May 01, 2014

April Wrap Up

I've had some hits and misses this month so I thought, "what would happen if I put together one meal plan of all the hits?"  That would result in one crazy good meal plan, that's what!  So this isn't a plan that we followed but it's full of stuff we did eat over the month that made the whole family happy.


April Wrap Up Meal Plan



Noteworthy Breakfasts


Overnight Oats continue to be my absolute favorite breakfast.  This month I've been back and forth between raspberry and peanut butter.  My basic formula is:

1/2 cup Steel Cut Oats
1 cup Almond Milk (I use homemade which I think is of secret ingredient to real fabulous oats).
1.5 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1 tsp Maple Syrup


Peanut Butter: add a generous spoonful of natural Peanut Butter
Raspberry: add frozen raspberries

Blueberry and Almond Overnight Oats
 

I single serve my oats and mix in the add-in's the night before so that they are literally ready to go in the morning.  But you could easily big-batch the basic recipe and add-in the flavors of your choice in the morning.  Also, you may want to adjust the amounts of oats, milk and chia seeds based on how thick/thin you like your oats.  Most recipes call for old-fashioned oats but I much prefer the texture of Steel Cut!

Red Beet Pancakes - I made these on a weekend and Marin was so excited!  She's been asking for them off and on since the last time I made them - for Valentine's Day in 2013!  We had them for Sunday breakfast, leftovers for Monday breakfast and there were two little pancakes left that Marin and I had for a quick snack after work/daycare one day.  These could easily be made ahead of time for a weekday breakfast and pancakes also freeze well and can be reheated right in the toaster!

Cottage Cheese & Vanilla Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts -  I haven't been eating this since I'm still dairy reduced these days but Dave loves this combo.  He eats cottage cheese like I eat oatmeal.  You can totally customize this one with whatever yogurt flavor, fruit/berry and nut combo you like.  It is delicious!


Lunches


This was a month of seriously easy lunches.  We've been on a kick of wraps, hummus and boiled eggs - not necessarily together but together works as well.

Homemade Tortillas - aka, the best thing EVER!


Veggie Wrap with Cheese & Ranch Dressing.  This happened on a weekend.  I had tortillas in the freezer, veggies that needed eating, ranch spice in the cupboard, leftover black beans & cheese... I put everything on the counter and we all came up with something a little different.  My version... tortillas with a generous scoop of ranch dressing, broccoli, orange tomatoes, red peppers and shredded cheese.  It was so good I had the exact same thing the next day.  I made one for Dave too and he agreed, delicious! 

Pork Fried Rice - I love making fried rice for lunch to use up leftover meat and vegetables.  My formula is to saute whatever vegetables I have on hand, add in the cooked rice and shredded meat, add a splash of soya sauce and mix it all up.  At the end I'll sometimes crack in an egg and scramble that in too.

Crispy Bean Tots - So Marin starts school in less than 5 months and I'm going to have to start packing her lunches.  I'm already super excited about this and putting a lot of thought into it.  I came across this recipe and wanted to give it a test drive.  When I taste tested one the night I made them I was less than enthused... found them kind of bland.  But for lunch the next day I dipped them in a little ketchup and thought I found a winner!  I think this will be school lunch approved.

Hard Boiled Egg, Veggies & Dip, Crackers and a slice of Avocado.  I found out one night that Dave didn't need lunch the next day.  I came very close to kicking up my feet and taking the night off but the image of a hard boiled egg came to mind.  And so I got off the couch and put together this almost no effort lunch for myself.  And totally enjoyed it!  This was what started my hard boiled egg craze this month. 

Greek Quinoa Salad - This is nothing new for us, we have it regularly.  I always make extra because if Marin comes anywhere near the kitchen when I'm making this she will make it her bedtime snack and before I know it it's half gone.  This will also be on the school lunch rotation.  It's simply quinoa, tomato, cucumber, feta and some Greek salad dressing.  I add either chickpeas or diced chicken to make it a meal.  If you're a black olive fan (we're not) throw those in too.

Greek Quinoa Salad


Hummus Wrap, Veggies and Cheese - Tortilla or Pita filled with hummus, veggies and cheddar cheese.  Yummy!  I actually usually pack everything separate for this one and just dip the pita and munch.  I find it easier to eat and pack that way.  It's like being at a party and making a meal out of the appetizers.


Suppers


Slow Cooker Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin - This met all of my Slow Cooker criteria - 1) Easy to assemble the night before; 2) Can be left for 9 hours unattended; 3) No time-consuming extra steps before serving.  I did thicken the juices as suggested which took about 10 minutes at the end of the day.  I would say this step is optional though because I taste tested using the juices before I thickened and it was still really good. 

Fish in Parchment Packets - this is such an easy, no mess way to cook fish.  Plus it's fun to have your own little packet.  I didn't follow this recipe exactly, but it's a good guide on how to prepare the packets and cooking time.  Just substitute with whatever vegetables and herbs (and they don't have to be fresh) you have on hand.

Panko Crusted Tofu w/ Soy Dipping Sauce - This meal is a huge hit in our house every time!  In fact I think next time I'll use two blocks of tofu.  It's one of the few things Marin always asks for more of.  Note: I omit the chili pepper from the sauce because we're not bit on spicy food.  I usually serve it with a stir-fry and/or rice.

Panko Crusted Tofu



Chicken Skewers with Kale Greek Salad -The chicken was marinated in a yogurt lemon sauce that gave the chicken a really nice flavor.  If you can do this step in the morning it would make for a really quick weeknight meal as well.  I made a Greek Salad using Kale and our favorite homemade Greek salad dressing.  A hit!  Lemon roasted potatoes wouldn't be wrong either.  haha.

Spaghetti w/ Mushrooms, Garlic and Oil - We don't often have pasta for supper but Dave wasn't going to be home for supper on this particular night and I was just in the mood for something really easy.  I find every week needs that one recipe to make on the night that you're just out of steam.  For me that's usually Thursday.  Plus we both really enjoyed this!

BBQ Steak, Baked Potatoes, Sauteed Mushrooms and Arugula Salad with Vegan Parmesan.  Winter is OVER!  Hurrah! And we just bought a new grill so this is what we made to test it out.  Always fabulous, I LOVE this meal!  The steak marinade we use can be found on my Favorites page under 'Salad Dressings and Spice Mixes'.


Since I was only posting one plan for the whole month I added a lot of variety.  Many of these meals could stretch over a couple of days making this a two week meal plan.  Hope some of our favorites become your favorites too!

Now bring on those May flowers!

Sandra


2 comments:

  1. Just came across your blog and wanted to thank you for putting all these meal ideas together in such an organized format. This is a really great resource!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! I'm so glad to hear you find it useful!

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