Weekly Meal Plan 10/2/23 – 10/8/23

Notes from this week’s meal plan:

Power greens and potato breakfast casserole

• Costco sells a large bag of power greens (a mix of baby spinach, baby red and green chards, and baby kale) and it’s my favorite item to use in this recipe.
• The bake time depends on how thick your casserole is.  So, the smaller your skillet, the thicker the casserole and the longer the bake time.  This recipe is with a 6″ skillet in this recipe. You could use a square baking dish or a casserole dish.
• Power greens (baby spinach, baby red and green chards, and baby kale) are used in this recipe, but feel free to use only spinach, or kale, or chards, or any combination of them.
• Browning the butter is an important step  because it adds a touch of extra flavor.
• You can use frozen hash browns in place of fresh potato if that’s what you have on hand, shredded a potato is not always fun or quick.
• If you choose to use fresh potato, use it quickly, otherwise the potatoes will oxidize and turn brownish, but they will still taste good!
• If you want to be extra fancy, use Cotija cheese in place of Parmesan (or in addition to)

Whole wheat honey oat flax bread

• A great recipe for breastfeeding Mom’s because of the flax and oat
• Before baking the bread, try brushing butter on top (or spray with cooking spray) and sprinkle some oats on top
• You can use Active Yeast or Quick Rise Yeast, 1 packet = 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Air Fryer falafel bowls

• Great as a dinner or even an appetizer/snack for a party or a lunch!
• These falafels can be modified to practically any diet or preference – if you are gluten free, use gluten free flour and use gluten free pita, if you like things spicier, add a pinch of cayenne etc.
• If serving hungry adults, as a meal, double the falafel ingredients.  The recipe makes about 2-3 falafel per serving, the entire recipe makes 8-12 falafels (depending on the size you roll them), there have been times when I have eaten 4 falafels myself because they’re so good.

Mexican chicken and quinoa bowls

• A great, gluten-free dinner
• Prep the recipe components ahead of time and simply assemble the bowl when you’re ready to enjoy
• For more flavor, you can cook your quinoa in chicken stock or 1 tsp. Better than Bullion instead of water.

Banana pancakes

• Only 3 ingredients
• A great recipe to use when you have bananas that are about to go bad
• Recipe from the Cooking That Counts cookbook (one of my faves)
• Make-ahead and freeze for a easy breakfast
• The recipe includes plenty of fun topping options

Minestrone soup with parmesan croutons

• The recipe ingredients are super flexible, based on what is in-season, what type of beans you prefer and even which starch is your favorite.

Vanilla scones with orange glaze

• This recipe is a mixture of two of my favorite baked treats – the petite vanilla scones that are oh so yummy from Starbucks and the orange scones from Panera.
• You can substitute the orange glaze with lemon if you prefer
• Make these scones ahead, freeze and thaw for a prepped ahead breakfast recipe

Chocolate hazelnut date energy bites

• Only 3 ingredients
• These energy bites definitely have a hint of Nutella taste to them, with no actually Nutella used.
• Use a good food processor. I use this food processor, it really makes a difference texturally
• Process the nuts first, then add in the dates and other ingredients, this will keep you from having uneven chunks of nuts
• Use a cookie scoop to make even size balls, then roll with hands
• Fun little cupcake liners make the energy bites super enjoyable (we eat with our eyes too, right? And how cute are these?)
• Let your energy balls refrigerate for an hour or over night (and store in the fridge) this will allow them to harden and come together.

One-Pot Creamy Gnocchi with Chicken and Leeks