What's for Dinner & School Lunch Week of 1/5/2026
Happy New Year!
Honestly, I don't think I'm ready to get back into the school lunch/weekday dinner routine, but.... ready or not here we go!!
I would like to take a moment to remind everyone that the simple act of meal planning for the week not only makes your life significantly easier, but, (equally or maybe even more important?), significantly reduces your exposure to some of the most harmful chemicals that are found in prepackaged foods, processed foods, and eating out; phthalates ( nearly 35% higher levels for those regularly eating out), PFAS ( someone eating all 3 daily meals at home instead of eating restaurant/takeout food could have roughly ~11–15% lower PFAS levels in their blood. ), microplastics ( eating takeout food 1–2 times per week may add an extra ~170–638 microplastic particles into your diet from the packaging alone, independent of other microplastic sources in the food which can be substantially higher than at home) ALL reduced .
So, if you are new to my weekly meal planning, recipes, welcome! The simple act of cooking more at home, with the right tools ( here are my nontoxic kitchen essentials in case you need advice) is a great way to reduce your overall burden.
As always, these recipes are mostly gluten-free ( 2 of us are gluten-free at home, if any changes have to be made to make the recipe gluten-free, I do specify in the recipe.) and designed for two adults and three kids ages 15,12 and 4.
Scroll down and you will find what I send for lunch for 2/3 kids. School lunch is yet another source of harmful chemicals for most kids so, while it can be a pain to prep lunch in the morning, it is an important way to reduce overall toxic burden in kiddos, especially the youngest ones! I often send leftovers to make my life easier.
What’s for Dinner this week
Monday: Turkey Gyro Bowl
I am going to use ground turkey instead of red meat this week and I might source tzatziki sauce from the farmers market to simplify this recipe.
Tuesday: Chicken Stroganoff
Fun fact: my Brazilian husband jokes that this is a Brazilian recipe because of how often it is eaten in Brazil. we actually don't cook this that often here, and in this case, I will serve it with quinoa or greens instead of noodles.
This is an incredibly tasty and super child friendly recipe ( if you have a picky eater, you might want to skip the furikake). The key is to organize yourself and marinade the chicken either overnight or the morning of for best taste
Thursday: Apple Butternut Squash Soup
My kids used to love soups, and this was their favorite soup because it has a hint of sweetness thanks to the apples. They're not the biggest soup fans anymore, so I will have to serve this with something on the side. I'm thinking a grilled cheese sandwhich with some yummy sourdough bread from the farmers market
Friday: Brazilian Moqueca
I used to make this recipe all the time when I ate fish routinely. Sadly, nowadays, I don't eat as much fish because of how polluted they are.... but, as you guys know, balance is key so every so often ( usually when I eat out) I will order a fish plate. All of this to say that this week we're having some fish and this is a really easy, quick and super tasty recipe that I first ate when I traveled to Brazil with my husband over 20 years ago.
SCHOOL LUNCh
Venezuelan arepa with avocado and cheese: I never ever wake up early to make a bus for the kids ( Usually make this for dinner or for a weekend) But I'm feeling nostalgic this week for the country where I grew up and so promised them a bus for the first day back to school.
Leftover gyro on a pita for my preschooler and on greens for my gluten free 12 year old
Quinoa with corn, edamame and roasted coliflower from night before ( skip the canned corn and use frozen organic corn and edamame. I will make the quinoa the night before to make the morning simpler)
Homemade sushi with strips of miso chicken and avocado. Its actually really easy to Make sushi at home: make fresh sushi rice in the morning and roll with a large seaweed nori wraps
bagel pizza