This is the first “normal” week of the school year for us- no holidays, no kids starting school, our back to school nights are done so we are officially in our “normal” Fall schedule. With 3 kids its still quite busy with after school activities and evening sports practices, and this is exactly why having a dinner plan set out is so helpful. There is no staring blankly at the fridge at 5pm wondering what in the world you are going to cook for dinner and deciding to order instead….. this is why I make this list on Sundays! Honestly it has been life changing… I hope it is helpful for you and your family too!
As a reminder, I publish easy, mostly gluten-free weeknight dinner menus on Sunday so that I know exactly what ingredients to buy and exactly what I’m cooking every night, which makes my weeknights so much easier. I also usually post school lunch menus for the week. Beyond making weekdays easier, the idea is that the more we eat and cook at home, the lower our exposure level too many harmful, environmental toxins; particularly hormone disrupting phthalates and PFAS chemicals (eating processed foods and eating out are our main sources of phthalate exposure!)
Per popular request, I included some lower tox alternatives to items that I will use in this week meal making at the end!
DINNER
Monday: lentil soup ( I dont really use a recipe but this one I am sharing is similar to what I do)
I love lentil soup. I also love how it comes together like in 20 min. I also love that it’s great for school lunch the next day .
I am going to serve them with tostones- tostones are traditionally twice-fried green plantains that are a key component in most Cuban traditional meals... this recipe ( full disclosure: i have never made this particular recipe) skips the frying and instead air fries... (my air fryer and tostonera in the shop section below)
Most recipes use taco seasoning, I skip that and just add garlic powder, onion power and some cumin. Kids like these bowls because they can kind of personalize and decide what toppings they want!
Wednesday:
Italian baked chicken with potatoes, red onions, olives and rosemary
“ you aren’t really cooking you’re just putting things together” but you’re putting things together that taste really good ; tasty with minimal work and cleanup.
Def make extra for lunch the next day ! Will serve this with broccoli, mushrooms ( cooked with garlic and olive oil) and air fried cauliflower
Friday: pasta!
If you have been here for a bit, you know that I like to keep Friday really simple with pasta. This week I am buing tons of tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market so if we dont eat them all during the week will use the ones that make it to the end of the week to make fresh tomato sauce with garlic and olive oil (so good).
tostonera (we rarely make tostones so this basic one works fine for that one time a year they are made in my home…you can also press them with a heavy glass cup and a layer of parchment)
School Lunch
We use bento style school lunch containers for my preschooler and larger containers made out of stainless steel for my Seventh grader. For the preschooler, items I usually send her with include: berries, tomatoes, cucumbers, kiwi, grapes, carrots and hummus, edamame, organic corn, green bean ( with some butter)... These are usually snack foods that we find travel well.
MONDAY: chicken quesadillas
TUESDAY: lentils
WEDNESDAY: pasta “ salad” with halved grape tomatoes and mozzarella cubes
THURSDAY: bento grazing lunch: carrots and hummus, turkey slices, rice crackers, cucumbers and tomatoes
