MENU PLANNING & FAVORITE RECIPES

I am trying SO SO hard to be better about food prep these days particularly given our hectic fall schedules. There’s far less room to be spontaneous - a sure sign that summer is over :( . So, on Sunday, I actually sat down and wrote out my meal plan for the week. Then I shopped! Then I prepped! Up until recently, I'd be the person running to the store each day, last minute. While it can be social/easy to pop into your local market, it's also a giant pain in the arse when trying to eat as clean as possible if you don’t have a game plan! When all else fails and you realize you have no time and nothing in the fridge (believe me, I've been there), the first thought is pizza or takeout or Wheat Thins and wine. No!!! Don't do it!! Don't de-rail or sabotage yourself and all your hard work ☹. Instead...

SIT DOWN AND THINK about the week ahead and PLAN

First, let's revisit what a clean plate should look like:

1. Your plate should be full of delicious vegetables (at all 3 meals). Try to get a variety throughout the day to get the best range in nutrients and include an assortment of leafy greens as often as you can! If you are out to eat, remember/try to ask for your veggies steamed to avoid any unclean oils or butter. Try to limit your starchy veggies to a small portion ( 1/4 of your plate).

2. A portion of protein should approximately the size of YOUR palm.

3. A good portion of high quality FAT!! Fats are your friends and help to keep us satisfied and full of fuel until our next meal. And we have to eat FAT to burn FAT!!! For oils or ghee, the portion would be about the size of your thumb (or 1-2 T). For avocados you can use anywhere from one quarter to one half of an avocado. For olives, about 6-10 is perfect!

4. If you are adding fruit and nuts to your meal, remember to include them in MODERATION, which means 1-2 servings PER DAY.

Within this given structure, I wanted meals that could pull double-duty. For example, a roasted chicken could become bone broth and then an amazing Pho for dinner the following night. Leftover flank steak could become a steak salad the next day. Pork carnitas for dinner could be an add-on to the next day’s breakfast, lunch OR dinner. See? Easy. Less stress, less shopping, less scrambling. Happiness for all. Especially me. Truth.

CONSIDER YOUR SCHEDULE

The simple fact is that the busier you are, the more you absolutely have to plan. With a very busy and time-crunched week ahead, I mapped out my breakfasts first. Keep in mind, I am making two breakfasts most mornings. The 5th Grader is in a pancake phase and sitting down for a hot breakfast is something that is important to me/I won't give up. So, I make it work. While I generally love eggs and could eat them every day, we all know that gets boring quickly. So I sought out a varied menu for the week, most of which were quick:

Breakfast:

(M) poached eggs with breakfast sausage and baby kale

(T) avocado, raw sauerkraut and bacon and a green smoothie (spinach, almond milk, collagen protein, kiwi, chia seeds, and maca powder)

(W) baby kale chia pudding with raw coconut, almond milk, banana, and frozen raspberries

(Th) Whole Foods breakfast bar (scrambled eggs, guacamole, salsa, greens, and jalapenos)

(F) smoked salmon, greens, red onion, capers, and lemon

(Sat) leftover veggie scramble (mostly heirloom tomatoes and onions) with leftover crispy carnitas/breakfast salad.

Lunch

Salads with leftovers from the night before. BOOM. Done.

With respect to dinners, I similarly wanted to have a variety of proteins for the week -- fish, chicken, pork, and skirt steak as a base from which to build.

Dinner:

(M) petrale sole with mushroom and red pepper relish plus kale salad with hazelnuts (via the Whole 30 Cookbook).

(T) roasted Zuni chicken with sauteed green beans and mushrooms, and a spinach-tomato salad

(W) leftovers: bone broth from Tuesday's chicken that I turned into Pho

(Th) grilled flank steak with 1/2 sweet potato and greens

(F) pork carnitas

(Sat) shrimp, zoodles and romesco sauce

FAVORITE RECIPES FROM THIS WEEK HERE

Zuni Chicken - This is the ONLY way I roast chicken. It's moist, crispy, and absolutely delicious! (Pre-salting the chicken is a MUST. Skip the bread salad)

Martha Stewarts's Sauteed Green Beans and Mushroom (super easy and now a family staple!)

* This was our Back to School dinner. Tots were for the new 5th Grader.

Wellness Mama's Bone Broth - this one takes some time but it's worth it. I add whatever I have in the pantry for seasonings. This time, I threw in white peppercorns, juniper berries, and a bay leaf for a twist. It was such a GREAT base for the pho (below).

"Phaux" Pho inspired by Kitchen Confidante.

I've been following Kitchen Confidante on Instagram for a while now -- Liren has put together a beautiful website with gorgeous food. Her Phaux Pho recipe is perfect for a quick meal -- requiring no homemade broth -- canned will absolutely do. So, if you are interested in pho, hers is genius. I tweaked it slightly:

'Phaux' Pho - inspired by Kitchen Confidante

YIELD: Serves 4-6

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

Don't have hours to simmer broth? Now you can have 'Phaux' Pho in half an hour!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, boneless skinless, shredded or sliced kosher salt freshly ground black pepper 1 quart chicken stock (homemade bone broth or canned depeneding on your schedule) 1 cup beef broth 3 cups cold water 1/4 cup fish sauce 3 1-inch pieces of ginger 1 lb mung beans

1 pint cremini mushrooms quartered 2 scallions, thinly sliced 1/4 cup basil, roughly chopped 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped 1 limes, sliced in wedges 1-2 jalapeños and/or serrano chile peppers, thinly sliced Asian chili garlic sauce for serving

Directions:

I had leftover roasted chicken that I pulled for this soup. If you don't have any on hand or leftover, place the chicken breasts in a medium sauce pan and cover with about 1 inch of water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skim any foam from the top, then lower to a simmer and cover the pan. Let the chicken cook for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven, bring the chicken stock, beef broth, water, fish sauce and ginger to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the broth simmers, check on the poached chicken. When the chicken is cooked and cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite sized pieces.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Salt it generously, then drop in the mung beans and cook for about 3 minutes. Drain. Do the same for the mushrooms, blanching them briefly. If your chicken is cold/from the fridge, also drop into the pan for 2 mins to heat through.

Divide shredded chicken, mung beans, and mushrooms into bowls, and ladle the broth into each bowl. Garnish with a generous squeeze of lime, scallions, basil, cilantro, jalapeño slices and chili sauce. Serve immediately. It's DELICIOUS!! The 5th Grader approves!! We didn't even miss the noodles. Thank you Liren!

MORE FOOD PHOTOS FOR INSPIRATION CLICK BELOW

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