Happy Weekend! Here is my weekly Meal Planning post.
If you’re a veteran, scroll down for the meals.
If you’re new here, I’ll explain a bit about what this is.
Every weekend, I meal plan for myself and my family. I don’t cook any of these meals ahead of time, but this strategic approach to eating saves me time, money and allows me to eat healthy. Go figure – if you plan to eat healthy meals, you’ll actually eat healthy meals. Here is what I’ll be making for dinner this week. I will keep up with these posts all throughout the challenge.
WHAT IS MEAL PLANNING?
Meal planning is exactly as it sounds: planning your meals ahead of time. For me, I plan out all my dinners and then just think of some breakfast and snack options.
I plan it out exactly as you’ll see below. I check what i have on hand and i’ll grocery shop for any necessary items.
LG EAT YOUR WAY LEAN MEAL PLAN:
Many of the recipes that I will reference in these eating + meal planning posts can be found in my Meal Plan. As part of my meal plan, I send weekly cookbooks out each week of the challenge, so this is how I am incorporating those recipes into what I am eating this week.
I HIGHLY recommend this plan to those women who want to see results through food. It’s an easy-to-follow eating approach that teaches you macro combinations, portions + even optimal timing. Yet, you’ll still be eating your favorite foods like pizza, pasta, cookies, chips and chocolate (seriously!)
MY DINNER TRICK: I like to cook a fresh, different dinner each night. This approach is magic because…
- I actually get to enjoy a just-made delicious dinner (that’s quick to make, typical LG style)
- my cravings kick in at night and having a delicious dinner helps curb my PM cravings + snacking
- I double the recipe so that I always have leftovers for the follow day’s lunch
DINNER IDEAS:
Like I mentioned, I cook a fresh dinner each night. Here’s what I’ll be cooking this week. If you’re following my approach, don’t forget to double your serving while you cook to have a healthy, reheatable lunch option for the next day.
Just a reminder that recipes I reference below are found in this Meal Plan.
CHICKEN SAUSAGE + PLAN B MEAL – the plan for today is to cook at least 10 links of chicken sausage; just slice and cook in a pan (this will be a great protein option throughout the week). I am going to use what I call a “Plan B Meal” – mine is a Spaghetti Squash Casserole from Trader Joes that you pop in the oven that I”m going to have for dinner with a serving of chicken sausage.
FRENCH ONION CHICKEN – I literally cannot believe I found a way to lighten up one of my favorite indulgences: french onion soup. This recipe is INSANELY GOOD!
recipe found in this week’s cookbook as part of the Meal Plan
CHICKEN SAUSAGE, VEGGIES + RICE – Tuesday is a busier day for us, so I plan to use the chicken sausages I made on Sunday. I’ll slice a few bell peppers and onions; saute them and then add in the chicken sausages until warmed. I’ll top that over some rice.
there’s no official recipe for that other than what I summarized above
BRUSSEL SPROUTS PASTA W/ CREAMY GARLIC SAUCE – this is another knockout from this week’s cookbook. I designed this to be a vegetarian/vegan friendly meal. For my family, I am going to add a protein option; I’m thinking I’ll pick up some shrimp to toss in.
recipe found in this week’s cookbook as part of the Meal Plan
GARLIC BUTTER STEAK BITES – I’ve been making “game day dinners” on Thursday. Nine times out of ten, I don’t actually watch the football game but I love the idea of a theme-ish dinner, football playing in the background- it feels like Fall. This is a dinner I know the entire family will like!
recipe found in this week’s cookbook as part of the Meal Plan
CHICKEN TACO ALFREDO – I’m going to get strategic about what I cook on Friday. We usually do Friday night as a family night and Saturday night is a date night or a night with just 1 of our 2 littles. Anyways, on Friday, I’m going to cook a dinner that we can eat throughout the weekend as a healthy re-heatable option.
find the free recipe here
TREAT MEAL! I use Saturday night as a time to enjoy treats – go ahead and enjoy! Share what you’re indulging in on social and tag me because I am all about it haha.
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