Meal Planning

Meal planning is something that I am hot and cold with.  I have times when I am really good about picking out dishes, buying all the ingredients and sticking to the plan, then there are times when laziness wins and the plan goes out the window.  This past week, I made a plan and we stuck to it, so I thought I would share with you.  Do you have a meal plan this week?

One thing to note on our meal plans - breakfasts are usually grab and go; whatever we have time for is what we eat.  We stay fully stocked with yogurts, cereals and frozen fruits for smoothies.  Snacks are fresh fruits, nuts, and/or popcorn.

Monday:
Lunch - can of Progresso Soup
Dinner - Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup by Skinnytaste - Left out the chicken and put in some extra veggies instead.

Image from skinnytaste.com

Tuesday:

Lunch:  Leftover enchilada soup

Dinner:  Chicken, Asparagus and Potatoes (prepped on Monday to pop in the oven on Tuesday when I got home.  Used a drizzle of olive oil instead of all that butter, and asparagus instead of green beans.)

Photo from Julie's Eats & Treats

Wednesday:

Lunch: Salad with leftover chicken, asparagus and potatoes

Dinner: I had to stay out for work, so hub had leftovers or something out of the freezer (we have frozen soups, meatballs, grilled chicken tenders, etc)

Thursday:

Lunch:  I had free lunch at work due to a client visit, Jake bought lunch

Dinner:  Oven baked chicken fajitas

Image from Real Mom Kitchen

Friday:

Lunch:  Fajita salads

Dinner:  Orzo Soup

Photo from 101 Cookbooks

Healthy Dinner: Spagetti Squash Burritos

B-hubs hit dinner out of the park tonight.  I came home from Barre class (my legs are still shaking) to these amazing vegetarian burritos waiting for me.  They tasted SO good, and this was the first time a homemade taco has compared to the authentic ones we ate in SoCal.

The recipe we used is a spin off of the one featured on Cucinetta, which is a spin off of the one on Smitten Kitchen's cookbook.  Lesson learned here - spagetti squash is awesome in mexican dishes, and you will likely love it with your favorite taco or burrito toppings.

Here's how b-hubs did it.  Have your own version?  Tell us about it in the comments below!

Need:  

• 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti squash
• 1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 4 8' Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup frozen mixed bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons feta
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 whole avocado, chopped

Do:

• Preheat over to 350°F. 
• Cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds, and bake both halves for about 40 minutes on a baking sheet covered in tin foil.  We usually place the squash so that the 'open' part is down on the cookie sheet, thinking that the heat will get trapped in there and cook it better.  You'll know the squash is just about ready when you can easily poke a fork or knife through the skin.
• Now, carefully scrape the spagetti squash into a bowl.  It's best to use a fork to do this to get the 'spagetti' aspect of the squash.  You can throw the shells away.   
• Now put your frozen peppers on the cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until they are cooked, put to the side.
• In a small dish, mix up the lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and salt, then stir into the squash. 
• Make sure your black beans are well rinsed and drained, then heat them in a skillet with a little spray of cooking oil.    
• Place tortillas on a plate and cover with a paper towel, then microwave for 20-30 seconds to heat them.  
• Now,  build your burrito!  We did squash, beans, peppers, green onions, cilantro, feta and avocado, wrapped them up and enjoyed.  They were juicy and a little messy but so, so good!!

Makes enough for 4 burritos, about 298 calories per burrito.