Quick + Easy Meal Plan
Is it a meal plan or a diet?
Having a meal plan feels like a safety net to fall into at the end of the day. Creating a gentle structure for eating is the first step of moving away from a lifetime of dieting. But isn’t meal planning and meal prep something that dieters do? What's the difference between a diet and a meal plan? Both might involve scanning recipe books and internet cooking blogs. Both can help to guide grocery shopping and food prep.
The difference is the motivation that drives the action.
The motivation behind a diet is usually to restrict energy intake or avoiding certain nutrients/food groups for "health". Diets come with labels of "good" and "bad" food, "right" and "wrong" choices. Diets are motivated by wanting to change the outer appearance, shape, weight, size of a body, or internal function. Often “going on a diet” is the first thing a person tries when they are told to “get healthier.” Medical providers instinctively urge us to “take something away” and “cut back” from our eating pattern and food choices in an attempt to promote health and wellness. The motivation behind dieting might also be to fit in with a peer group or gain power.
The motivation behind a meal plan is multi-faceted. Taking a moment to jot down some ideas for upcoming meals can be the key to staying within a budget, supporting time management, ensuring variety, giving options, and providing enough energy to keep us adequately nourished. Meal Plans are motivated by wanting to feel organized, prepared, supported, and satisfied. Independent of body weight/shape and drive to “improve health”.
Learning new ways to think about meal planning is one way to untangle from the tight knot of the dieting mindset.
This week: My family is getting ready to start back to school. Online. That's four students. Four chrome books. Four grades (20+ teachers). One Mom. I have a hunch I won't have much energy left at the end of the day for meal prep. This week, I'm going for EASY and QUICK:
Sheet Pan Gnocchi and Vegetables. This is my favorite recipe. I also like this one with chunks of feta (it roasts beautifully) and I add gnocchi to it as well.
Dip for Dinner. Maybe it's because I grew up in the midwest, but I sure do love cheddar dip with sliced baguette, apples, and pickles. I bought a broccoli slaw at my grocery store's deli counter that I think would go well with this meal. Add dip for dessert: Nutella with fresh fruit and vanilla wafers.
Brats with Onions + Peppers. Bring the best of your favorite food truck into your home. This recipe uses a pressure cooker, but I've made it on a sheet pan, the grill, and in a regular slow cooker. I skip the chopping and tears and use pre-cut, frozen onions and bell peppers. Save yourself the extra step. You deserve a break. Peaches (canned or fresh), coleslaw, and corn on the cob could round this meal out. But I think the brat + veg + bun can stand alone.
Skillet Meal. I've been making this meal for at least a decade. I like it because the cooked pasta is added in the final step which means a portion can be set aside for anyone who prefers their pasta plain (there's usually one in each family). My son likes most of the ingredients of this meal, but not mixed together. So as I'm chopping and prepping, I set some aside each ingredient on his divided plate. It works for our family.
Rotisserie Chicken. We serve ours with macaroni and cheese, apple sauce, and corn. Because YELLOW. Of course, maybe you eat what you eat because of a different aesthetic. If I was on my own, facing a rotisserie chicken and my choice of side dishes, you'd see roasted artichokes and this couscous salad.
Scrambled Eggs. Served with toast and jam. It's that easy. If you are feeling a little more adventurous try this crustless quiche. Serve with a simple green salad and store-bought (or homemade) blueberry muffins.
Tomatoes. I grew up on a tomato farm, so I could eat a plate of sliced tomatoes for dinner on hot summer evenings and call it good. And sometimes, I do. My kids eat something different those nights because they grew up with a mother who never caught on to the growing seasons of the US southwest. Here is a gem of a Panzanella Salad that begs for the best and ripest tomatoes. This is another recipe that could be deconstructed and eaten in parts: Tomatoes. Bread. Cheese. Corn. Peaches. Chickpeas. Standing on their own, not touching.
These are fine ideas AND we may just end up eating PB+J sandwiches because those are quick, easy, and delicious. Or, getting take out. Don't forget take out.
What gets you fed when the very last thing you want to do is step foot in the kitchen? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear your ideas.