As you may know, I’m not normally a meal planner.
I like to cook by the seat of my pants and just make what speaks to me on that day. I’m the same way with my blog posts too. I rarely know what I’m blogging about until I sit down to write and I don’t often plan specific posts ahead of time. I usually just sit down and type! It feels more natural to me when I don’t force something.
…and that’s the same way I like to cook, but sometimes I need to plan meals to get out of a cooking slump. Now that I am on the road to recovery with this flu, I decided to plan out my meals this week and bid my cooking slump farewell!
Step 1: Plan The Meals:
The meals I chose:
- Enchiladas with Cilantro cream sauce & salad
- Creamy Sweet Potato Bake and biscuits
- Veggie Burgers with Moroccan spiced root vegetable fries
- Tahini Lemon Rice and beans
- WILD CARD (this can be leftovers, a meal out, or spontaneous recipe)
Don’t be fooled by this simple looking list- it actually took me over an hour to figure out what I wanted to make for the week. Also, I don’t like to specify what day I’m making each recipe! I will decide the night before most likely. :) I think the thing I love about planned dinner recipes is that you automatically have a lunch ready for you the next day!
Step 2: Make List and Grocery Shop:
After I picked out my meals for the week, I checked what ingredients I had in stock and then I went grocery shopping for the rest.
Step 3: Prep veggies and Grains
After meal planning and grocery shopping, I did prep work by slicing veggies (cucumbers, carrots, peppers) cooking grains and beans (chickpeas and brown rice), and made a fresh batch of Spring Fever Lemon Dill Hummus.
This whole process took up half the day, but I’m hoping that it will pay off with time savings throughout the week.
Keeping my May veggie goals in mind, breakfast today was a yummy Green Monster blended with 1 cup frozen kale, 1.25 cups soy milk, 1 large frozen banana, pinch or two of cinnamon, Vega Choc-o-lot protein powder, and Amazing Grass wheatgrass powder.
I topped it with almond butter, cacao nibs, and 1/2 an Endure Glo Bar. It was delish…but gave me goosebumps!
[Can you tell it is a gloomy and rainy day by the low lighting of this photo?]
Lunch today will probably be similar to yesterday’s lunch…
I had cucumbers and carrots with Spring Fever Lemon Dill Hummus, along with sprouted grain open-faced, toasted sandwiches topped with tomato paste, avocado, and pepper. I love this voluminous lunch as it takes a long time to eat.
Stay tuned for a great week of dinner recipes!
You had me at Creamy Sweet Potato Bake, I can’t wait to see the results from this!!
Your green monster looks unbelievable! I have recently gotten on the meal planning train and I’ve realized a few things: 1) It’s so much easier to eat more healthfully 2) I’m so much more organized! 3) I save a lot of time and money at the grocery store!
Damn everything on your meal schedule looks great! Very curious to see how the planning works out for you :)
Funny – I had a nearly identical breakfast this morning, but in a glass!
I’m a big fan of planning my meals. I every everything onto and Excel sheet… otherwise I have a fridge of ingredients and I’ve forgotten exactly what my grand plans were when I brought them. :)
I am going to have to try that avocado open face yummy looking sandwich. WOW. I love avacado and I feel like I have tried everything but this looks delicious. Thank you for sharing. I try and be a meal planner but it is so time consuming. It makes the morning’s less stressful but really takes a lot out of me. :) I do agree though, meal planning does inspire great cooking.
Voluminous lunches and foods? Yes I love them! They take awhile to eat, they are usually fiber filled and have lots of chew and texture. Always good.
The way you sliced your cucumbers, sounds silly, but I swear they taste better like that when I am using them as “sticks” to dip things in. I like them better than in rounds or cubes. Spears or sticks is where it’s at. haha
Meal planning and groc shopping accordingly…you are on top of it! You go girl! It saves time, money, and is healthier for sure in the long run when you can meal plan I find.
Yum I want to come over for dinner every night! Will you be posting the recipes? Because I’ve been dying for enchiladas and want a good recipe!
I love that there’s so much veggie in here–I’ve been eating lots of beets and veggies, and my stomach is so much more at ease than when I don’t. :) can’t wait for the post!
Looking forward to the dinner post. I think I am going to try that for lunch, love all the veges. Looking for a good cornbread recipe, any suggestions?
That lunch looks much better than the crappy lunch I had today at work. Is it okay that I”m jealous of it? ;-)
I wish I could be more of a meal planner but I too like to fly by the seat of pants :) I must say I’m intrigued by the creamy sweet potato bake and biscuits ? I do hope we see this in the future :) I’m a southern girl and the very mention of biscuits makes my ears perk up!
Wow, I thought I came up with the tomato paste, hummus, avocado combo. I was sure I was strange for liking to mix tomato paste and humus together and then dip or spread it onto steamed or raw broccoli tops. If you really smash it into the “leafy” part of the broccoli “tree” it makes for a very flavoful and texturally pleasing bite.
Go Angela, good on you for being so positive about getting out of your slump. I always plan out my meals so i am organised through the week and i find it stops me from buying too much at the supermarket and more importantly stops me buying junk. Your menu for the week sounds incredible, hope your going to post the recipes!
I always meal plan. I wouldn’t know what to make/buy if I didn’t! Can’t wait to see the new dinner recipes! :-D
Too funny – I just popped onto your blog to find some recipes for meal planning this week! Enchiladas sound good…
Those meals sound delicious! By the way, I tried my first Cherry VOO Bomb today….in fact I’m eating it right now. Sooo yummy! Thanks for all the amazing recipes.
The open faced sandwich looks yummy! I wouldn’t have thought to combine those things, but they look good together…. Will have to try it :)
Those recipes sound amazing! Very excited to see how they turn out. I’m all about the meal planning- at the end of the day, I am out of creativity and just want food in my mouth immediately.
Tonight I actually had a total OSG dinner- salad with the Better Than Bottled balsamic dressing, and the avocado pasta- which, let me just say- O.M.F.G. Delicious.
Thank you as always for the inspiration!
I would so love to be planning my weekly meals, but I find it hard to do with such little time. Not to mention, because it’s just me, I tend to eat the same thing several times during the week.
One of my friends just suggested your blog to me and I’m already addicted. It’s really fantastic!
I don’t always plan out every meal, but I plan one or two and then some staples that will make mealtime easy like dips and dressings for veggies. We love your better than balsamic dressing.
I’m amazed that you don’t plan your blog recipes! I’ve always been a planner – I write recipes daily, then send them to myself [via email] then grab 5-7 each week, print them out, shop, and cook! Meal planning is my savior! I get so busy in the week I barely have time to breath, let alone cook.
I’m looking forward to: Enchiladas with Cilantro cream sauce & salad
yuuuum!
Can’t wait for the sweet potato recipe as they are my fave right now! I just got offered the chance to help prep meals for basketball players who would be staying in my town and practicing at the gym (program run by hubby’s friend), since my hubby’s friend knows I love food and nutrition…so, I better get this meal planning thing in order!
I love to meal plan but I think it’s more about the planning than the outcome for me – I rarely follow through on the meals. Sometimes it’s made more difficult because I don’t know how much it’ll make for leftovers, how much my boyfriend will eat, etc…plus I’m paranoid about food going bad so I don’t want to make too much at once..ANYWAY I hope yours work out well because they all sound delicious!
I’m trying to plan my meals more often too. I’m I planner, I like to know what is coming next.
I’d like to come over for at least 3 of those meals. Please. No, really…Please?
Hi Angela,
Love the pictures, so pretty!
Also , I think you mentioned in Friday’s post that today you would announce the winner of the contest? :)
That green monster looks scary :) Just kidding! It actually looks quite good!
Your lunch looks like it should be sold in a restaurant. It is all about the presentation, but the most important part is obviously how good it tastes, which I am sure it tastes divine :)
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Those meals sound amazing! I am SO looking forward to the recipes.
I have just started doing a better job of planning my meals for the week and I find it very helpful! It’s also forcing me to be more creative instead of just going to my standard fare week after week.
mmmm that lunch sounds amazing!!!!
The tomato/avocado combo sounds AMAZING!
Your breakfasts always look so girly and cute!
Ahh, those look amazing!! I WISH I had time to eat that well! I do my meal planning almost exactly the same way – I don’t assign days and I leave a day open for leftovers or eating out or whatever. Breakfast is usually instant oatmeal and lunch is usually a vegan cup-o-soup since I’m too busy to make those meals ahead. Dinner is my one nice meal of the day. :)
I’m such a huge fan of meal planning. It saves me time, energy, money and calories.
Oh my goodness I still can’t quite bring myself out of my cooking slump! I have re introduced exercise and am hoping it will follow naturally!? It definitely doesn’t help that someone is drilling through my kitchen floor right now! :/ Your lunch looks delish btw! And if I use some store bought humous it will be simple enough for me to throw together minimal fuss involved! Many thanks for the idea! :)
Your green monster looks delicious! If that doesn’t heal you….
I just LOVE your site! I love your positive energy and attitude towards nutrition. I am in college and sometimes struggle with healthy eating (sweets, especially anything chocolate, are my vice). Please tell me where I can find the recipes from this post! I want to make em all!
Having a general idea but not truely defining which day I’l make a meal works so much better for me too. It’s awesome having a plan, but I like to play it by ear too. That lunch looks wonderful!
I’m usually a meal planner, but I have definitely been slacking lately! All of those meals sound delicious!
I don’t know how you do it, Angela. You never plan and yet, you manage to cook all those magnificient meals AND blog about them? Wow… do you have superpowers or something? I want me some of that! Me, I always have to plan AT LEAST a week in advance, sometimes even 2… Certain meals I need to get started the previous day, so I almost have to keep a schedule.
That beet salad looks absolutely fantastic by the way! Do you have the recipe somewhere on your blog?
I agree– I don’t plan meals (nor does the rest of my family). Sometimes, if I want out of a rut, I’ll write down lots of ideas or just walk into the kitchen net day and be like: “I’m getting out of a breakfast rut, I’ll make muffins for everyone instead!”. Funny– I like to have a semblance of a plan in most other things, but I’m more flexible with cooking (not necessarily eating though– gottat eat when I’m hungry– otherwise you have one cranky girl!).
VEGirl
What amazing meal choices! I try to plan but it doesn’t always work out so well:)
Wow those meals sound so amazing! I think our current cravings are incredibly in sync right now.
How long you store cooked food?
Hello,
I’m looking for meal plans(weight loss) for vegan and gluten free.
Thank you
Where is the Beet Salad Recipe Pictured above?
Hey Chris, unfortunately I don’t have that recipe on the blog. If you happen to have The Oh She Glows Cookbook, there’s a recipe for my roasted beet salad with hazelnuts you might enjoy. I also have a recipe for my golden beet salad on the blog here if you’re interested: https://ohsheglo.ws/t I hope that helps!