I think it’s totally normal to go through cycles of being really energized about food prep and trying new recipes and other weeks where you are just trying to get by. At least it’s normal for me. I am jazzed that today is the first day of spring because any seasonal change usually renews my excitement about healthy meals and cooking. Whatever the reason, I am wanting to get back in my Sunday food prep groove, so here is a peek into this week’s set up.
First, I put my bread machine’s dough cycle to work on homemade hamburger buns. I realized too late that I had no milk so I used almond milk instead.
I’d recommend sticking with regular milk because due to the chemistry behind baking that I don’t fully understand (lack of protein perhaps?), they didn’t rise as well as usual. Luckily they tasted good and worked just fine!
I had some helpers in the kitchen for a little while. I like to think they wanted to assist me, but mostly they wanted to eat pistachios as I shelled a 1/2 cup’s worth to make Magic Green Sauce.
Though David and I ate probably half of it just scooped up on carrots, I’ll use it this week on my quinoa and grilled chicken lunch bowls.
For those lunch bowls, I also cooked up two cups of dry quinoa (in broth for more flavor) and grilled some chicken with Italian herbs.
For breakfast smoothies (the girls have mostly been alternating between oatmeal and smoothies), I sliced and froze some bananas.
Pro tip: I always peel, slice, and freeze bananas on a baking tray or cooling rack (like above) before transferring to a large ziplock bag in the freezer. This keeps them from sticking together and developing freezer burn.
I also pulled some jerky-sliced beef from our freezer stash (our cow share purchase is finally about at the end) and marinated it with soy sauce, garlic, hot sauce, and coconut sugar before patting it dry and switching it to . It turned out pretty good but needed longer than 2 hours in the marinade.
I also cut up some carrots, made a purple cabbage ACV slaw for lunch bowl toppings, roasted some potatoes for breakfast, peeled and sliced some Russet potatoes and formed some slider patties for dinner.
All in all, I probably spent 2 hours in the kitchen, but feel pretty set for the week ahead for the first time in a while, so that feels awesome!
I celebrated with a cup of tea with dinner while reminiscing on our Friday night beverage of choice:
We skipped the Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day but this Anderson Valley Bourbon Barrel Stout suited our celebration quite well. I liked the faint bourbon undertones it developed from aging in the barrels and David and I both would buy this one again.
Side note: This is the first full month of our new household budget. I am trying to keep a closer eye our our food spending. Not necessarily lowering drastically, but being more observant and intentional with where it all goes. I am noticing some some interesting trends, including that I am probably not buying enough food to feed all four of us at dinner anymore now that the girls (certainly Hailey) eat as much as we do.
I might share more about my findings in a post in a few weeks if anyone is interested?
One thing for certain, to bring it full circle, prepping food to have ready for the week definitely helps me avoid eating (and spending $$$) outside our home and definitely makes my weeks run more smoothly.
What is your favorite thing to prep on Sundays to make your week a little easier?
Do you have any evolving challenges around eating and grocery shopping in your house?
Dana says
Would love a post about food shopping/spending. I am also trying to be more mindful of what I buy and use for my family of five. Would love to hear your ideas and tips 🙂 Thx for the inspiration of food prepping for the week !!
John J. says
You have your Mother’s organizational genes. Impressive! Happy Spring!
Laura says
Weekend prep for me usually involves lots of veggies for snacking and salads, onions and garlic for quick stir fries, hard boiled eggs, maybe some lentils or beans, a grain like quinoa or rice, and if I have time, a healthy cookie or bar for snacking. Going to have to start adding baby food to the list, too. Although it didn’t get done yesterday so hopefully I will get a chance to get some prepped today.
Our biggest challenge is buying enough fresh fruits and vegetables to last the week. I don’t mind going to the grocery store 2-3 times a week when the weather is nicer (we have a few within walking distance) but in the winter, I would prefer not to have to drag 2 kids to the store that many times. We just seem to eat so many vegetables! I don’t really meal plan (since my husband likes to be able to change his mind midweek) and I HATE wasting food, so I tend to buy less than we actually need. Really trying to work on correctly estimating the right amount to buy on our weekly grocery trip, especially now that we are a family of 4!
Annie says
We go through phases of good food prep and being kind of uninspired as well. I do feel the weeks I spend a few hours planning and prepping we overall eat much healthier and spend less money in the long run!
Kim says
I love when I actually have time and am in the mood to prep, it really is very helpful throughout the week. Because most nights I don’t have time unless we want to eat late. Downfall is how quickly we go through the fruits and veggies or how quickly they spoil.
Carrie this fit chick says
Your green sauce sounds great! I should make more sauces on the weekend. My prep is pretty simple every Sunday.. I just boil eggs, bake chicken breasts (for lunches) and make a batch of my super easy protein cake bars 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
I totally forgot to boil eggs! Like you, I love doing that each week. So easy to grab for a quick snack 🙂
Taryn says
I need to try that green sauce! Looks amazing! I just did a food prep post on Friday, as it really has saved our weekdays having fresh and healthy food prepped and ready to go.
One thing I have noticed recently is my kids too have started eating more, so we need to start making more. 1lb of beef used to be enough for the 4 of us for dinner. Now we need more like 1.25lb. I fear the teenage years for sure! My kids are only 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 but they can certainly EAT!
Brittany Dixon says
Yes, exactly! I’m in the same boat. 1 lb of ground beef doesn’t cut it anymore. Now I know why my mom always served bread with dinner, as a filler! 🙂
Lindsay @ Hot Mess, Cool Day says
I always forget to make a big batch of quinoa so I actually have that ready everyday at lunch! Plus my poor bread maker only comes out once every couple months. I’ve definitely been in a food rut the past couple weeks, so I’ll have to try to break out of that soon!
Brittany Dixon says
I go through phases where I use my bread maker all the time, then not at all. Currently I’m awaiting strawberry season so I can make jam in it! 🙂
Liz T says
I love your food posts – always so interesting and helpful to hear what others do that works for them. I find menu planning is so helpful with just knowing what to get at the stores and in planning out my time in the evenings compared to “winging it” – it just isn’t feasible for me anymore! Not like before kids, when it was no problem to spend 30 minutes leisurely wandering the grocery for inspiration and then spending 90 minutes in the kitchen. Oh those days …!
Laura says
Sundays are such a great day to get a jump start on the week for me, especially when the baby naps well! Since having kids we eat out a lot less, but with that I’ve all but thrown our grocery budget out the window. I really don’t know how much we spend, but my mentality is that as long as we are eating healthy, not eating out, and not wasting food, I’m generally okay with it. My 3 year old is really involved with our grocery shopping, and loves Costco as much as I do! I rarely say no to trying a new food if he requests it, as long as it is healthy and not crazy expensive (example- yesterday I had to say “no” to lobster tails for dinner :)… instead we settled on fresh, wild Dover sole at $6.99/ lb!). All I know is, with three boys (including my husband in that count) and a nursing mama, we go through a LOT of food! Thank goodness for bulk purchases when it comes to olive oil, fruit, fresh and frozen veggies, cheese, coffee and seafood.
Brittany Dixon says
There is a Costco in Charlotte (we live just outside) and I’m tempted to become a member just to make 1x/month trips in to take advantage of their great prices. Something to consider for sure. However on the other side, I also want to join a local CSA. Ah, so many food choices 😉 (not complaining, what a great problem to have!)
Ana says
Looks yummy! I may have a dumb question but here goes… when you roast things for food prep, specifically potatoes, but really anything like brussel sprouts or broccoli, when you go to reheat them out of the fridge, I assume you use a microwave-does it not make it soggy/mushy? Or do you throw back in the oven? Maybe they’re not soggy at all but that’s what I’ve always assumed. I’d love to know what you do! Thanks!
Brittany Dixon says
Not a dumb question at all! Some I eat cold (like the brussels) but otherwise I usually saute the roasted veggies in a pan to heat them back up (works well with potatoes). I think the oven would work well too! Having them pre-roasted just drastically shortens to cook/reheat time 🙂
Julia @ Drops of Jules says
I’m at the end (at least, I really hope I am) of a nasty cold, and I’m ready to feel excited about eating again! Right now, food just sounds *meh* but I love the feeling after a flu where I’m ready to dive back into living, food included! Thank you for that tip on frozen bananas. I went through a phrase when I was having frozen bananas every day, but then I had a freezer burn disaster and was turned off from them. I’ll have to try it this way!
Grandma Honey says
I cook a batch of beans (usually garbanzos) in the crock pot. Then I drain them and put 1 1/2 c in ziplock bags and toss in the freezer. (1 1/2 c is suppose to be equivalent to 1 can) I use them in stir fries or soups, etc, but mainly I put about 1/2 c in my smoothie every day! LOVE the extra protein and nutrients beans gives to smoothies and they are pretty much tasteless amongst the fruits and vegs I also have in there. Adds a bit of a creaminess too.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh I love the idea of adding garbanzo beans to smoothies! So many veggies can sneak in undetected. Yum!
Sarah says
I go through cycles too. Either I prep all the food on Sundays or none at all. I have never heard of coconut sugar, though! Sounds yummy, I’ll have to research it.
Lauren @ Oh Hey! I Like That! says
I’d really love to start meal-prepping, but we totally have to clean out our fridge and freezer first. Do you make most of the meals to refrigerate during the week, or do you freeze some of them?
Brittany Dixon says
I don’t make a lot of full meals ahead of time. Sometimes I’ll prep the veggies I need, but usually I prep breakfast and lunch foods. I prefer to cook my meals on the night I eat them and for right now, that works pretty well for our schedule!
montessoriishmom says
That green sauce sounds so delicious! I usually make a big batch of quinoa or brown rice and chop a bunch of vegetables, but that’s generally about it. My husband and his friend grilled this weekend though and we have a bunch of extra grilled chicken and asparagus, so that’s making my lunch salads / bowls much tastier! I would definitely be interested in hearing about your budget findings, we’re always trying to save money on groceries.
Katie @ Live Half Full says
We go through phases but have gotten into a really good groove this year -I don’t think we’ve had an off week yet in 2017! I pay close attention to what our days are going to look like and am realistic to what I plan. I do a lot of prepping- if I make one meal, I’ll usually do the prep work or even put the full meal together for the night before if we’re going to be extra busy. On Sundays I’ll usually make something for breakfast and we survive on leftovers for lunch. Easy!