I don't know about you, but I'm a total Nosey Nellie when it comes to what people are having for dinner. I am the person out at a restaurant that needs to know what everyone else is having before I can commit to choosing my own meal. I get serious food FOMO, and one of my favorite things is checking out recipes and meal plans on Instagram and Pinterest. I can't be alone! If you are in need of some meal ideas, keep reading!
Each week, I will be sharing what our family is eating - in case you might need some ideas or inspiration. If I make any tweaks to the meal for the boys, I will include that too! I will always link the recipe or share the details if it is something I make on my own. Generally, I only plan four meals a week and then we eat leftovers, go out to eat, or grab take out - so you will only find four meal ideas here each week. If you have any amazing recipes to share, send them my way (erinm@macaronikid.com) and you may be featured in an upcoming installment of "This Week's Meal Plan".
BIG shoutout to Jamie, otherwise known as The Balanced Nutritionist on Instagram, for helping me find balance with food. Many of these recipes are inspired by her. If you are struggling finding balance with food, I can't recommend reaching out to Jamie enough. I am a proud member of her Balanced Breakthrough program and it has made such a difference with my eating habits - and my life! *not sponsored, I just really really love her!
This week's meal plan is all about easy - and sharing with you how I modify/change around ingredients to also get my 5 and 3 year old to eat the same (mostly) meal. Hope this is helpful!
Disclaimer: This is what works for our family. We are allll about balance. You may eat more veggies or less, more meat or less, and you may notice that sometimes we have something a little more indulgent. Your meals may look different, and that is both normal and okay!
Meal One: Sausage, Potato, and Spinach Soup
This soup is amazing - probably my favorite soup to make! It is so easy, filling, and everyone loves it. I love making it for groups too, it is a crowd pleaser and easy to throw together. Adding some garlic bread or garlic knots helps to take it a little further too. I love topping the soup with croutons and/or shaved parmesan.
When I make it for the whole family, I scoop out the boys' portions before I add the spinach. They are not spinach fans (the only vegetable either of them eat currently are cucumbers 🙄) but I add fruit and cucumbers on the side. They love to dip their bread in it too!
Meal Two: Greek Couscous Bowls
We love anything Greek related in our house. If it has feta, tzatziki and olives - it is a yes. This is a twist on a bowl that we've had before, but instead of using grilled chicken, we switched it our for some spinach/feta chicken sausage and that was a great choice. Definitely give this recipe a try - it is such an easy and quick one.
For the boys, we serve the bowls deconstructed. They love the couscous (pasta balls as they call it 😉) on its own. They also prefer the chicken sausage alone too. For veggies, we slice some cucumber (shocker!) and serve it with tzatziki. We added a yogurt and fruit, and called it a night!
Meal Three: Buffalo Chicken Sausage, Potato Rounds, Grilled Vegetables
We absolutely love everything at Piantedosi's Butcher Shop. In the summer, we stock up on grill staples and look forward to grabbing the essentials every weekend. We make it there less often in the winter, but when we do we ALWAYS grab the Buffalo Chicken Sausage.
It comes in one long link. We grill it all at once and then cut it once it is cooked. We serve it with potato rounds (just thinly slices potatoes roasted in the oven) and grilled veggies like peppers, onion, and tomatoes. The boys like most of these things (except the grilled veggies) so they had it with fruit and chocolate milk!
Meal Four: Crispy Chicken Caesar Wrap
This one is so easy, I don't think I can even get away with calling it a meal! But, I had it twice this week for lunch and dinner, so I am. Its so simple and so good. All you need is chopped romaine, shaved parmesan, any type of crispy chicken (I use the air fryer chicken nuggets and they work really well!), Caesar dressing (love Marie's, always make it more of a drizzle with a little water), and a wrap. Throw the chicken in an air fryer and assemble - and you are good to go!
Looking for even more meal ideas? Search for "meal plan" on our site for even more options!
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