/Sauce. Then add one more layer of noodles and sauce.
4) Sprinkle with Mozzerella cheese. Add more or less as you like.
Here, cover with foil and write baking instructions: 375 degrees for 40 minutes, covered. Another 10 minutes with the foil off. Put in the fridge if you will eat this week or freeze for later.
Minestrone Soup
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
3 Carrots, peeled (or not) and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 cups zucchini, chopped
2 cups yellow squash, chopped
1 cup green beans- fresh is best but frozen is fine
4 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth if you aren't a meat eater)
14 oz can diced tomatoes
14 oz can Great Northern beans rinsed and drained
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Basil, rosemary and oregano as you like
1/2 cup ditalini pasta (or elbow macaroni)
Handful of Spinach
1. Heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Sautee.
2. Add all ingredients until pasta- bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add pasta and spinach until pasta is cooked.
Now the soup is done. Let it cool, completely. Divide it into gallon sized Zip-Locs.
Both of these recipes are great for doubling and making extra meals!
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