What to Cook for Dinner this Week

I have a confession: I don’t always end up making everything on my weekly menu. Sometimes, the day gets unexpectedly wonky, like this Wednesday, when we took L to the doctor for her 18-month well visit and ended up being there for over two hours. By the time we left, traffic was so thick that it didn’t make sense to attempt to go home, so we went to a nearby Chick fil-A for dinner instead and then hit the bookstore afterward. Sometimes, L is just incredibly fussy at dinner time, and if it’s a school night for E, it’s easier to just toss my plans out the window and make grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly, something that allows me to avoid spending an hour in the kitchen with a screaming toddler hanging on my leg. Sometimes, we will have more leftovers than I expected, and it will make sense to repeat a meal. When this kind of scenario happens, I simply push a meal plan to the next day, move everything forward a bit.

All this to say, do what you need to do. When things don’t go as planned, take a deep breath and ride the wave. Family dinner doesn’t have to be perfect, and it shouldn’t make you miserable. And hey – leftovers are a part of life. So is peanut butter and jelly. Pizza places have delivery guys for a reason. And all these things can help you keep your sanity.

While a meal plan is an awesome thing in that it helps keep grocery shopping in line and helps you avoid the Oh my gosh, it’s five o’clock and I have no idea what we’re having for dinner moment, it should in no way become a burden – you should never feel like you’ve failed at something if the menu goes awry. If a week has gone off kilter for me, E will jokingly ask if we’re really having what’s on the menu that night, because he knows not to get his heart set on anything that’s planned for a given day. He knows that if L has had a bad day, it could turn into a grilled cheese night in a snap. And really, he’s perfectly okay with that.

So – here’s the weekly menu. Because of Resolution 2014, I’m working on keeping it healthy, but still keeping it real. I watch my breakfast and lunch during the week carefully, mind my portions at dinner, and try to make meals as healthy as possible, using quality protein, fresh fruits and veggies, and whole grains.

Monday: PW’s Chicken and Dumplings. This is a perfect way to use up leftover chicken from Sunday’s Roasted Chicken. If you don’t have any leftovers, pick up a rotisserie chicken at your market to make this meal come together quickly. If you want to increase fiber, you can use half whole wheat or white whole wheat flour in the dumplings.

Tuesday: It’s a school night for E, so I’m being real and putting Grilled Cheese and Creamy Tomato Soup here. I’ll add a side salad for me. It doesn’t get any easier than this.

Wednesday: Smoky Chipotle Deep Dish Nachos. We haven’t had nachos in a while, so they sounded good to me. Because I’m trying to be as healthy as possible, I’ll load them up with extra veggies and go easy on the cheese. Yum!

Thursday: Korean Bibimbap. This is a fantastic, healthy, high-protein dish that will knock your socks off. Promise.

Friday: Takeout Night. I love this night, when the work week is over, I don’t cook, and we take some kind of family outing. Most often, we end up at the used bookstore, which is like a giant treasure chest. My favorite night of the week, hands down.

Saturday: Homemade Pizza. Crust recipe here. Sauce recipe here. Our favorite topping combo these days is pancetta and caramelized onion. Mmm.

Sunday: Gyros. I’ve been craving these. Wrapped in lettuce (if you’re GF) or whole wheat flatbread, they’re awesomesauce.

Weekend Breakfast: I’m really looking forward to Dried Cherry and Pecan Whole Wheat Pancakes on Saturday morning. With real maple syrup.

Weekly Treat: Homemade Granola Bars. These are sooooo yummy. And guilt-free. Just mind your portion size.

Happy weekend!

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