Foodie Friday: Meal Plan 4/30-5/6

I’m an avid foodie and I love (live) to cook. It relaxes me, it gives me a feeling of accomplishment, it tames my anxiety by giving me something to do with my hands, and it gives me great comfort to know that the food I set on the table came from the freshest ingredients possible and was brought together by my hands and no one else’s. So, I suppose in that way it also satisfies my inner control freak (sometimes not so inner, but I digress).

I’m also a food porn junkie - I love to look at pictures of gorgeous meals and I also love to produce my own food porn, though the results tend to be less-than-stellar looking (I blame my camera phone, but to be honest, I’m not much of a food artist). Almost every night, I post pictures of my dinners for all the world (well, all of a certain facebook group, at least) to see. I’m both documenting my achievements and proving to others that healthy, well-cooked meals are within anyone’s reach.

As a result of all my food porn spamming, I get a lot of positive feedback and many requests for recipes and meal plans so that other people can put together a cache of their own go-to meals. That is what this is all about - sharing information, recipes, tips, ideas, etc. Each week I will post seven days worth of dinners (three of which will be meatless, a compromise borne of much arduous discussion with the husband), as well as ideas for “cooking class creations” to do with young children each night and a few freezable breakfast and snack ideas so that you can have a stash of things to reheat in a pinch.

Here goes nothing...for recipes, please visit my pin board “Meal Plan 4/30-5/6” here http://pinterest.com/mlg5678/meal-plan-4-30-5-6/ . If you have questions about substituting a particular ingredient because you can’t find or don’t have something listed in a recipe, don’t hesitate to contact me at greenolagirls@gmail.com!

DAY ONE:
Spaghetti Squash “Noodles” with Thai Peanut Sauce (I added sriracha to both of these sauces)
Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls
Egg Roll Dipping Sauce

DAY TWO:
Braised Oxtail in the Slow Cooker
Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon and Garlic
Sorrel Salad with Beets and Berries

DAY THREE:
Spaghetti Squash Florentine (I used a combo of kale and spinach in the florentine, skipped the jarred sauce and just pureed some fresh organic roma tomatoes)
Cauliflower Crust “Pizza” Topped with Broccoli Pesto and Grated Parmesan
Mixed Baby Greens Salad Topped with Halved Yellow Pear Tomatoes and a Drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar

DAY FOUR:
Salmon with Blood Orange Salad (I added sliced radishes to the salad)
Quinoa with Blood Orange and Basil (I used whole wheat couscous in place of quinoa since I had run out...it also makes the recipe much quicker to make)

DAY FIVE:
Vegetarian Quinoa Chili in the Slow Cooker
Summer Corn Cakes
Honey Mustard Collard Greens

DAY SIX:
Lazy Woman’s Cabbage Roll Casserole (using ground chicken thighs)
Chickpeas and Spinach
Mixed Baby Greens Salad Topped with Halved Yellow Pear Tomatoes and a Drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar

DAY SEVEN:
Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers (using black beans)
Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
Raw Cauliflower Mash (skipped the mushroom gravy)
Mixed Baby Greens Salad

  
Each week, I pick a day on the weekend when the husband is able to baby wrangle and I make several different easy, freezable recipes. These morsels will then get reheated in the mornings for breakfast or a snack or even to be included in my oldest daughter’s lunch when she goes to her gymnastics MDO program twice a week. This week, I made these tasty treats:
Pumpkin Pistachio Bread
Whole Wheat Waffles (I mix in superfoods like chia or flax seeds, a cup of either kefir or Odwalla superfood smoothie, or pumpkin puree)
Blueberry Quinoa Pancakes

Also, each night, I try to do a little interactive cooking demonstration with my oldest daughter. She loves to be treated with dessert each night, and I feel a bit better knowing that she’s taken part in the preparation and that the ingredients are wholesome. Her kitchen lessons this week have included:
Healthy Chocolate Pudding (6-8 soaked and pitted medjool dates, 2 T cocoa or cacao powder, ½ cup coconut milk, 1 t vanilla extract, 1 ripe avocado - throw it all into a blender or processor until smooth)
Stove-popped Popcorn (we made “cheesy” using butter, sea salt and grated Parmesan, and we made “sweety” using butter, honey, cinnamon and vanilla extract)
Easy Chocolate Frosting
Yogurt Covered Strawberries
Yogurt Freezie Pops (we simply pureed fresh berries, mixed them in with yogurt, then poured the mixture into these pop molds http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-431-4-Piece-Silicone-Maker/dp/B0036B9KHO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335456424&sr=8-1 and froze them)
Ice Cream in a Baggie (we used heavy cream sweetened with vanilla and maple syrup)