Meal planning started as a way to prevent waste and make better use of the groceries we were buying. What it has become is an exciting weekly family ritual that has us spending more quality time together. And the boys don’t realize it, but we are teaching them necessary life skills that many adults don’t even have! They are learning how to plan a well-balanced meal full of nutrients, centered around vegetables and healthy meats.
This week, I knew we still had a crisper drawer full of veggies when we sat down with the boys to meal plan, so the first thing we did was make a list of the produce that needed to be used up and built the meal plan around those things = less waste and money saved! Since we started meal planning months ago (archive of past meal plans HERE ) we haven’t had to throw away hardly a single neglected vegetable!
We love that the boys get involved in meal planning, and it makes them more likely to eat every single thing on the menu, even all the vegetables – because they helped pick them out. We hope to help you incorporate balanced meals into your weekly planning and inspire your family to try new things and enjoy real food too!
Here’s a look at exactly what we ate for dinner this week.
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Sunday: Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Pork Roast and Roasted Cabbage
Now this is Paleo convenience food! Pastured pork stuffed with veggies, rolled in bacon and ready to just throw in the oven. Paired with simple roast cabbage, and this meal was incredibly quick, yet flavorful and delicious!
—> Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Pork Roast pre-made from The Organic Butcher of Mclean
—> World’s Best Braised Cabbage recipe from Nom Nom Paleo
Monday: Eastern Market Shrimp Salad on a Cobb Salad with Candied Bacon
This dinner was a compilation of a few of our favorite things. We made our family-favorite shrimp salad, and carried over the sauce (made with Chosen Foods Mayo) as a salad dressing. So good!! Oh.. and we added candied bacon, which didn’t hurt either!
—> Eastern Market Shrimp Salad recipe from our blog
—> Cobb Salad (with lettuce, hard-boiled egg, cucumber, and avocado)
—> Candied Bacon recipe from My Paleo Patisserie
Tuesday: Taco Bowls and Fried Tostones
These AIP-friendly taco bowls had so much flavor! And the recipes for shredded pork, cilantro-lime cauli-rice, and easy guacamole are all on the blog. With a side dish of fried plantains, this meal was incredible!
—> Taco Bowls recipe (AIP-friendly) available on our blog, from The Healing Kitchen
—> Fried Tostones recipe from The Healing Kitchen
Wednesday: Swedish Meatballs and Roasted Fennel & Carrot Pure
We’ve been loving the recipes in Ditch the Wheat! These meatballs with gravy were awesome, especially on top of nutrient-rich carrot and fennel puree. This was like a (super easy) gourmet dinner at home!
—> Swedish Meatballs recipe from Ditch the Wheat
—> Roasted Fennel & Carrot Puree recipe from I’d Rather be a Chef
Thursday: Chicken Fingers and Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
Some of the finest healthy comfort food you’ll find! Everyone loved this hearty dinner combination of homemade chicken fingers and one of our go-to broccoli side dishes (with crumbled pork rinds on top for added crunch!).
—> Chicken Fingers recipe from Ditch the Wheat
—> Cheesy Broccoli Casserole recipe from Fed + Fit
Gorgeous photo courtesy of Fed + Fit
Friday: Crispy Orange Pork and Sesame Almond Butter Noodles
These sesame almond butter zoodles were a fun veggie side dish for our favorite orange pork, instead of the traditional fried cauli-rice.
—> Crispy Orange Pork recipe from our blog
—> Sesame Almond Butter Noodles recipe from My Sequined Life
Saturday: Meatloaf Cupcakes and French Onion Soup
This meal was Cole’s choice (on his big wrestling day) and as predicted, he wanted meatloaf. We loved the french onion soup and meatloaf combo last time we had it, and this is now a pair that is destined to be eaten together from here on out!
—> Meatloaf Cupcakes recipe from our blog
—> French Onion Soup recipe available on our blog, from The Bare Bones Broth Cookbook
Photo courtesy of The Bare Bones Broth Cookbook
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Books featured in our meal plans are among our favorites and ones we actually use!
My Paleo Patisserie | The Healing Kitchen | Ditch the Wheat | The Bare Bones Broth Cookbook
