It’s Sunday and I’m back with a quick menu plan post. Did you miss my menu plan last week? That’s because I didn’t post one (oops!).
I spent a few days in Kansas City, helping out a family member. I did a lot of Whole30-friendly freezer cooking for her, but not a lot of menu planning.
My husband was back in Cleveland with our three kids and did a great job menu planning and cooking for them and himself. I should have asked him to share his plan — planning makes life so much easier, even/especially when the regular planner/cooker isn’t around!
(Read more about the benefits of menu planning.)
I’m continuing on my modified-Whole30 diet, which I mentioned here. (When I say “diet”, I mean “way of eating” not “limit calories to lose weight”. I do usually end up losing a few pounds naturally when I strip sugar, sweeteners, grains and dairy out of my diet, but that’s not my primary goal this time around. Read more about my experience with Whole30.)
You will see that this week’s plan combines both Whole30 and some non-Whole30 meals, which is for the benefit of my family and guests that we are hosting at various meals this week. I will vary them slightly to accommodate myself, without having to make an entirely separate meal (that would be WAY too much work!).
Sunday — Hamburgers, hotdogs, homemade French fries, salad (we’re hosting out of town friends, so there will be a lot of kids at this meal and I want it to be as kid-friendly as possible; I will just skip the bun and have my hamburger on lettuce. I’ve actually come to like it better that way!)
Monday — Salmon, cauliflower rice, roasted Balsamic brussels sprouts
Tuesday – Chicken fried rice, using lots of veggies and left-over chicken from Shabbat (I’ll make mine with left-over cauliflower rice from Monday night)
Wednesday – Tacos with all the fixings (I will just skip the shell and use a leaf of Romaine lettuce as the wrap; or have it as a build-your-own salad)
Thursday – Pizza Night (I’m meeting with the nutritionist earlier in the week, so we’ll see if I can reintroduce dairy – if so, I’ll make cauliflower pizza; if not, I’ll grab left-overs)
Friday – Gobi Masala Soup, grilled pargiot (chicken thighs) – I might try this lemon & herb marinade or I’ll default to my favorite tandoori chicken because it’s always perfect, roasted vegetables, and a starchy side dish (easy baked orzo?)
What are you eating this week? I’d love to know!
How do you do the cauliflower rice? Do you make it or buy it that way?
I know that you can buy it at Trader Joe’s. But I make my own. I need to post about it because I get so many questions about it.
Here’s what I do:
I cut a head of cauliflower into pieces and toss it into my Cuisinart Food Processor with the regular blade. You pulse it until it turns into small rice-like grains. You can either saute it or you can roast it. I prefer roasting it. So, I line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then spread out the “rice” in one layer. I toss with a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as well as salt and pepper. I roast at 425 degrees F until it starts to brown around the sides of the pan.
Delicious!
(I have to make at least one full head for my family, and usually a second head is a good idea – we love this stuff.)
thanks!
I love that lemon herb chicken recipe from Anne Burrell!
Believe it or not, it’s a great recipe to double & freeze. Just prepare the chicken with the marinade, and freeze them. I had a huge crowd one year on Chol HaMoed Sukkot, right after chag, and I knew that I wouldn’t have time to do everything the day of, so I froze the chicken in the marinade & it came out great. Haven’t made it in a while, so thanks for the reminder!
We make a 2 ingredient cauliflower pizza after ricing, cooking and squeezing 1 pound of cauliflower dry we only add 2 eggs form and bake at 400 for 40 minutes. Then add toppings and 10 minutes more its done. Nice and crispy crust… Yum!
Ooh, thanks for sharing that Lynn. I may have to give that a try!