On the menu this week:
- Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Breast with a Touch of Lemon
Slow-Cooker Beef & Sweet Potato Stew- Greek Style Chicken Paillard
- Mac & Cheese with Broccoli & Bacon
- Mom's Meatloaf
As I was doing my grocery list last week, I decided to nix the slow-cooker recipe. We had just had stew (a different recipe) and I never got around to making the sheet-pan fajitas. That's on the menu for tonight.
I haven't made the baked honey mustard chicken yet, so as with every week, it seems that I don't exactly make what's planned on a specific night. I may rethink how my calendar looks over the next couple months but overall, the meal planning is still working for me and my family. The themes help me make the weekly menu interesting and ensure there's enough variety. Actually writing "leftovers" on my calendar takes some pressure off. Sticking to the actual daily menu has been challenging for different reasons. I'll tinker around and see what I come up with.
I did meal prep yesterday evening, which is later than I had planned. The little one had a short nap (which made for a cranky little girl later in the day) and it was such a nice day that we took her to the park. There went my usual allotted time for meal prep. I still need to meal prep the mac & cheese and meatloaf, but I figure I can do that tonight, Tuesday night or even Wednesday night. Not my preference, but I can make it work. It's better than the alternative of no meal prep - I've learned the hard way.
I'm excited to try the chicken recipes, especially since chicken is about the only type of meat Sami will eat. The mac & cheese I've made before (I may have veered off the original recipe) and I've made my mom's meatloaf too. Both are worth being in some type of rotation in my selection of recipes when meal planning.
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My picky eater is still a picky eater. She continues to do well with breakfast. I have different types of chicken recipes I can make that she'll eat for dinner, along with occasional other dishes like mac & cheese (not always a winner), grilled cheese, peanut butter sandwich and fish sticks with applesauce. I'm still struggling to get her to try veggies or really anything I make that doesn't involve chicken. I put whatever I make or leftovers on her plate almost every night, but she doesn't touch it. She just points and says "that" with a look that says "Mother, what are you trying to poison me with now?".
Lunch is even more of a struggle. She has pasta at least 3 times a week (the can of Annie's organic pasta makes 3 servings). I don't want to give her chicken for lunch and dinner - that's tempting fate that she'll get sick of chicken and start refusing it altogether. Sandwiches are hit and miss. She'll usually eat the bread, and cheese slice if there's any, but doesn't take to lunch meats. I can't do peanut butter because she goes to daycare. It leaves me feeling so limited. I'm left with - I could pack her something in the hopes that she'll eat it... but what if she doesn't? Then she has no lunch. It's a catch 22.
However, I have found that she's more likely to eat the sandwich (or bread and cheese) if it's in a fun shape. I invested in some heart shaped, star shaped and other various shaped small cookie cutters. As far as I can tell, it works. I need to keep at it and use them strategically to get Sami to try more fruits and vegetables.
I've also added to my collection as special occasions roll around. My "cookie cutters" for Halloween and Fall are actually crust cutters (for pie), but they worked relatively well on bread.
The cookie cutter trick is one that I need to keep using, I just need to find clever ways to use them for veggies... stay tuned!
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