Meal Plan Monday

Hello friends!

I am back after an unwarranted break from blogging. Call it a rut, call it writer’s (or recipe maker’s) block, whatever it was, I have no legit excuse.

But that is the past, and I wanted to come back with a delicious meal plan to kick off a new week.

I usually have a “theme” or a mindset as I am writing out my menu for the week, and this one is no different! I actually had a couple of things in mind as I sat down to meal plan.

First off, Travis will be out of town this week, which means I can make whatever I want without any complaints! Just kidding…Travis is actually pretty easy going when it comes to eating and I have never heard him complain about a meal I make. But I do tend to eat a little “lighter” when he is gone which is good after the way I have been eating lately! 😉

Aside from knowing I am only cooking for myself, I also wanted to do a minimal grocery shopping trip and use as much of what I already had as possible.

Here is what I got from Trader Joe’s for the week for a little less than $100. (I realize that is still probably way more than 1 person should spend on groceries, but a girl’s gotts eat 😛 )

I know a lot of people have a hard time cooking for 1, but I think it is still totally worth it to take a little time to make simple, delicious, and healthy meals even if it’s “just for me”. Plus, It really is more like cooking for 2 since I always make enough to eat leftovers for lunch the next day. Because #Leftoversarelife!

So here is what I will be eating this week!

Monday

Shredded Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato & Roasted Broccoli

A friend texted me asking if I had a recipe for buffalo sauce, and the answer was easy: Franks! The ingredients are: Cayenne Pepper, Vinegar, Salt, Pepper, and Garlic. It doesn’t get cleaner than that, and it seriously is my favorite as far as taste goes.

Anyway, the conversation got me craving the sauce, so it was the first thing to go on this week’s menu! It’s a perfect weeknight meal, and I know I’ll be happy about having a simple meal after day one of the work week.

I plan on cooking 2 chicken breasts in the crockpot with a little broth and simple seasonings like salt, pepper, and garlic. When I get home, I’ll just shred the chicken, roast the sweet potatoes in the oven as well as the broccoli florets, and call it good!

I’m tempted to add some shredded cheese on top, but I am also feeling like I need a little dairy hiatus. We’ll see 😉

Tuesday

Ground Beef Taco Salad over Shredded Cabbage

Taco Tuesday is an obvious over here, but I wanted to lighten it up a bit by serving the seasoned taco meat over cabbage, rather than my usual sweet potato stack.

Dinner should come together in a snap thanks to my premade taco seasoning and pre-shredded cabbage. I’ll just chop up some toppings, like avocado, tomato, olives, onion, and a handful of crushed corn chips for some crunch. These Organic Corn Chips from Trader Joe’s are a little too good!

I also still need to grab some fresh salsa from our local grocery store-that will serve as my “dressing”. Super easy…and I know it’s gonna be delicious!

Wednesday

Super Simple Chicken Parmesan

The Chicken Parm recipe I use is seriously SO easy! I think I’ve said it before, but I still can’t believe I haven’t shared the recipe here. Maybe this time I’ll follow through and actually do a post on it soon!

All I do is “bread” thinly sliced chicken breasts with an Italian seasoned almond flour mixture, fry each side and then finish in the oven until cooked through. I’ll top with lots of marinara sauce and a little shredded mozzarella, and serve over spaghetti squash (not pictured because I need to pick a couple up from my mom-she grew a ton in her garden this summer!)

I love this version of Chicken Parmesan for obvious reasons- it is so easy to make and still tastes restaurant quality!

I also have some artichokes I need to steam and eat this week, so this would be a good meal to add those to for a little greenery 🙂

Thursday

Cobb Salad

It’s been too long since the last time I had a Cobb Salad, so I decided it needed to happen this week! This is actually Travis’s favorite entree salad I make because it is so filling. But it is also the one healthy thing he can find when he is on his business trips, so he will get his fill this week, I am sure!

I will make my super simple and delicious balsamic dressing to go over top all of the usual Cobb Suspects 🙂

You can get the recipe for this whole salad here!

Friday

Sauteed Chicken Sausages and Artichokes over Cauliflower Rice

This might be where I lost some of my creative juices…There isn’t anything fancy about this dinner, but I LOVE marinated artichoke hearts, and this seemed like a simple and delicious meal to make at the end of the week. Plus, if I end up having leftovers from the rest of the week, I could always scratch this meal since it’s mostly “fridge/freezer/pantry staples”.

Also, for some reason, all of the meals that I could think of called for chicken breasts, and I was trying to think of something else to use…chicken sausages were the best I could come up with.

Next week: Work on variety 😉

Weekend

Travis gets home Saturday, and we have a Sushi date planned! Looking forard to that big time.

Sunday, we’ll be at a wedding…yay for not having to cook over the weekend!

Hope you guys get some good ideas from this week’s meal plan! I know thinking of what to make is usually the hardest part, so if I can offer even a bit of inspiration, I’ll sure try!

To get pictures of the finished products and updates on how the meal plan goes this week, follow along on Instagram!