Weekly Meal Planning for Oct 30-Nov 5

Happy Halloween! We have a nice little (actually, BIG) pile of candy to go through tomorrow but after a very active field day at school and trick-or-treating for two hours, my two were ready for bed. And right before I fall into bed, I wanted to finish up the meal planning post for this week. We got a lot of great goodies (including salmon!) in our box today. Between those, two new cookbooks, and a new online recipe to try, my meal planning may be a little more adventurous over the next few weeks! 

Sunday: chili at our neighborhood halloween party 
Monday: salmon, green salad, roasted broccolini, baby potatoes, and carrots
Tuesday: roast chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and cauliflower, kale citrus salad
Wednesday: at a soccer end-of-season party
Thursday: chicken and mushroom soup (modified from this recipe)
Friday: leftover soup
Saturday: at a friend's house

I tried to get as many nutrients in my kids as possible today because between field day and halloween (read: lots of junk and sugar highs), I needed to balance them out! Their lunches tomorrow will also be completely junk-free. I know they had a great day so this is where I let go a little and tell myself that they will forget about the candy soon. 

Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere

I'm a sucker for pumpkin recipes this time of year. We have done the usuals, muffins/pancakes, even smoothies and pumpkin spice creamer. This year, we are expanding and adding even more pumpkin recipes to our repertoire. 

We made these pumpkin breakfast cookies and they are a great option for something to grab on the go in the mornings. They were very easy to make, too! 

Right before I left on my solo trip, I made a batch of pumpkin overnight oats for the kids to have an easy breakfast option while I was gone. I used ingredients I had on hand but it was similar to this recipe.

Since it is now officially soup season, I have put this on my soup recipe rotation and am anxious to try it. My kids will get a kick out of the grilled cheese croutons. 

And lastly, I mentioned this in the weekly meals post, but I have been looking forward to trying this pumpkin alfredo since I saw the IG post a few weeks ago. It just looks perfect and I hope it doesn't disappoint!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Weekly Meal Planning for Oct 24-Oct 30

Fall weather has arrived! This gives us the green light for comforting, warm meals like casseroles, soups, chili, and roasts. We have had a crazy October so far but this week, we are back to reality. Back-to-back trips are not easy to recover from but homemade dinners help. :) 

Sunday: spinach ravioli with peas (after driving back from Florida all day)
Monday: spaghetti squash and turkey bolognese 
Tuesday: spinach, tomatoes and eggs
Wednesday: Cuban picadillo with beans in pita pockets, lemon roasted cauliflower
Thursday: leftover picadillo over quinoa, boiled eggs and potatoes, spinach salad with beets, pomegranate seeds, and orange wedges
Friday: pumpkin alfredo with chicken sausage and spinach
Saturday: at a birthday party
Sunday: chili at a halloween party

I have had my eye on that pumpkin alfredo recipe for a few weeks now and can't wait to try it. I'm a big fan of creamy pastas (but really, who isn't?!) and I'm anxious to see how the pumpkin and sage amp up the depth of the flavor there! If I make it to the farmers market, I'll get some of their fresh pasta because it is so good, otherwise, I'll fall back on my store-bought one.

Now that it feels like fall, it's time to enjoy the hearty flavors in the meals!

Weekly Meal Planning for Oct 2-Oct 8

I've been having technical difficulties this week! I have tried to post this meal plan and that kale recipe but wasn't able to for some reason. Anyway, now that it seems to be working, let's try again.

Sunday: quick Chipotle after soccer
Monday: zoodles with pesto, chicken drumsticks, kale and citrus salad, sweet potato fries
Tuesday: greek tacos 
Wednesday: pesto spinach ravioli 
Thursday: leftovers 
Friday: at a football game
Saturday: at our high school reunion

Enjoy your week!

Recipe: Kale & Citrus Salad

This was a big hit for my family. My five year old even asked me to make more for her lunch tomorrow. I omitted the jalapeño and the nuts but it was still flavorful without being too citrusy and earthy without being to kale-y. It was a perfect side but can be part of a main dish too. This would be amazing topped with broiled fish, too!

Perfect for Fall Kale & Citrus Salad
1 bunch kale, washed, trimmed, and sliced roughly
Juice of 1 orange
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp evoo
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, chopped finely (optional)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 large orange or 2 tangelos, peeled and diced
Feta, blue cheese or goat cheese to top
Toasted nuts (optional)

Mix orange juice through jalapeño in a jar. Cover and shake vigorously. Add yogurt and shake until well combined. Pour onto kale and mix well. Top with orange pieces and feta, toss lightly. Top with nuts if preferred.

Weekly Meal Planning for Sept 25-Oct 1

You know it's gonna be a rough week when you plan the meal for Sunday to be a quick weeknight meal because you have to rush! Ah well. Some weeks are just like that. We are also doing several meatless meals to help cut down on our grocery budget a little bit. It seems to have gotten out of control! 

Sunday: spinach and mushroom linguine 

Monday: crustless broccoli cheese quiche and pumpkin bread

Tuesday: black bean chili nachos (a la one of our favorites, The Grit restaurant in Athens)

Wednesday: butternut squash soup and  Parmesan crisps 

Thursday: roasted Rosemary lemon chicken, roasted potatoes, cauliflower, and carrots 

Friday: leftover chicken and veggies, green salad 

Saturday: Cobb salad with shredded roast chicken 

Recipe: Chicken Curry

I gave my kids a choice for dinner last night - chicken curry or chicken pot pie, and I was shocked when they chose chicken curry. And I was even more pleasantly surprised when I realized how easy it was to make and how fast it came together. It ended up being a perfect, hearty meal for a gloomy, rainy Sunday evening. I doubled it since we had my mom over, and I wanted leftovers. My kids each said "I don't like this, I love it!" Here's what I did - barely modified from the original.

1 Tbsp avocado oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp curry powder
2 pinches (an 8-year old's) turmeric
12 chicken thighs, skinless, some boneless, trimmed and seasoned with s&p
chicken broth splash
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large sweet potato, diced (should've had two)
1 cup coconut milk
2 10oz bags of frozen sweet peas
chopped cilantro for garnish
basmati rice, cooked

Heat oil over medium high heat in a dutch oven. Add onions, stirring around for a minute. Add garlic, stirring around with onions until soft. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp curry powder, and 1 pinch turmeric. Remove onions and place into a bowl. 
Place 6 pieces of chicken and brown on both sides, remove and brown remaining chicken. Add remaining spices. Remove chicken, splash chicken broth to break up browned bits at the bottom of the pot. 
Put the chicken and onions back in. Add potatoes and coconut milk. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are soft. Add peas and stir until warmed through. Sprinkle half of cilantro (about a tsp). Heat through and serve over rice. Sprinkle cilantro on each serving.