Weekly Meal Plan!

Hey!  It's me again!  I hope these weekly plans are helping you to eat healthier, feel less stressed and take control of your budget!  If you're like me, you might be struggling to find meals that taste good but don't take up a lot of time in the kitchen. Who wants to spend gobs of time in the kitchen??? NOT me!  But I do want to eat better and give nutrition to my cells---that's what helps my body RUN!  

I purposely look for meals that are quick, healthy and YUMMY!  I figure other moms are in the same boat, so why not share what I've found that my family loves???? #winwin 

I also like to use my Instant Pot as much as possible.  It is fast, it doesn't heat up the house and I can #setitandforgetit  #anotherwin 

*These recipes serve 4, unless otherwise indicated.  If you have a large family like mine, just double the amounts or you can do that and have #lunch the next day!

We tried and  really liked IP "Crack" Chicken.  Here's the recipe I used.  I served it with roasted broccoli.  My eleven year old daughter was cracking up at the name of this meal and when I got done adding all of my spices and powders... I had white powder all over my shirt.  That resulted in a lot of laughing and jokes!  I set my IP and walked away while it cooked to do other things until time to put the broccoli in the oven.  I roast mine at 400 degrees with a little oil, salt and pepper.  Since this meal had a LOT of flavor with the seasoning for the chicken, I just did something more neutral for the broccoli.  You can always change it up, but roasted broccoli is yummy and easy!

Goulash is a family fave and is also pretty easy to make and comes together quickly, even on the stove.  Since we are gluten free and I also strive to be grain free, it's been harder to make  but I've come up with a solution: Zucchini.  I can either cut it up in chunks, or my family's preference is to make it into "zoodles" with a spiralizer.  Whichever you do, that's probably the hardest part of this whole dish!  

Cook 1 lb of grassfed ground beef
Season it with 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Salt (can add more to taste when serving)
1 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Smoke Paprika
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce

Add 1 Yellow onion, chopped once the meat is almost done, just to soften the onion a bit.

Drain and add the Zucchini
Plus 2 large cans of Diced tomatoes
If you prefer smaller chunks, then give them a quick pulse in a food processor before adding 

Let simmer until the Zucchini is soft.  You are ready to serve.   Oh, remove the bay leaf before serving!  haha!


We also love Mexican spices and dishes!  I'm always looking for ways to add those flavors to my weekly meal plan.  Now, they are not authentic Mexican meals---If I could go and learn from someone, I'd totally do it!  I want the real deal but I often have to settle!  So this week, I'm trying a recipe for a Burrito Bowl.  I didn't find one that I just LOVED, so I'm making up my own!

You'll need to cook 1 lb of Grassfed Ground Beef (I get mine from Costco) and season it with 
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Cumin
1 TBS Chili Spice blend

Once cooked, add 1 small chopped onion, cook until slightly soft.  Drain and set aside

You will need 3 Cups of cooked rice or Cauli-Rice as well.  (You can find my fool proof method for cooking rice in an Instant Pot here.)

For toppings, I like some diced yellow pepper, quartered grape tomatoes, avocado chunks, romain lettuce (finely chopped), some cheddar cheese and chopped cilantro!  You could do corn and black beans too!  If you want this as a meatless meal, omit the ground beef and use 2 cans of black beans, just cook and season the same)

Here's the special treat!  An Avocado Cilantro Sauce for the finishing touch!

1/2 Half of a ripe Avocado
2 TBS Yogurt or Sour Cream
1/2 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Honey or Agave 
A handful of chopped Cilantro
Water (to desired consistency)
1-2 tsp of Lime Juice (or you can use Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of Lime Vitality Oil from Young Living)

MIx well in a food processor or Ninja Blender and pour over your Burrito bowls!!!
We put our rice, or Cauli-Rice in the bottom of our bowls, add the meat and other toppings then pour the sauce on!  YUM!!

Cheeseburger Salad is on the plan this week!  I know it sounds weird, but don't knock it until you try it!  This is one my family's FAVORITE meals--hands down!  And I make a burger sauce to use as dressing.  Here's the recipe.   You can do this with just cooked ground beef, but grilling the burgers first is next level goodness!  

Next, I've got a treat for you this week!  My eleven year old daughter is a whiz at baking and makes us some yummy treats from time to time.  These Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies were AMAZING! Here's the recipe:

Preheat oven to 350
1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter (We use Costco's Organic Creamy P.B.)
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 C Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar
1 room temp egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 TBS Almond Milk
1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Mix all the ingredients together except the chocolate chips.  Once everything is thoroughly blended, use a rubber spatula to fold in the chocolate chips.   Form the dough into 1 inch balls and place a cookie sheet.  Cook at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  You want the edges to be slightly brown but the middle a lighter color.  Let cool on pan for 2 minutes then move to a plate.  Enjoy!  These are so good!  

We are having a Pizza Night this week as one of our meals.   I do this from time to time just to give me a bit of a break.  I found some good Cauliflower crust pizzas at Costco and plenty of choices for my non gluten free family members as well. Those are in the oven now!  

​Happy, Healthy Eating!  xoxo Lori