menu plan: April 1-6

Good morning and happy Easter weekend! It has been well over a month since I last shared our family menu plan for the week. We went through a period of time where we were using ingredients that we had on hand to plan our meals and it was so nice to clean out the pantry and the freezer. We would refer to it as living off the land and we had some delicious meals in March because of it. Lately though, I have found myself in a food rut. I find myself eating and buying so many of the same things and I have found that the best way to get out of a food rut is to cook all brand new recipes.

So, that is the plan this week. No repeat recipes. All fresh, new and delicious sounding. What do you do when you feel like you are in a food rut? I know that some people thrive and love to eat the same thing over and over. They find comfort in those foods that they know how to prepare and enjoy eating. We certainly love specific meals, smoothies and salads- but I need variety on my plate and to get out of my comfort zone making new dishes each week.

I hope that you all love the menu below. I had asked on Instagram last week what you all wanted to see more of and so many said that they missed my weekly menu posts. I think I got out of that routine when the meals I was preparing each week felt very similar to the week prior. Will absolutely try to post this more often and you all can reach out at any time to ask for ideas or questions on meals. I will always be available to help in any way that I can.

Sunday:

For Easter Sunday we are going to do a brunch/lunch at Michael’s parents house. The menu is still TBD but I was thinking about making a really pretty salad with fruit, nuts, coconut and some lightly poached Mayport shrimp. While the menu is up in the air, that meal is so much more about all being together after we go to church. We are going to hide some eggs for the kids to find and take the dogs over, too. It will be a great afternoon of family time.

Monday:

Michael and I have never tried Pho- a Vietnamese noodle dish. While we have some restaurants right down the road that we can grab take-out pho from, I want to try to make it myself. I found this incredible looking Vegetarian Pho recipe from The Kitchn and decided to give it a try. The photo made my mouth water and can’t wait to give this a shot! (photo: The Kitchn)

Tuesday:

My sister gifted me the wonderful Skinnytaste: Fast and Slow cookbook and we are going to be making the Slow Cooker Chana Masala recipe. I love the ginger, chile peppers, cumin and turmeric flavors that she has in the recipe and anything slow cooker just makes me so happy! This is a really great cookbook for anyone that likes great meals that are quick and easy to pull together.

Wednesday:

Minimalist Baker is one of my favorite recipe developers of all time. Her food is absolutely delicious and her photography of the dishes has me craving every single recipe! This 30-minute Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry looks so full of flavor and pretty easy to prepare. I found that as I was preparing our menu this week I was leaning towards a lot of big, bold flavors. Can’t wait to make this one! (photo: Minimalist Baker)

Thursday:

When I looked at the calendar for the week, I saw that Thursday is a VERY busy day. Minimal breaks and pretty much back-to-back meetings. When I have day’s that look like that I crave comfort foods. Insert Gimme Some Oven: Mushroom Stroganoff . This recipe looks like a big hug for your belly. I am going to make a small massaged kale salad with a nice, acidic lemon vinaigrette to compliment this dish and know that this will be a family hit! (photo: Gimme Some Oven)

Friday:

At the end of the week it is fun to not follow a recipe and just cook by feel and what sounds good. Right now the plan is to make a coconut lime rice bowl with sliced avocado, watermelon radish, blackened shrimp, cilantro and fresh lime juice. That may change with all the leftovers we have on hand, but when we planned this week that just sounded so wonderful.

Well, there you have it! All the meals that we will be eating this week for dinner. My hope is that this helps to inspire your meals and may make your weekly planning just a little bit easier. As always, I will be sharing our weekly eats over on my instagram and will answer any questions you have about this if you need me to. This week is all about having fun and playing in the kitchen.

Wishing you a wonderful Easter weekend with your family and friends.

xx