Usually I meal plan and grocery shop on Friday, setting us up to eat well through the weekend and the next week. However, fall activities have somewhat thrown me off my game recently, but I’m doing the best I can, lately being a Sunday-Friday meal plan (if you can call it that because Friday always equals pizza night- no real meal plan needed).
Still, I thought it could be worth it to share a quick peek at last week’s menu, as I know I always like seeing Courtney’s and when Jen shares what she ate too. You can always find my meal plans under the weekly meal plan tab under the food category at the top of the page too. Ok, let’s roll!
Last week was my “reset” week so I focused on a lot of veggies and protein. Since I already had the freezer stocked with breakfast burritos for David, I didn’t do a lot of prep beyond making a batch of this turmeric and ginger tonic for the mornings.
Sunday
5 Ingredient Spaghetti Squash Pizza Pie with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Family’s Feedback: LOVED. In fact, I think I need to make two next time. Roasted Brussels are one of the girls’ favorite foods and if you’ve ever tried the spaghetti squash recipe then you understand why everyone devoured it.
Monday
Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry over Rice
Family’s Feedback: The girls really liked the flavor and how the rice soaked up the sauce. They cleaned their plates no problem. I wish the sauce would have been a little thicker and if I was making it just for me, I would have added some chili peppers for spice. I did forget to add the kale (oops) and loved the use of butternut squash. I’ll make it again.
Tuesday
Garlic Shrimp over Zoodles with Great Harvest Spinach and Mozzarella Swirl Bread
Family Feedback: I lost the recipe I was going to try so I totally winged it with a simple garlic, butter and parsley sauce. The girls loved the shrimp (I got the smaller size this time which they definitely preferred) but weren’t wild about the overcooked zoodles (oops). Hailey ate them all anyway and Kaitlyn ate a couple bites. Both liked the bread, toasted with butter. I give the meal a “pretty good” though I would have preferred a more flavorful sauce.
Wednesday
Beef, Mushroom and Kale Stir Fry over Rice (for fam) and over Cauliflower Rice (for me)
Family Feedback: I think I undercooked the mushroom slightly because the girls did not like them at all. They ate around them and liked the sauce a lot with the rice and kale (beef is still a little tough for Kaitlyn to eat when it’s not super tender, so she spit a few pieces out after chewing it for like 5 minutes). Personally, I love the flavor of this sauce (so does David) so next time I will make sure to use the recommended cut of steak (instead of whatever beef I had in the freezer) and cook the mushrooms longer.
Thursday
Crockpot Salsa Chicken Burrito Bowls over Rice (for the fam) and over Cauliflower Rice (for me)
Family feedback: I used spicy-ish salsa so Kaitlyn only ate the chicken after I mixed in some sour cream. They both asked for more avocado, which they like with a sprinkle of salt. All in all, an easy meal I can usually count on everyone enjoying- I just need to remember to get mild salsa!
Friday
Pizza Night! We were in Blowing Rock and hit up the Mellow Mushroom, which never disappoints.
Family Feedback: Two thumbs up!
Now please share with me…
What is the best thing you ate last week?
What is the best new recipe you’ve tried lately?
Carly says
Good morning, Brittany!
I love these posts…especially on Sunday mornings (even though I also meal plan/grocery shop Friday or Saturday…). I just love reading them Sunday mornings with coffee….
Anyway, the best thing I ate all week was a crockpot chicken chili I made last Sunday to last for dinners and lunches all week. It was a great way to mix up the usual salad at work, and made for a quick dinner on a night we were home late.
Definitely trying the pizza spaghetti pie next week!
Brittany Dixon says
Hi Carly- thanks so much for the feedback! Since I’m usually a Friday shopper myself it feels weird posting on a Sunday, but thought it could be a fun switch up 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the spaghetti squash pie- obviously we love it! You may want to prep ingredients ahead of time because once assembled it has to bake for 1 hour. But it’s totally worth it!
Ashlee says
I tried this recipe for slow cooker honey garlic chicken thighs from the Lean Green Bean (from your 8 delicious slow cooker meals post) and it was insanely tasty by itself or tossed onto salads! http://www.theleangreenbean.com/slow-cooker-honey-garlic-chicken-thighs/
Brittany Dixon says
Yes- So good! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Melissa says
Love this format and the family feedback! I’m currently in an overwhelmed state when it meal planning and cooking…working full time with 2 little (one who is newly on the move and totally unsafe) is kicking my butt! I’m always looking for inspiration!
Brittany Dixon says
Totally understandable that 2 littles and a full time job is keeping you a little busy 😉 Hope you have a great crockpot! I know how often it saves me! And thanks for the feedback 🙂
Shannon says
We recently made Alton Brown’s shepherd’s pie (easy to find on foodnetwork.com) and it was so so so good, and perfect for fall! I omitted the corn and upped the amount of peas and carrots and replaced the chicken broth with red wine 🙂 oh and bonus, it’s so super easy to make. My whole family loved it, it’s going in the regular rotation for when the weather cools down!
Brittany Dixon says
I’m so intimidated by the idea of a Shepard’s Pie, but since you say it’s easy, I feel like I need to give it a try. I have a feeling that David would love it on a cold night!
katie says
i made butternut squash and black bean enchiladas tonight, and for the family of just me, we (I) loved it. For me it creates 3 leftovers, 1 froze, 2 for lunches this week. Tomorrow is buffalo chicken noodle soup, so spicy is what I’m all about right now!
Brittany Dixon says
Butternut squash and black bean is such a delicious combo- I’ll bet it’s amazing as enchiladas!
sherry says
Your meals are so inspiring. Last night I had sweet potato chili topped with avocado, cheddar cheese, a dab of sour cream & a few (okay, maybe more than a few) fritoes–while watching the Falcons & Packers. Great way to end the week!
Millie Lampa says
How do you think the beef with mushrooms would do in a slow cooker? Would it maybe make the beef a little more tender?
Brittany Dixon says
I think my mistake was the beef was using a random cut I had in my freezer instead of the flank steak it recommended. I think it might work in the slow cooker by doubling the sauce (or adding more liquid of some sort) and adding the kale last. I have not tried it though so if you do, let me know how it works! 🙂