This by far is one of the most popular posts I have every season! I guess we are all in the "what's for dinner mama" dilemma! Meal planning is one of my favorite ways to unwind, gosh that sounds ridiculous but every grocery order day I sit and look through my cook books, Pinterest boards and quickly look through to plan out meals. And it also takes away a huge part of the stress of the evenings, especially on days we have a bunch of activities or appointments.
I pick at least one or two Instant Pot meals for busy days (plus it's easy to double up a soup or chili for leftover nights). I usually make a batch of white rice or quinoa and some type of pasta ( lately we have been loving brown rice pasta) making these ahead of time make it easy to whip up lunches or round out a dinner. Another thing I like to do is roast a bunch of veggies and white sweet potatoes for lunches and quick side dishes (our oven is still broken and I miss doing this!).
1. I made something similar to this chick pea dish in my Instant Pot, I used coconut brown sugar & blended up spinach, a small onion, a red pepper, cilantro, ginger and coconut milk (I felt like we needed a little oomph on this sick day)..
2. I find any chili full of veggies is a good filling and healthy winter meal, again if you have kids that may be fussy about veggies in here just blend them all
( I blended up the garlic, onion, cauliflower, bell peppers and spinach with balsamic vinegar, worcestershire sauce and olive oil; and sautéed it with the beans before adding the beef). Then tossed in peas and carrots which the girls eat cooked (they usually prefer veggies raw).
3. I'm going to make a version of this white beans roasted broccoli dish but may pickle the broccoli first and serve over brown rice pasta.
4. Maple Roasted Veggies with some chicken sausage is probably one of my favorites this time of year. Soak them in ice cold water for 15 minutes before roasting and you will get the perfect crisp.
5. I have made a version of this with platano maduros (instead of mashed potatoes) I suggest playing with herbs and seasoning you know your family will love! This freezes well, reheats easily and serve with a salad or a crudités platter (like I do almost every night) and you have a great week night meal.
6. Instant Pot Ramen Bowls, this is on the menu this week (just need to order some veggies to load them up with) and is a great alternative to pasta night, plus the girls love anything they can "make themselves".
7. Enchiladas with homemade sauce, and some Bonberi Cilantro Rise. YES PLEASE.
8. Sancocho , going to attempt this next week with my mama on the phone of course but this Dominican stew is soon good!
9. Taco Tuesday on a cold winter day should be Tortilla Soup Tuesday.
10. Will be trying this crockpot lasagna next week, since it's O's fav meal and he has promised to paint our bedroom this weekend. lol
11. Look at this skillet pot pie, holy moly it looks like the perfect frigid temps food.
12. And this IP pasta with beef rage, OMG. Think me and the girls need to make some pasta at home soon!
Happy winter meal planning my lovelies!
xoxo
Natalie
You can also follow my What's For Dinner Board \for more inspiration.
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