Meal planning has just become absolutely critical to our lives! It's always been an important element of a successful week - but now that we are in the middle of doing Whole 30, it's integral. You cannot just fly by the seat of your pants on Whole 30. (If you are interested, I've been documenting all our Whole 30 meals over on Tik Tok!)
So, come along with me as I plan this week's meals and then subsequently prepare each dish!
To begin with, let me tell you about my secret weapon. Plan to Eat! Plan to Eat is a really cool tool. Not only does it have a calendar for you to plan your meals, but it also stores all your recipes. My favorite part is the 'import' tool. All you have to do is input the URL of the recipe you want and it imports all the details and ingredients for you. Once you have your week planned it even generates a shopping list for you.
I already have a bunch of our favorite go-to recipes in Plan To Eat, but I am also using a few cookbooks here and there as we do Whole 30. If you are eating out, having leftovers, or using a cookbook you can make a 'note' on your schedule to remind you what the plan is. You can also use this tool to remind yourself to take food out of the freezer or something like that.
For this week, I'm going to do a mix of favorites and new recipes. I can't wait to remake these Burger Bowls we had recently! I can't stop thinking them. In general, I like to think about what we have going on during the week before choosing what meal goes where. For example, Wednesday evenings are really tight, so I like to do something in the crockpot or something really simple. Additionally, I think about what ingredients we already have or need to use up.
After I've got everything where I want it on the calendar, I generate a grocery list. Simultaneously, I have another window in my browser open to Walmart. We have Walmart + subscription for free grocery delivery. #game changer. (I have a referral link for you too!) I'll add what I need to my cart and plan my delivery time. I usually like to get groceries on Sundays, but I feel like I've been doing a lot more shopping lately as I figure out our Whole30 routine. (and spending soooo much more on food...!!)
Here's my plan:
Sunday - Burger Bowls
Monday - Defined Dish Meatballs and Marinara with Zucchini Noodles
Tuesday - Santa Fe Salads (I'm going to adapt this recipe to make it Whole30, but we love the original)
Wednesday - I have some Defined Dish Tortilla-less Soup in the freezer I'm going to take out.
Thursday - Chili Lime Chicken Wings and I'm going to make sweet potato fries. This is a new recipe!
Friday - Taco Salads! We do these once a week anyways. I just need to decide which protein.
And here's how it went:
Sunday
Burgers are truly one of the only things I crave, and these bowls totally scratch the itch! SO, so delicious.
Monday
I've gotta get better at zucchini noodles, but these meatballs are very yummy! The noodles absorb the sauce really well so it's an easy way to add veggies to our plates.
Tuesday
Change of plans! My mom had us over for dinner. She said she was cooking extra, and boy I am not going to turn down some one else doing the cooking. My parents are also doing their own version of Whole30 right now so it was no problem to eat with them. I'll save the Santa Fe Salads for this weekend! The chicken was in the freezer anyway so it won't be a problem to be flexible here.
Wednesday
Before Whole 30 I had a go-to tortilla soup recipe that I almost always had on the meal plan because it was so easy. Most of the ingredients don't fit in with Whole 30- so I was happy to find this version! It's a great soup and very easy to make. The toppings make it more interesting too.
Thursday
Next time I'm going to make double the sauce! These were great and very sticky. If I make double the sauce I can dunk them in it after they come out of the oven. We also really enjoyed air frying some sweet potato fries, and pairing both things with this homemade Whole 30 friendly ranch dressing.
Friday
Tacos are a staple over here, and taco salads are a fav! We are enjoying the Siete taco seasoning a lot. Add some fresh salsa and you've got a great dish! Nutritional yeast was something I used a lot when I was a vegetarian, but I'm using it a lot now for making dishes more cheesy.
Hopefully this look behind the scenes is helpful to you! Meal planning is so important, but can be overwhelming sometimes. At least with this post, you've got a week's worth of yummy meals to inspire you!
Here's my referral links to Plan to Eat and Walmart+. (Hint hint, you can use Rakuten when you shop at Walmart for free cash back!) Don't forget there is a whole tab at the top of this page with other coupons for you!
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-Kristen
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