One of my biggest takeaways from the Whole30/Nutrition Challenge is that I have kind of checked out on being involved in the meal planning for the past year. It wasn’t intentional. I went from the holidays, to pregnant and nauseated by the kitchen, to just being plain tired all the time, to having a baby and just shoveling anything into my face that was edible with one hand. Yep, survivalism.
But now that Kaitlan’s about to take her first lunch to daycare, and things are getting a little more manageable, I’d like to go back to meal planning. I think it will be one of the huge lessons/values we raise Kaitlan with (healthy eating + budgeting) and caring about what we cook and eat has always been a bonding area for Neil and I.
Additionally, we have a good little group at the gym (and around the community) who meal prep each week, and I thought actually documenting it might make it more fun and inspire others to join the fun in whatever capacity they can.
These posts won’t be super long, and while I’d love to go back to more recipe development — I’ll be mostly pulling from other people’s hard work for now. Hey, I’m not superwoman — yet. But it’s still fun to share. So without further adieu, here is this week!
Final Price: $85, with ingredients for lunches, breakfasts, etc.
Sunday
Leftover homemade cast-iron pizza
Monday
Paleo Crockpot Orange Chicken with Rice
Tuesday
Leftovers
Wednesday
Paleo Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash Noodles (Note: Check our her technique, I’m totally amped to try this, would save an hour just cooking the squash!)
Thursday
Leftovers
Friday
Grilled meat (TBD — hopefully steak) and steamed veggies (our easy “wing-it” meal)
Saturday
Pizza Date Night (new weekly tradition)
Breakfasts and lunches are pretty basic and repetitive (oatmeal, bananas and egg sandwiches), but I’m thinking of making some simple egg+veggie cups to boost our protein for the week as well.
And Kaitlan’s “meals” for the week. I’m prepping them all in ice cube trays, so that’s what “1 cube” stands for. While we’re attempting baby-led weaning, we have started with some purees and she is super excited about them. Currently in mostly Stage 1 foods and just moving into the 1 meal/day.
Monday: 1 cube banana/1 cube avocado
Tuesday: 1 cube applesauce/1 cube sweet potato
Wednesday: 1 cube banana/1 cube avocado
Thursday: 1 cube banana/1 cube peas
Friday: 1 cube applesauce/1 cube sweet potatoes
Saturday-Sunday: Baby’s choice
Do you meal plan? How do you decide what to eat for the week?
We do a mix of baby-led weaning and purees. Her daycare only wants to do purees (understandable), which is what drove our decision. It works great. She likes purees, and she likes to gum up food. She gets a little something from our plates at mealtimes. Tofu is a definite favorite, and she also likes eggs, yogurt, and fruit. Still working on the veggies . . . she doesn’t seem to like all veggie baby food, but she does well with homemade or with the Earth’s Best organic baby food I just bought.
Good luck with feeding your little one!
Yes, BLW sounds all great and happy in the books, but it is TERRIFYING. She sucks things into her mouth and I can barely breathe. So we’re starting reaaaaaaaly slow, and letting her play with mashed up things. Slow progress, but exciting to finally be here.