This week's meal prep

I typically do my meal planning on Friday/Saturday and prepping on Sunday.  I don't typically make whole meals on Sunday, just staples and ingredients to quickly throw together with other items for a quick meal or snacks.  I still make each dinner on the day we will have it.  

We needed to do a Costco trip so we got most of what we needed there on Saturday.  We got a few other items at the regular grocery store on Sunday morning (garlic, spinach, flaxmeal, and green beans).  I put the chicken in the crockpot at 10 AM yesterday and then got the bread dough going in the bread maker.  When we got back from running our errands the dough only had a few minutes left before it was ready to come out and rise before baking.  Meanwhile I made carrot muffins, using up the leftover shredded carrots and applesauce in the refrigerator.  I hard boiled eggs, made iced tea, and washed and cut up cucumbers and peppers.  I had a lot of shredded chicken left at the end of last week and couldn't feed it to my husband since he doesn't eat meat on Fridays during Lent. So we will be having homemade burrito bowls with the chicken tonight (see separate post!) and then have leftover chicken during the week for lunches.  I made brown rice right at dinner time and made enough to have leftovers.  We also shredded part of a large block of cheese to use for dinner tonight and for during the week.  (Actually my cheese addict husband shredded the entire large block!).  While I made rice on the stove I cooked green beans and carrots in the oven to have as ready to go veggies during the week (I ate them with eggs for breakfast this morning!)  We also made a healthier cookie today (peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip - a hit!) and this morning I made healthier brownies.  Next week for something different I think for breakfast I will make baked oatmeal or quinoa breakfast jars to serve as breakfasts a few mornings of the week.  For the muffin or granola bar, I will see what I have to use up or if I find a great recipe or have a special request this week. 

My decaf unsweetened iced tea for me for the week (I usually additionally water a glass down - just one more way to get more water in me)

Hard boiled eggs

This week's muffin - carrot muffin!

While I finished preparing dinner and pulling the bread from the oven, I put the veggies in the oven and finished making the cookie dough.

Shredded Chicken Burrito Bowls - easy dinner!

In a previous post I showed you how to make easy shredded chicken in the crockpot to use for a whole bunch of different meal ideas, as well as leftovers for lunches or an easy dinner.

Last week I accidentally used a can of diced tomatoes with olive oil and spices.

This week I cooked my chicken on low in the crockpot with a small can of diced chilis and a can of plain diced tomatoes.  I forgot my taco seasoning until the end and just sprinkled it when I shredded it.

These were the options everyone had for their burrito bowls: Shredded chicken, brown rice, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado, chopped tomato, chopped butter lettuce and black beans.  Also: plain greek yogurt and tortilla chips (neither pictured).

We shred our own cheddar cheese from a big block, both to save money and to avoid additional ingredients in pre-shredded cheese.

You can shred it and put what you'll use for the week in the fridge and even freeze the rest until you're ready to use.

Everybody's bowl looked different!  And everyone was happy because they could customize their own.

My six year old likes lettuce but not tomato and my four year old likes tomato but not lettuce!

I like it all! 

My husband's somehow looked the prettiest! He added salsa and some hot sauces too.  

Everybody ate their whole bowl!  

And there are plenty of leftovers - eaten either the same way or made into quesadillas or fajitas in corn tortillas.

Carrot Muffins

Carrot Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups,white whole wheat flour

carrots, 1 1/2 cups grated

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*

a dash of salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup natural applesauce

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract**

Directions:

I pulsed about two cups of shredded carrots in my food processor to get about 1 1/2 cups of grated carrots.  Add flour, brown sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt and whisk to combine (make sure there are no brown sugar clumps).  Beat in the two eggs, applesauce, yogurt, and vanilla extract and stir until just combined.  Bake at 375 degrees in a prepared (either greased or lined with cupcake liners).  Check at 14 minutes for doneness and leave in another few minutes if cake tester comes out still moist. Transfer to a cooling rack before storing in an airtight container.

*My pumpkin pie spice recipe:

1 tsp ground ginger

1 1/3 tsp ground cloves

1 1/3 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/2 Tbsp + 1/3 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and store in a small airtight container with your other spices. Don't laugh at this picture - just posting it to show it doesn't have to be fancy :)

**I make my own vanilla extract by soaking slit vanilla beans in a mason jar partially filled with vodka. After shaking every few days for a few months I have my own vanilla extract and just add more vodka as it's depleted.

My kids and husband all tried these and said "yum" so I think they are a hit.

Adaped from the recipe for Carrot-Muffin Baby Bundts in Good Housekeeping March 2016

Three Bean Vegetarian Chili (in the Crockpot)

Three Bean Vegetarian Chili

This chili is so tasty and hearty you won't miss the meat. You can throw it all in your crockpot in the morning and have a nice warm meal ready for you at dinner time. It is kid approved in my house and makes a big vat with lots of leftovers.

Here are the ingredients.  It does take a lot of ingredients so I like to prep the night before if I am going to be busy in the morning.  I chopped up sweet potatoes, carrots and peppers so they were ready to go.  I rinse the beans and corn from the cans (you could use frozen or your own beans if you don''t like using cans. In the summer I use fresh tomatoes in lieu of the diced canned tomatoes. I find this to be a good meal with staples I can always have on hand so I have only made it with the canned beans and am not sure how well uncooked bagged beans would work).

We like to serve with some tortilla chips or cornbread.

This is the cornbread recipe from http://realfitrealfoodmom.com/2014/02/22/sweet-corn-bread/

Throw on a little shredded cheese and maybe some greek yogurt or sour cream (helps cool it down for the little ones too!)

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes with liquid
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1 sweet potato, scrubbed and chopped
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth, low sodium
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon cilantro
• salt and pepper
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn (or a can of corn, rinsed)

Directions

Combine all the above ingredients, except corn, in the crock pot Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours in slow cooker. Add water to give chili preferred consistency. Serve with shredded cheese, greek yogurt or sour cream and extra veggies. Tortilla chips or cornbread also go well with this veggie chili!

Adapted from:

http://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-vegetarian-style/

White Chicken Chili in the Crockpot

White Chicken Chili  

My kids love this chili.  My oldest doesn't like tomatoes but doesn't realize that 90% of the chilis or casseroles have tomatoes in them!  This is perfect for a cold or rainy day!

Ingredients

2-3 chicken breasts (we like Costco organic chicken breasts)

2 (15 oz) cans of beans, rinsed - I use 1 northern bean and 1 kidney

1 (15 oz) can of corn, rinsed or frozen corn

1 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning (we love this one http://realfitrealfoodmom.com/2013/08/18/taco-seasoning)

1 4 1/2 oz can of diced chilis (not rinsed!)

2 fresh tomatoes, chopped or 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes (undrained)

1 (14 oz) can chicken broth (use homemade if you have it!)

cream cheese (I used 3-4 oz since that was what I had), optional

Directions:

Place the chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker. Top with the beans and corn. Add the taco seasoning, chilis, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Place cream cheese if using cut up into chunks on top of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Shred chicken using two forks - chicken will shred easily.

Top with green onions, shredded cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato, greek yogurt or sour cream, salsa, etc. Also goes well with cornbread or tortilla chips!

I adapted this recipe from a combination of other recipes including http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-white-chicken-chili-114789

How To: Oven Cooked Sweet Potatoes Cubes

I typically prep ingredients on Sundays so that we always have some things recipe ready or meal ready to go.  As part of my meal prepping I like to roast a vegetable and some sweet potatoes.  Again my kids love these!  In a pinch on a busy night if these are pre-cooked and sitting in the fridge I can warm them these and serve with some previously roasted carrots or green beans and some leftover chicken and give them a healthy complete meal.  I like to eat these with eggs and a vegetable for breakfast on work-out days or throw some into another dish I am preparing.

Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes, cut in similar sized small cubes
Olive oil (or other - coconut oil, etc.) - I usually use about 1 Tbsp
Salt and pepper
Rosemary, cinnamon or other spices to your liking! (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Scrub and cut up your sweet potatoes (we don't peel ours but you can if you prefer. This saves time and fiber!) Try to make them similar in size so they cook evenly.  I cut mine pretty small so they will cook in 20 minutes.  Spread them out on a baking sheet and drizzle with your favorite oil.  We love the flavor of olive oil the best so we use that.  Toss to coat but make sure they are in a single layer.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper or other spices, as desired.  Bake to desired consistency, usually about 15-20 minutes, but depending on their size and how well done you like them, stirring halfway though.  If you are meal prepping allow to cool before putting away in the fridge.

Eggroll Bowl

Tasty bowl (eggroll in a bowl)

I only post our favorite recipes on this blog.  This was another hit, admittedly only with my husband and I.  My kids are pretty good eaters but they weren't feeling this.  It was still worth it to make it just for my husband and I - it was so good and a light meal at that!

Ingredients:
ground turkey, 1 pound
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
ground ginger to taste
chicken broth - 1/2 c or more
soy sauce or liquid aminos (start with 1/4 cup and add to taste/consistency)
scallions, chopped and separated
1/2 green or red pepper, chopped
2 bags (~ 5 cups) shredded coleslaw mix (prepared cabbage)
1/2 bag shredded carrots
shrimp, optional

Directions:

Cook ground turkey until brown in a skillet over medium heat.  Add sesame oil and onion and cook until onion is soft.  Add minced garlic, ground ginger, chicken broth and soy sauce (liquid aminos). Add light green part of scallions, chopped peppers, shredded cabbage, and shredded carrots and cook until the cabbage is wilted. Add green onions (green part of scallions) when serving and shrimp cooked separately if including.

I could totally see adding a scrambled egg to this too!

Recipe adapted from:
http://www.familyfitforduty.com/healthy-recipes/eggroll-in-a-bowl-recipe/
https://fitmomma2five.wordpress.com/2015/07/22/shrimp-egg-roll-in-a-bowl/

Meal Preparation

Meal Preparation

A big part of eating real food is planning and prepping.  Sunday is my prep day. I usually plan what meals I am going to make on Friday or Saturday and do my grocery shopping so I am all set to go on Sunday. I don't usually make whole meals ahead of time but I will pre-prep or pre-cook ingredients to go into meals (quinoa or rice, cooked shredded chicken, cooked veggies, washed lettuce, etc.) to make cooking easier and to make hectic morning breakfasts, snacks and lunch preparation easier and faster.  Here is an example of last Sunday's prep.  I usually start early and am done by noon!  (See other posts for details on each.  If there is no post yet for something it is coming soon I promise!)

• I cooked shredded chicken in the crockpot (for weekday lunches or a quick dinner as a salad, quesadilla, burrito bowl or on a potato or with the cooked veggies and sweet potatoes). I threw it in the crockpot first thing and let it cook while I was doing other things. 
• Hard boiled eggs (for add ons to breakfast, lunch, or for a snack)
• Washed and placed romaine lettuce in a bag (ready for salads and sandwiches)
• I cooked carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes in the oven
• I cooked oatmeal (for breakfasts for my kids on weekdays, for my husband to grab to take to work and for me as a snack)
• Made banana muffins (for my kids as a snack or quick breakfast with fruit)
• I made my kids pancakes Sunday morning and doubled the batch to freeze for weekday breakfasts. I also made myself some 21 day fix approved pancakes.
• I made a blueberry cake as a homemade treat/dessert.
• I made whole grain rolls (I usually make either rolls or bread, depending on dinners for the week. We use the bread or rolls for sandwiches and as buns for burgers, etc.)

The shredded chicken and my rolls

Hard boiled eggs peeled and ready to eat

Oven cooked sweet potato cubes, ready to be eaten as a side.

Oven cooked green beans

Cooked oatmeal, in containers ready to be taken to work or heated at home

Muffins (these happen to have chocolate chips.  This time I didn't put chocolate chips in the muffins. It usually depends if I plan on serving them as a snack or as breakfast).

Blueberry crumble cake.

The prepared whole grain bread/roll dough uncooked as prepared in the bread machine (I let mine rise in the microwave and then cook in the oven - just my preference)

Homemade rolls (before and after cooking)

A loaf of my homemade bread

Other things I sometimes prep for the week.

Bacon in the oven

Spinach cubes

(I usually put fresh spinach and ice in my smoothies but if I have a ton of spinach instead of letting it go to waste I blend it in the food processor with some water and make cubes and use one of those instead of the fresh spinach and ice)

Breakfast bars

Baked oatmeal

Homemade granola bars for kid lunches and snacks

and homemade whole grain tortillas

Most items that I won't use in the new few days go in the freezer (tortillas, granola bars, extra muffins, mini meatloaves, etc)  Then I can defrost in the fridge overnight or in the microwave (tortillas or muffins wrapped in a paper towel) or send frozen (granola bars or homemade cookies) and they will defrost by lunchtime.   Meal prepping makes it so I almost always have something decent and homemade I can send or serve for my kids for lunch (and breakfast, snacks and dinner!)

Cheeseburger & Bacon Casserole

Deliciousness in a Bowl (or Cheeseburger & Bacon Casserole)

This hearty dish cooks up in one skillet!  If you don't want to pre cook your rice you can cook it right in the skillet.  You'll need to add the uncooked rice after the tomatoes and spices, add approximately 2 cups water, cover and simmer until the rice is cooked and water is mostly absorbed.  I prefer to make the rice separately (or use leftover) and add it in at the end.  If you don't have cooked bacon you can leave it out but it does add a delicious flavor!  You can adjust the seasonings to suit your own tastes.  My husband likes spicy flavors but the rest of us don't so he adds his hot sauces or cayenne at the table.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
1/4 onion, chopped
1/2 pepper, chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped (or use 1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes)
1 can of chopped chilis
~ 2 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning (split)
~ 3 Tbsp Worcester sauce (split)
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
5 slices bacon (cooked), chopped
1 15 oz can of kidney beans (optional)
2 cups brown rice (cooked)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (or use slices of cheddar)

Brown ground beef (or turkey) in a skillet over medium heat, adding 1 Tbsp taco seasoning and 1 Tbsp Worcester sauce.  Drain any excess grease and then add chopped onions and peppers.   Cook for 3 minutes then add fresh tomatoes, chilis, remaining 1 Tbsp taco seasoning, remaining 2 Tbsp Worcester, garlic powder and salt and pepper.  Cook for about five minutes.

Add bacon.  Add kidney beans and rice and stir to combine.  Cook another five minutes.  Turn the heat low, add cheese and cover skillet with a lid until the cheese melts.

We love cheese. My husband put a lot more on than I would have but it was delicious!

Serve straight up or with extra tomatoes and lettuce!  Leftovers are just as delicious!  This was a hit with both the adults and kids!

How To: Cook Bacon in the Oven

How to cook bacon in the oven

My family LOVES bacon but I don't love the mess it makes making it! For some reason we always either microwaved it in small batches (hello smell commitment in the microwave for the next week!) or I would grill it in a pan on the stove. Now that I discovered cooking it in the oven I will always cook the whole package at once and store any leftovers (hahaha!)

Here's how you do it:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place bacon strips on baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake the bacon in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until bacon reaches desired doneness. I bake mine for 20 minutes or more because we like ours cooked longer.

Move the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to cool. Blot with paper towels to remove excess grease. 

I leave the pan a little while to let the grease cool. Then I roll up the foil and throw away and wash the pan! Cooked bacon!

Store in the refrigerator (any you don't eat right away!) to supplement salads and sandwiches, to add to casseroles or breakfast muffins or sprinkle on soups.