Holiday Week Meal Plan

As of today we have just a little more than a week until Christmas.  I don't know about anyone else, but I know that I am definitely feeling the holiday crunch this week.  With all that is left to get done, time feels as though it is quickly slipping away.  Not only is Christmas next week, but my oldest daughter's birthday is this week so we get a double whammy this time of year. 

To make my life just a little bit easier, I made sure to take the time and make our weekly meal plan yesterday morning.  We do try to meal plan every week, and some weeks we are a little better organized than others. We follow the Nutritarian  lifestyle ( I will write a post on that later this week), which makes meal planning a little easier in my opinion. Basically that means we eat foods based on their nutritional value. Our diet is filled with greens, fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, high quality grains, smaller amounts of animal protein - eggs, turkey, beef, fish mostly.  The idea of this way of eating is that 90% of the time you eat very well, 10% of the time you can indulge. It works well for us as a family and is pretty easy to follow.  I have learned to cook more foods that I never thought of trying, and my girls will eat just about any vegetable I put on their plate.  Except Brussel sprouts. None of us like Brussel sprouts.

On our meal plan we try to include a new recipe, a family favorite, something easy, a crock pot meal, and one big Sunday style family dinner.  Not this week.  This week the idea is to keep it simple.

On the menu:
Sunday: Bagel Pizzas (made by my oldest) and a movie night
Monday:  Homemade Pho 
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Wednesday: Chicken Curry Soup ( we are going to use turkey since I have some in the freezer)
Thursday: Birthday Dinner! She has chosen to have a Chili Bar.
Friday: Smoked Salmon, roasted veggies, wild rice pilaf.
Saturday: We don't usually plan Saturday's meals.

I realize there are 3 soups on the menu this week.  The thing is my girls and my husband love soup, especially this time of year.  Soups can be a complete meal all on their own, which make them great for busy weeks.


Breakfasts and lunches are just as important to plan during busy weeks. A good breakfast will keep cravings away and give you a great nutritional start to the day. I don't normally plan our breakfasts, but we are trying to make our mornings a little less crazy by planning ahead.

Monday: Green Juice, cereal w/almond milk and a banana
Tuesday: Homemade slow cooker oatmeal
Wednesday: Homemade juice, overnight oats
Thursday: Cinnamon rolls for our oldest daughter's Birthday breakfast.
Friday: Homemade juice, oatmeal or cereal

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday mornings we make homemade juice. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we make green monster smoothies.

Lunches:
 For lunches the girls will have sandwiches (pb&j or peanut butter and banana), a snack plate (veggies, cheese, crackers, fruit), or veggie pasta. 
For the grownups:  My current favorite lunch is: 1 egg fried in coconut oil topped with sautéed greens (kale or Swiss chard) served on toasted Ezekiel bread.  Otherwise it is leftovers.

Saturday we will plan for Christmas week and do our shopping.

Dinnertime is the time of day that my husband and I get to enjoy a conversation, a glass of wine, and catch up with what is going on with each other. Having this all planned out will ensure that our meal time is less stressful, and that we still eat well balanced meals. 

Other posts coming up this week:
Juicing
What is the Nutritarian Lifestyle?
Biscuits and Gravy
Favorite Christmas recipes

Until next time,
~Happy, Healthy Cooking!