I know I am not the only one who gets writer’s block while meal planning.  It can be difficult to come up with nutritious real foods that are quick and simple, delicious, budget-friendly, and meet everyone’s developmental needs (i.e. kid-friendly).  And, once we do find our clean eating groove, we can sometimes find ourselves stuck in “repeat” mode.

I wanted to share what our family ate last week with you, not to give you meal plans, recipes, or some magical answer to follow, but rather to show what everyday eating looks like for one mama who just wants her family to be healthy.  Hopefully our dining chronicles will toss a burst of inspiration and pop of flavor your way that will send you to your own fridge with fresh imagination.  Maybe you will want to copy what I’ve done, or maybe my food will just remind you of certain basic ingredients you already have and forgot about.

Our Dietary Restrictions:

Please keep in mind that our family may have different eating habits than yours, and that is ok!  We are a very low-grains family, try hard to avoid processed foods & refined sugars, and we do the organic thing when available and affordable.  Neither of our girls eat wheat or gluten yet, and Darla has not yet been introduced to grains (you can read more about babies and grains here and the schedule of first foods that we follow here).  Since we do a lot of pre-chewing and baby led weaning, baby Darla can handle almost everything we eat regardless of texture or size.

Let the Show Begin; Here’s What We Ate Last Week!

MONDAY

B: Veggie Omelets cooked in coconut oil (pastured eggs, bell pepper, onions, kale, mozzarella) – Darla had scrambled egg yolk & some of the veggies

S: Bananas & celery sticks
L: Natural Deli Chicken sandwiched between fresh pineapple slices & topped with fresh basil; Bell peppers topped with cucumber salad (chopped cucumber, cherry tomato, & feta) – all ingredients apart from salad were pan-seared on our cast iron griddle, and be sure to check out my post on non-stick pans if you are still using one of those!

 
S: Grass-fed beef sausages & NSA raisins (we took them into a baseball game)

D: Turkey and Leek patties; homemade pickled carrots and green beans; sliced plantains fried in coconut oil 

TUESDAY

B: Hard-boiled eggs topped with fresh mango salsa (mango, avocado, cherry tomatoes); Cucumber Melon Salad (chopped cucumbers and honeydew melon drizzled with a couple drops of grade B maple syrup mixed into plain yogurt).

S: Grapes and Blueberries

L: Natural Deli Chicken; Cucumbers and hummus; Fresh Pineapple
S: Brown Rice Cakes topped with peanut butter – Darla had bananas and peanut butter as she is not yet eating grains
D: Balsamic Chicken (chicken, bell peppers, red onion, and balsamic vinegar); Broccoli & Feta

WEDNESDAY

B: Mango Oatmeal (GF oats that I pre-soaked overnight and cooked with homemade coconut milk and frozen mango) – Darla just had mango and yogurt

S: Celery sticks & Peanut Butter
L: Chicken Salad (shredded chicken, plain yogurt, NSA raisins, leeks)

S: Watermelon Smoothies (watermelon, lime, ice, raw coconut water)
D: Bison Taco Salad (power greens, ground bison cooked in homemade taco seasonings, plain yogurt, mozzarella, red onions, left-over mango/avocado salsa)

THURSDAY

B: Green Smoothies (power greens, frozen mango, raw coconut water); pastured eggs

S: Apple slices & peanut butter
L: Left-over Chicken Salad; left-over mango/avocado salsa; strawberries
S: Honeydew melon & strawberries
D: Veggie Stir Fry (zucchini, leek, red onion, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, kale) topped with feta and served over sweet potatoes

S: Popcorn made on stovetop (read about why we don’t use a microwave here) using non-gmo kernels and coconut oil – The girls were already in bed.  This was just for Mama Bear & Papa Bear!

F R I D A Y

B: Almond Flour Pancakes (almond flour, pastured eggs, homemade coconut milk) served with yogurt, berries, NSA jam from Trader Joe’s, and a spoonful of raw honey for those that are of age!

S: Clementines (we took with us to beach)
L: Sweet Potatoes; spinach sauteed in coconut oil; cucumber slices; cantaloupe; Ready Pak Bistro salad; raw coconut water (we took with us to beach)
S: Rice cakes and Hummus (we took with us to beach) – Darla just snacked on left overs from lunch since she doesn’t eat grains yet

 
D:  We ate at someone else’s house: Unseasoned shredded chicken and beef, yummy toppings and corn tortillas to make tacos!!  Yum.

What did you eat last week?  Tell me in the comments below!

This post was shared at Teach Me Tuesdays.