Whole week of delicious, healthy family dinners

 I spend a good hour each week planning out my families meals and grocery list. This helps us be sure to have enough food for the week and helps it be less likely that we will grab unhealthy food on the run with our crazy, busy schedules. I try to make meals simple. Sometimes I reach for Paleo options, but overall, we just try to eat as healthy as possible.
Here are some recipes from this weeks meal plan.

Monday: Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole
1.5 pounds of ground beef; cooked
1.5 cups organic pizza sauce
1 spaghetti squash cooked and shredded
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
5 raw eggs, whisked
Add all ingredients to a casserole dish and bake @350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until browned on top. My kids went nuts over this one.

Tuesday: Salmon Patties and Sauteed Kale
Salmon Patties
2 large cans of wild caught salmon
2 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal (little more if needed)
seasoning of choice (we like to use creole or something yummy from Penzey's)
oil of choice for sauteing (we use almond or walnut)
Throw all ingredients in a bowl (or mixer) and mix well. Form small patties and saute on medium heat until browned on each side.

Sauteed Kale
1 bunch of organic kale, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
oil of choice for sauteing
seasoning of choice (we use a homemade taco seasoning A LOT, but will generally use the same thing we use in accompanying dish)
Saute kale in oil until desired tenderness is attained.

Wednesday: Foil Packet Sweet Potatoes and Grilled Chicken with Steamed Broccoli

Foil Packet Sweet Potatoes
4-5 organic sweet potatoes (or 1/2-1 whole SP per family member)
walnut or almond oil
seasoning of choice (we like seasoned salt with NO silicon dioxide...read your labels, or just salt and pepper)
tin foil
Scrub sweet potatoes and chop into bit-sized pieces with skin left on for added fiber
drizzle with oil and sprinkle with seasoning. Stir until potatoes are coated. Place sweet potatoes on tin foil and fold into packets. Place on grill and cook until tender.
 
Grilled Chicken
 4-5 organic chicken breasts (or 1/2-1 chicken breast per family member...or more if you plan on using leftovers for a second meal like the salad for tomorrow nights menu)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
Place chicken in a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Add remaining ingredients and let marinade for about an hour. Place on hot grill and cook until no longer pink. 
 
Steamed Broccoli
1 head organic broccoli
1/2 cup water
Cut broccoli into bite sized pieces. Add broccoli and water to medium saucepan and cover. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmering point. Steam until desired tenderness is reached. 

Thursday: Greek Salad with Leftover Grilled Chicken
1 bunch of romaine lettuce; washed and cut into bite sized pieces
3-4 leftover grilled chicken; cut into bite size chunks
2/3 c. feta cheese crumbles
1 can organic black (pitted) olives
1 organic cucumber;  sliced
1-2 organic tomatoes; chopped or one container of grape tomatoes
Greek dressing recipe found here.
Toss all ingredients in bowl and drizzle with desired amount of dressing. Serve with a chunk of whole grain bread or homemade croutons.

Friday: Black Bean Quesadillas and Side Salad
2 whole wheat tortillas per family member (soft taco sized)
2 cans organic black beans (more if family is greater than 5)
1/2 pound grass-fed cheddar or mozzarella
1 tbsp homemade taco seasoning (I use this one without the red pepper flakes)
grass-fed butter or ghee for cooking
Drain beans and mash in a bowl until spreadable. Add taco seasoning to beans and mix well. Spread bean mixture onto one tortilla, sprinkle with cheese and place another tortilla on top. Melt 1 tsp butter/ghee in the pan on medium heat. Place quesadilla in pan and cook until lightly browned and crispy on both sides, adding butter/ghee as necessary. Serve with  your choice of hot sauce, salsa, avocado, etc. and a side salad with healthy dressing.

Saturday: Breakfast for dinner
Eggs, cooked to order
bacon (we use Applegate farms Sunday bacon) or organic, grass fed sausage patties
Paleo Pancakes topped with fresh fruit instead of syrup
sauteed spinach cooked in a little walnut oil with salt and pepper


Sunday: (Paleo) Spaghetti  with Side Salad
I actually don't care for pasta, but the rest of the family does. I prepare spaghetti squash for myself and organic whole wheat pasta for the kids and hubs. 
Prepare pasta and/or squash. Prepare sauce of choice. We use grass fed ground beef, 1 sauteed onion, 1 sauteed red bell pepper, 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, Italian seasoning, 2 sauteed chopped carrots, 1 sauteed zucchini and two jars of whole foods organic pasta sauce. I let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes and serve over squash or pasta. Prepare side salad of choice with a healthy dressing. You can also check out my past blog on a similar recipe on the dinner here.

This week I will also be prepping homemade granola bars, Shakeology cookies, breakfast egg cups, tuna salad with paleo mayo, boiled eggs, and Greek yogurt parfaits