Dinner recipe round up. week 1
OMG HI.
Welcome to the first ever weekly dinner recipe round up. I am offering this up because it’s something I do regularly on my own and you said you were interested so here we are. These will not be my recipes. I literally scour the internet, check saved recipes on ig and tiktok, and use my small arsenal of easy-to-put-together bowls, to make my family’s weekly dinner plan.
I started doing this because I have tried countless “meal planners” and I’m always disappointed. I think it’s because they are usually coming from one creator so it’s too much of the same for each recipe. It also feels like more work (i.e. chopping) than I’m willing to do most of the time. As with anything, when you aren’t satisfied with something, you build your own.
Here is my criteria for adding a recipe to the rotation for the week: It must be simple. If I’m looking at a topping and sauces and oven and sautee pans for one meal, it’s a hard pass for me. So I’m looking for ingredients that are easy to find, a sheet pan meal, a one pot meal, filling, and obviously delicious. I am always looking for ways to increase the fiber in our household so multiple sources of plants is always a bonus - but also not too much chopping. Ya feel me? We are looking for varied but not over-complicated.
I typically plan for 4 or 5 meals a week because we will likely have leftovers from the other meal I have prepared or we will eat out once or both!
I will try to get these out to you on Saturday or Sunday so you have time to place your own grocery order so you are ready to go for Monday. Without further ado, my recipes for the week!
Monday: Alfredo - Pinch of Yum
*I will likely top this with some salt and pepper tofu for added protein and satiety. You can top with whatever protein you like!
*If I had Barilla Protein Pasta I would use that here to make this dish more satiating. But. I only buy that if its on sale because the price difference doesn’t justify the small amount of extra protein you’d get from a regular box of pasta.
Tuesday: Crispy Black Bean Tacos - Make it Dairy Free
*This recipe is vegan but I will be using regular cheese in ours. This has turned into a staple meal for us. The black beans with the salsa + taco seasoning is chef’s kiss.
*This recipe does require you to get out your food processor but because the bean mixture doesn’t contain any fat, you can just rinse the food processor and move on.
*I like to use the Carb-Balance tortillas here. From an Intuitive Eating lens - I actually like the carb balance tortillas and I’m happy to take my carbs elsewhere in my diet. They also have an INSANE amount of fiber in them so sign me up.
Wednesday: Gochujang Tofu Bowls - Pinch of Yum
*This recipe has a few ingredients that you may not have laying around unless you have a WELL stocked pantry. I did have them laying around (i.e. roasted peanuts) so I decided to make this one. I had to buy Gochujang sauce so hopefully we like this one. I typically steer clear of sauces that aren’t in our regular rotation but I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for a while so I bought it.
*HOT TIP: If you hate pressing tofu (I hated pressing tofu until I bought a tofu press - it has been life changing), buy the super firm vacuum sealed style of tofu. You can find it it Trader Joes labeled as High Protein Tofu.
Thursday: Lentil Sloppy Joes - Minimalist Baker
*These are SO yummy. I use green lentils and regular Worchestire sauce here. Use what you have.
*I will also use regular ass buns for these and will probably put mayo on the toasted bun.
*Instead of sliced onion (??? strange choice IMO), I’ll go for finely diced onion or make a quick slaw if I’m feeling crazy.