5. Organize, Organize, Organize
Mission Organization. While it won’t work for everyone I have a 3-ring binder that is broken down with good old tabbed dividers. My tabs are Weekly Meals, Grocery Shopping, Dinner, Lunch, Breakfast, and Snacks. Under the Dinner, Lunch, Breakfast & Snack tabs I have printed out recipes that fall into each category and will move them to the Weekly Meal tab so I know what I’m cooking that week. Once I’ve picked the desired meals, I’ll go to the Grocery tab and create a list to make sure I’m not forgetting anything. By moving the recipes each week, I also end up creating more variety for myself. After each week is over I put that week’s recipes in the back of their section so I don’t make the same meal too often.
And in case you still don’t know how to get started, here are 3 of my favorite quick meals that I make on Sundays to get me through the week.
Breakfast: Egg Muffins
12 eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
Omelet filling of choice (if you use meat make sure it’s cooked before adding it to egg mix)
*Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk together with salt & pepper as if you’re making scrambled eggs. I add a little water because it makes them fluffier. Some people add milk.
*Spray a large muffin tin with non-stick spray and fill them approximately ½ to ¾ of the way with egg mix. I usually get 8 – 10 muffins out of one batch. If I’m putting a lot of filling in them I get more muffins because I leave space for the good stuff.
*Evenly distribute omelet fillings in each tin. Use a fork to push the toppings into the eggs so they aren’t just sitting on top of the egg but actually cook into the mix.
*Bake at 350 for 10-15 min. You should be able to stick a knife into the muffin and come out clean when they are done.
*Let cool and put in Tupperware or baggies in the fridge to be re-heated for on the go breakfast as needed. You can freeze them if you make a very large batch, just let them thaw the night before you intend to reheat. Microwave them until they are hot, 30-45 seconds.
*If you need more than just one muffin for breakfast you can cut it in half and pop it on a bagel or English muffin for a good little egg sandwich.
Lunch: Avocado Chicken Wraps
1 lb chicken breast
1 avocado
Wheat wraps
Shredded cheese
Juice from 1 lime
Salt & Pepper to taste
*Boil, drain and shred chicken.
*Add avocado, lime juice and salt & pepper to the chicken and mix well. If you are using a kitchen mixed to combine everything you’re avocado will become more of a sauce. If you mix by hand you’ll have chunks of avocado. Either is fine, it’s what works for you.
*Lay out one wrap, add 1/3 cup of cheese, 1 spoon of chicken mix, roll and wrap like you would a burrito. I can usually get 5-8 wraps out of one batch depending on how much chicken mix I put in each one and the size of the wraps I am using.
*Refrigerate wraps until you’re ready to eat them. My husband likes his cold with ranch to dip them in. I prefer mine heated up with a little BBQ sauce. It’s an easy to-go lunch that everyone in my office asks for when they know I’m cooking.
*Because of the avocado in them these are only good for 4-5 days. The avocado will turn brown after that. But that’s a week of lunches cooked up in no time!
Dinner: Crockpot Pesto Ranch Chicken
1 lb boneless chicken breast
1 small jar of pesto
1 packet of Ranch dressing mix (make sure it’s dressing, not dip mix)
½ carton of chicken stock
*Put chicken into crockpot
*Cover chicken with pesto, sprinkle with Ranch mix, and pour chicken stock over the whole mess. I use a fork to stir up the dressing so it’s not clumps.
*If you use frozen chicken cook on low 6-7 hours. If you use thawed chicken cook on low 4-5 hours. No matter which way you go you’ll know it’s done when you can shred the chicken with a fork.
*Serve on top of rice, pasta, just on a plate with steamed veggies on the side. Once you shred the chicken this will make 4 good sized portions. The pesto/ranch/stock sauce is great on top of pasta but I’ve also used 5 min cous cous and it’s just as good on that as well.
*This will last in the fridge for 5 days. Just pop it into the microwave, cook for 1 min, stir and cook 1 more min then you have a quick dinner that doesn’t come from a drive thru!
