Forget March Madness in our house it’s all about the Meal Plan Mayhem season.
Yes, once again I have picked up my trusty meal planning sword and decided to meal plan. I guess you could say it’s off the back of swearing off the latest health kick and fad diet. With a choice about going back to eating “real” food, in moderation, and living a healthier lifestyle.
I find that we eat better, incorporate more fruit and veg, and eat EARLIER in the day if I plan in advance. On top of that we tend to eat with the boys more often. Which is a win in my eyes as eating as a family is the best way for them to learn how to behave at the table and table manners.
I’ve not quite gotten to the stage where we all eat the same meal at the same time but we’re getting there. Slowly.
What’s been on the menu
The question is, what have we been eating?
This week it’s been a mainly vegetarian diet as I try to reduce my meat intake. Though I have adapted various meals to add chicken for my husband. Similarly some nights I just know the boys won’t eat what we are so while I’ve kept it broadly similar it’s definitely not been exactly the same.
Beetroot Risotto
A slight adaptation on the Deliciously Ella Buckwheat Beetroot Risotto after a friend lent me the cook book.
Rather than use Buckwheat I stuck with Arborio Rice, added in some grated courgette, wilted spinach and topped with toasted walnuts.
For the boys I simply separated off their portion before adding the beetroot and coconut milk mix and stirred through hot dogs (they are a work in progress on their eating habits).
Fish Tacos and Salad
I always assumed that tacos were of the hard shell variety and wondered why anyone would ever want to add fish to them. Until I realised that taco was simply a way of “wrapping” your food. Since then there has been no stopping me, Cajun spiced Sherry fillet with soft tortilla wrap and salad.
For the boys I made Cheese Quaesdillas with salad, same wraps different meal, I’m OK with that. It’s close enough and it meant we were all indulging in Mexican night together.
Quinoa Green Goddess
As part of finding new vegetable heavy recipes to try I signed up to the Forks Over Knives Meal Planner. Whilst I haven’t signed up for the paid version on account that my husband might tip over the edge at spending more money on what he deems a fad (and forking out a small fortune on The Body Coach before Christmas that now lies abandoned), this recipe is from the free sample.
A veg heavy salad, with an oil free dressing made from herbs, tahini and cashew nuts, this is simply delicious. With chicken added for my omnivore husband, and enough made for packed lunches the next day this is one that will be repeated over and over again.
And no, I had no luck in getting the boys to eat this. They had chicken nuggets, chips and raw carrot sticks.
Mexican Quinoa Bowl
With my husband in India for the weekend with friends we decided we would have our own party back in Qatar. While the kids got busy making unicorn cakes and home made pizza we got stuck into a quinoa Mexican bowl.
Filled with Quinoa, black beans, salsa, guacamole, sweetcorn, mushroom, labnah and cheese it was filling and satisfying. And even though I couldn’t find canned black beans, making black beans was surprisingly simple.
Aubergine Katsu Curry (with Chicken)
This recipe was saved on my phone for a week. Every time I opened safari there it was taunting me, staring at me, begging me to cook it. And I’m not even a big fan of aubergines.
Moving away from being vegan, or even vegetarian, I did add chicken tenders to mine. (And the husband steered clear of aubergine all together).
No. The boys did NOT eat this. They simply refuse anything they believe is “spicy”. So they ate fried rice instead…
So there you have it – my top 5 meals of last week.
Wish us luck on this endeavour, my willpower is waning already.
