WE EAT | Weekly Toddler Menu Plan

I've gotten a few questions here and there about these weekly meal plans.  Here are two of the most common that I wanted to address:

How do I come up with the meal plans?

Each week when I'm making my grocery list (usually on Thursdays before the weekend) I take an inventory of my pantry, fridge, and freezer and see what proteins I have and what grains I have on hand.  I will build my meal plans around what I have previously purchased (usually because of a sale on the meat), and then fill in the blanks as I go.  I am an avid reader of Cooking Light and have been for over 10 years, so thats the first place I stop for ideas.  I subscribe to the magazine as well, so I usually have that in my bag to flip through and doggie-ear recipes that catch my eye (and tummy).  I then scour my favorite foodie blogs for ideas, as well as my own personal recipes I've written.

I'm working on a how-to blog post about meal planning and how to get started - stay tuned:)

   

Do Parker and Jolie eat what you eat or do you make something separate for them at dinner?

We sit down as a family together and eat what I have prepared for all of us.  Occasionally there will be the toddler fail, we still eat together.  I cannot be a short order cook, so when it comes to our dinners we eat together.  As far as breakfast and lunch go, if I am home, I will eat with them, but most of the time they eat what is listed and my mother in law or Jordan will eat something different.

With all that being said - here is this week's meal plan!  We are on the go a lot, and this week is no different.  I have had couple requests for more quick and portable meal ideas (lunches) for toddlers, so I've done my best to make all our lives easier.  I almost always.. actually I always have a cooler to carry when we are out and about for water, snacks, and meals so we aren't making the repeat impromptu stop through the drive through.  We eat breakfast in the car a lot on the weekends, so it is most often self serving or some kind of smoothie.  Cheese and crackers, pasta salad, and turkey roll ups are a go to for lunches on the run.

Enjoy! 

Recipe Link List

Tilapia w Spinach & White Bean Orzo

Barley & Butternut Squash Risotto

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Kale & Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese

Recipes 

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

1 (16 ounce) bottle Zesty Italian dressing

2 cups BBQ sauce (I love Sweet Baby Ray's Original)

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts.  

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LOW for 6-7 hours. Shred and serve warm. 

Strain the "juice" off of the chicken and use it for additional- as SO yummy - sauce.

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 (14.5 ounce) package whole wheat fusilli pasta
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped green onion

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Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds, and cook stirring frequently until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain pasta, and rinse under cold water until cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine canola oil, soy sauce, vinegars, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger, and pepper. Shake well.
Pour sesame dressing over pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Gently mix in chicken, cilantro, and green onions.  Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Apple & Cheese Wraps

Slice 1 Granny Smith apple and one Honeycrisp apple into 1/2 inch thick slices. Slice cheddar cheese into 1/2 inch wide slices.  Place an apple slice and a cheese slice on top of deli turkey or ham and fold over deli meat to wrap.

Cheddar Omelet

Scramble one whole egg in a bowl; coat a small pan in cooking spray.  Once warm, pour egg into pan so that it covers the pan completely; cook 1-2 minutes and add cheddar cheese onto half of the egg; fold the other half over the top and let cook another 1-2 minutes; flip the omelet and finish cooking and cut into wedges.

Veggie Pesto Wraps

2 whole wheat tortillas

1/4 cup basil pesto

1 carrot, sliced thin

1 cucumber, sliced thin

1 red bell pepper, sliced thin

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Spread thin layer of pesto over tortilla.  Layer veggies on the tortilla end closest to you.  Wrap tightly and serve!

Crock Pot Pumpkin Oats

adapted from Weelicious

2 cups water

2 1/2 cups milk

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

2 tablespoons real maple syrup

1 cup steel cut oats

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Place all the ingredients in the crock pot and stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 5-9 hours (note that the cooking time can vary depending on your crock pot. Crock pots without non-stick surfaces tend to get hotter, so you’ll want to stick closer to a 5 hour cooking time).