Monthly Meal Plan: April 2017

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I feel like I need to apologize for the potato extravaganza I offered up last month. I can tell when I’m getting busier in other areas of my life as I tend to add potatoes….so.many.potatoes….to the meal plan. They’re easy, can be quite delicious, and they’re one of B’s favorite things, so I tend to rely on them often as a side dish. On the flip side, they’re not the healthiest of tubers and I shouldn’t rely on them so much. I tried to be better this month!

With this meal plan, I’m including five to six gluten-free, grain-free, mostly dairy-free (or very easily adapted to dairy-free) recipes for four weeks. You will see repetition in this list because I find that reusing a few different things (specifically) sides each week, also makes meal planning and cooking in general easier. I discover recipes that my family really likes and that are relatively simple to get on the table, and I add those into the rotation. The more I make them, the faster and more efficient they get, and then I can try new recipes.

A few notes… I’m going to include links to the recipes that are available online, otherwise I’ll include links to the resource where I got the recipe. In all the recipes where butter is called for, I substitute ghee to make it lactose/casein-free. Also, these recipes are meant to be easy for weeknights, but they do still take time. I usually start about an hour before I want us to eat. Obviously, if it’s a recipe I haven’t made before, it will take more time, but I get faster the more I make it.

Here’s April!

April 3 – 9

Monday – Irishman’s omelet (ITC), sauteed spinach
Tuesday – out
Wednesday – paleo slow cooker General Tso’s chicken, steam-fried vegetables
Thursday – sheet pan dinner with bratwurst and roasted vegetables, sauerkraut
Friday – baked cod (from the old Nourished Kitchen meal plans), creamy dill dressing (from the old Nourished Kitchen meal plans), baked tomatoes (NT), braised green beans (ATK)
Saturday – meat sauce, roasted spaghetti squash, salad
Sunday – out/leftovers

April 10 – 16

Monday – cheesy sausage with spinach backed ramekin eggs (BR), braised cherry tomatoes (ATK)
Tuesday – out
Wednesday – chicken cacciatore, roasted broccoli, salad
Thursday – one pan healthy sausage and veggies, sauteed spinach
Friday – poached salmon with Irish butter sauce (ITC), roasted beets and carrots, salad
Saturday – beef a la mode, brown bread rolls (half), salad
Sunday (Easter) – honey-glazed ham (G), roasted asparagus (from the old Nourished Kitchen meal plans), brown bread rolls (from Saturday), salad, hazelnut shortcake (NT)

April 17 – 16

Monday – Denver scramble, sauteed spinach
Tuesday – out
Wednesday – balsamic and rosemary chicken, roasted Brussels sprouts, carrots Vichy (NT)
Thursday – sausage and potato casserole, salad
Friday – twice laid (ITC), baked tomatoes (NT), sauteed spinach
Saturday – beef tinaktak, salad
Sunday – out/leftovers

April 24 – 30

Monday – crustless quiche, roasted herb sweet potato bites
Tuesday – out
Wednesday – slow cooker roast chicken and gravy, garlic cauliflower “mashed potatoes,” salad
Thursday – sausage, peppers, and onions; salad
Friday – salmon cakes (PP), roasted beets and carrots, sauteed spinach
Saturday – grilled steak, rosemary potatoes (NT), braised cherry tomatoes (NT)
Sunday – tomato soup, salad

Lunch Ideas

We’re pretty relaxed about lunch and usually rely on leftovers if we happen to have any. Otherwise, we keep staples in the house to throw something together fast:

Sardines – I know! Sardines?! Gross! Right? But they’re a powerhouse of nutrients, the kids LOVE them, and they’re extremely convenient for packed lunches
Tuna – I get skipjack as it’s lower in mercury than other kinds of tuna
Egg salad – Another of B’s favorites
Hard-boiled eggs
Butternut squash soup – The kids especially like this cold so they can drink it with straws
Roasted chicken drumsticks – Preheat oven to 400 degrees, top each drumstick with a pat of butter/ghee, sprinkle with salt or your favorite seasoning, and roast for 40 minutes
Coconut Wraps (or celery) with almond butter (NTC)
Raw cheese slices – We get this through our raw milk dairy; if you buy it from the store, be sure it really is raw as some cheese-producers will claim that it’s raw, but they still heat it to 160 (Azure has Organic Pastures which is also widely sold in California)

Lunch sides: cherry tomatoes, Bubbies pickles, red pepper slices, olives, steamed broccoli/cauliflower/carrots (10 minutes with lots of butter/ghee), sauerkraut, fermented yams, fresh fruit

Breakfast Ideas

We have the same thing almost every day of the week for breakfast because trying to come up with variety in this area would probably make my head implode. Sunday through Friday, we have scrambled eggs and the kids each get half of an avocado. They finish that off with a small bowl of frozen mixed berries (E and I have bowls of GF oatmeal).

On Saturdays, E breaks out the apron and produces a feast: scrambled eggs, bacon, and either home fries (MIP2) or banana pancakes (EGFB).

Resources

You can see my master list of recipes that are currently in rotation here, a list of places where I buy my food here, and my favorite kitchen equipment here. I also use Plan to Eat to collect recipes, make my meal plan, and generate grocery lists. It’s a fantastic little tool and I think meal planning would be a LOT more work without it. If you’re not sure about paying for something like that, they offer a free 30-day trial which is the perfect amount of time to give it a try.