Meal Planning Made Easy
I’m a physician not a chef. The following are my personal collection of a handful of easy and portable meals. Since the arrival of Mr Parker I knew it was my responsibility to raise a happy and healthy human being - and diet played a HUGE role in my goal. Actually that responsibility started the minute I found out I was pregnant. I minimized sugar, grains and dairy and cleaned up my diet at home and on the road.
We bring food with us everywhere (except maybe the grocery store). And always in glass containers. More on the dangers of plastics in a later blog.
This is what I made this last weekend - in just a few hours we had breakfasts and dinners taken care of for the week. I added in frozen veggies to compliment some of the meals as well as frozen cauliflower rice. Leftovers can be used for lunch.
Pan Roasted Chicken & Root Vegetables -
I literally grabbed everything that looked good in the produce section of Whole Foods; rough chopped it and threw it in a baking dish with 4 chicken breasts. I used multicolored organic carrots, sweet potatoes (orange and purple), yellow onion, rudabega, and turnups. I drizzled WildTree European Dipping Oil over everything along with salt and pepper. I threw in some fresh organic rosemary and put it in the oven for about 50 minutes at 375. I then took the chicken breasts out to cut up and put the veggies back in the oven for a few more minutes. (I wanted to make sure everything was soft enough for Parker to eat).
Another way to complete this and have everything come out at the same time is to use a whole chicken instead of just chicken pieces.
Paleo Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs/breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
- 3 Tbs Coconut Oil
- Juice of 2 oranges
- Zest from 1 orange
- 1 tsp fresh ginger grated with microplane grater
- 3 Tbs coconut aminos or wheat-free soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sriracha (I’m a big fan so actually keep more on the side for myself).
- 3 green onions, chopped for topping
Method
Since I was preparing this ahead of time I simply put the chicken, juice, zest, ginger, aminos and sriracha in a ziplock bag and mixed it all up. Freeze until needed. When I was ready I allowed the bag to thaw in the fridge for 24 hours. Empty bag into a saute pan with the coconut oil and saute everything over medium high heat until cooked through - about 6 minutes. Top with sliced green onions and serve over cauliflower rice. (Either made from scratch if you’re Dr. Jade or from the freezer section if you’re Dr. Jordan).
Paleo Butternut Squash “Lasagna”
Ingredients
- 1 lb hot ground Italian sausage browned on stovetop
- 1 red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15 oz can pizza sauce (or 15oz homemade pizza sauce)
- 1/2 c roasted red peppers
- 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh Basil - I use A LOT!! I like my sauces to taste fresh
- 3 Bags butternut squash
Method
This utilizes my favorite cooking accessory - the Vitamix. Puree the pizza sauce, red pepper, olive oil, garlic and basil. Since I was preparing this ahead of time again I simply added the puree to a gallon ziplock bag along with the squash, diced onion and ground italian sausage. Mix it all up and freeze until needed. When ready allow to thaw for 24 hours in the fridge. Bake in an 11x14 baking dish at 400 degrees for 60 minutes. If the top starts to get brown before the squash is softened you can cover with a lid.
If you’re really looking to make this more “lasagna” like you can make your own “ricotta” utilizing our favorite Cashew Ricotta Recipe here. Once completed the ricotta can simply be swirled into the squash mix before baking. Your family will never know it’s dairy and gluten free!
Roasted Walnut & Bananna Overnite Oats
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe banana, mashed (about ½ cup)
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Toasted Walnuts for topping
Method
I use 4 8oz jars to hold this recipe. I divide the recipe by 4 and layer the ingredients as listed and mix with a spoon once all ingredients (except walnuts) are placed in jar. For instance: ⅛ cup banana then ¼ cup oats, then ¼ cup almond milk, then ¼ Tbs chia seeds, etc.
Top with toasted almonds and seal. Place in the fridge at least 4 hours, preferable overnight and then ENJOY!
Cinnamon Apple Sauce
Parker is a big fan of apples in any form. This is probably the easiest recipe of them all. Peel and cut 12 apples, add to a crockpot with ½ cup water, a sprinkle of cinnamon (depending on taste) and 1 Tbs of lemon juice. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours. We like ours slightly chunky so mix to your liking. I store this is mason jars of various sizes and it will last well in the fridge.
If you find that meal planning and cooking has been a challenge of late take a look at our recipe collections and meal plans at Salutogenic Life. If you’d like a consistent weekly plan delivered right to your in box you may want to join our Leasure Life Group. Registration opens 4 times per year and coordinates with our retreats. Stay tuned or shoot us a message for the next opening. We provide weekly meal plans, shopping lists and recipes. We also have a private facebook group full of challenges, education and support on eating, weight loss, cutting our sugar and even stress management.
