Howdy, friends!
It’s been a little while since I’ve shared a meal plan, and since it is my number 1 secret to success, I feel it is something I should share more often!
Seriously, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but if I could offer people trying to eat more home-cooked, healthy meals ONE piece of advice, it would be to meal plan. The most common reason for failure that I hear (and have experienced first hand, might I add!) is that people are TIRED when they get home from work/a long day and the last thing they have the energy for is to answer the age-old question, “what’s for dinner?”
I know almost without a doubt that if I have a meal plan (that excites me in terms of variety, flavor, and ease) posted up on my fridge when I get home each day that I am approximately 99.9% more likely to follow through with that plan, rather than being tempted by takeout or frozen (gluten-free) pizza 😉 
I get inspiration mostly from Instagram and other bloggers (in addition to my own blog, of course!) so I figure that if I can share what’s on our menu, perhaps it will make the “coming up with ideas” part that much easier.
I have to admit, I have it a little easier than usual this week, because on Thursday morning, we are heading to Chicago! I am beyond excited for our trip for a number of reasons- mainly that I get quality, uninterrupted time with my husband, we’re meeting one of my besties there so I’ll get to see her and her kiddos, and we get to explore a city I’ve never visited before! It’s gonna be an awesome weekend!
But back to the meal plan…leaving on Thursday means I only have to cook 3 dinners this week, and I am using the term “cook” lightly here 😉 We are getting another heat wave coming in (what’s new, Southern California?) so I am once again avoiding the oven and stove at all costs. Plus, I didn’t want to do a major grocery shop when we would be leaving town, so I am trying to use up things we already had in the pantry and freezer. Saves money AND helps me organize my stockpiles!
Monday
Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs, Grilled Vegetables, and Roasted Baby Potatoes
To start of the week, I am doing a super simple dinner, all made on the BBQ. Travis loves when I do this, because it means he gets to come home from work and go straight to manning the grill! in all truthfulness, I would be happy to grill but he takes his job very seriously.
So we will be eating “Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs” with grilled vegetables (zucchini and asparagus) and baby potatoes grilled in a foil packet. The prep work is super quick and easy, and I love that everything goes on the grill and will be ready in about 20 minutes. That is ideal as far as weeknight meals go, especially during a heat wave!
For the thighs, I marinated them in:
- Juice of 3 lemons
- 3 Tbsp Avocado oil
- 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
- lots of salt & pepper
- about 2 tsp dried thyme
Here it is all prepped and ready to go for tonight! (Just need to oil and season the veggies and potatoes)
Tuesday
Ground Beef Taco Tuesday
We are going super classic Taco Tuesday this week with simply seasoned ground beef. I think this is Travis’s favorite homemade taco set up, and it is so simple. Plus I already had the ground beef in the freezer!
I will just brown and season the beef with my homemade large batch taco seasoning I try to keep on hand for extra time-saving power. I’m also planning on sauteeing up some peppers and onions for a little extra veggie action, and heating up some refried beans. Travis loves to eat his tacos in flour tortillas, and I will either serve mine over Romain lettuce, or just scoop it up with plantain chips. We’ll top everything with premade guacamole and salsa to make this another quick and easy weeknight dinner!
This is a “taco bowl” from a couple months ago…dinner this Tuesday will look something like this!
Wednesday
It’s hardly fair to call this salad a “recipe” since it is just about the easiest thing ever! You pretty much just need to open some jars, drain, and add to a big bowl of lettuce!
Here’s what goes in:
- Marinated artichoke hearts
- Hearts of palm
- Greek olives
- Roasted red peppers
- Fresh tomatoes,
- Thinly sliced red onion,
- Sliced & quartered salami
- Homemade balsamic dressing (recipe can be found in this post)
(Cheese would also be a great addition! I’d probably either add feta or shredded mozzarella.)
This Antipasto Salad has become a fast favorite for me because it is SO easy, SO delicious, super healthy, and requires NO actual cooking! It’s perfect for a hot summer night, especially the night before leaving for a trip. I’ll get in a ton of greens which is always good before traveling, and I’ll have plenty of time to make sure the laundry is done and the bags are packed 🙂
We just had pretty much the same salad (minus the salami) 2 weeks ago and this is what it looked like: 
Like I said, that’s all the cooking I’ll be doing this week! I love exploring the food in other cities, but I know I will be excited to get back in my kitchen next week after eating out all weekend.
If I WAS going to be home, here is what I would be adding to our menu!
Thursday
Another quick and easy dinner that can be made on the grill. I love changing up the flavors of typical burgers and this version is light, delicious, and perfect for summer!
Friday
Italian Sausage Zucchini Boats
Ok, this one does use the oven, but zucchini season is coming to an end (at least it is in our garden) so I figured a zucchini recipe might come in handy for some! I LOVE how simple this one is to make, as long as you can find a premade Italian sausage you like. Just hollow out the zucchini, brown the sausage, fill, top with marinara, and bake! Looks like a great Friday night dinner to me!
I hope you all have a wonderful week full of yummy, healthy, and easy meals!
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