Happy New Year!
It sort of feels like a never ending weekend lately, right?! {Ha}. If you are hitting the reset button and taking a pause from sugar and carbs this month join the club! After two months of living it up and enjoying #allthethings, it just feels right to simmer down a bit and get back to neutral. In case you are looking for healthy meal time inspiration that your whole family will love, I’ve included a few of my favorite recipes to get you started. Flavorful, simple, clean and perfect for nourishing yourself + your family!
Regardless of what you eat, I believe the most important health benefit you can incorporate this year is to actively sit down and slowly savor your meals. You can be sipping bone broth + smoothies and eating veggies all week, but if you are chugging them down mindlessly at your desk, or in your car, you are missing out on some major health benefits and overall enjoyment!!!! Curious about how mindfulness improves digestion? READ THIS research based article!
As someone who LOVES food, I really look forward to sitting down at meal time. Especially dinner at the table with my family!! If you are thinking of making Family Dinner more of a priority this year, read this post. It’s real life tactics I’ve used to Champion Family Dinner in our home!
Let’s Start With Breakfast!
I really don’t have a hard and fast rule of what I eat or serve for breakfast. I try to listen to my body and switch it up. Sometimes we want a light and nutrient dense smoothie, other times a more hearty nourishing egg dish or warming hot porridge. All of these recipes are super simple to make ahead/meal prep and have on hand for busy mornings!!
Lean and Green Smoothie by Kelly Leveque
Sip Sip Hooray!! I read Body Love a few years ago, and it was the biggest smoothie game changer of my life! I use her #fabfour method for EVERY SINGLE SMOOTHIE I make! Whether you use a recipe or not, you can easily apply the Fab 4 method. The Fab Four is basically a compilation of fiber, fat, protein and greens. When you apply the smoothie formula, it looks like this… a scoop of protein (high quality protein, pea protein, collagen), 2 tablespoons of fat (avocado, coconut butter, nut butter), 2 tablespoons of fiber (flax, chia, hemp seeds, avocado), and a handful of greens. She also recommends limiting fruit to a quarter of a cup, to minimize a blood sugar spike. I love how the “formula” is totally interchangeable based on your palette and what is in season {or in your freezer}!
Here are some amazing Fab Four Smoothie ideas that will appeal to even the most discerning palette! If your kids aren’t in to eating their veggies, try seeing how they feel about slurping them up in a smoothie.
Here are a few smoothie recipes the kids and I have come up with over the past couple of years.
*** Mom Hack--Pre make smoothie packs so all you have to do is blend in the AM!! Combine your ingredients in a ziplock or mason jar and freeze overnight! In the AM simply add your liquid and your protein or collagen powder! Viola!
Egg and Veggie Muffins are another easy/make ahead breakfast! Make them on Sunday and warm them up in the toaster oven or microwave for early mornings!! I love this Healthy Egg & Veggie Breakfast Muffin recipe by Vital Farms. Red bell peppers are a favorite veggie among the kids so that’s always an easy sell, and spinach has such a subtle flavor. {I usually skip the mushrooms!} This recipe by Vital Farms is so versatile, so swap out veggies as you see fit! ***Cauliflower is a great, nutritious, anti green veggie option your kids are sure to miss!!!
For more Kid & Family Friendly breakfast ideas, read this post!
Let’s Lunch!
Lunch is usually a compilation of left overs, grain bowls, salads or soups. All of these options are easy to make ahead and have on hand!
Sometimes I opt for a Fab Four Smoothie mid afternoon if I had a larger breakfast!!
It’s all about eating intuitively y’all! There are no hard and fast rules about what you should eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner! In fact, no one says you need to have three meals if you simply aren’t hungry for three meals! You are your own best guide! Listen to your belly! Just be sure you have healthy options at the ready!
Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Soup by Elissa Goodman
Super delicious, plant based and so easy to make on a Sunday afternoon and store for a nourishing lunch on the go! Simply reheat and store in your thermos!
I also love to batch cook this bright and herby Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup by GOOP! The kids love this modern day take on the classic chicken noodle soup–sans the herbs! Perfect for storing in the fridge or the freezer and great for flu season!
One of my favorite lunches is my Kale Salad . I make it Sunday or Monday and store it for the week. Thanks to the fiber rich lentils, and healthy fat it’s NOT one of those salads that leave you hungry minutes later! It’s yummy, flavorful and the kale leaves will last about 3 days without wilting!
Grain bowls are another super easy lunch to make. Bowls can be comprised of left overs, easily customized for your family members, while still creating a satisfying meal!!! For an on the go lunch you can layer them in a mason jar or serve them up in large bowls at home.
I love Mind Body Green’s Grain Bowl Formula
- Base (quinoa and/or greens)
- Protein (egg, steak, chicken, fish, shrimp) + Healthy Fat (Avocado, Tahini, Olives, Oil)
- Vegetables and/or fruits
- Toppings (herbs, nuts/seeds, dressings)
Balsamic Chicken Salad Grain Bowl by Cafe Delites
Winner Winner Family Dinners
If you have lasagna lovers in the house, but you also want to skip dairy and grains, you have to try this Lasagna by Primal Palate!!! I’ve been making it for years and even those who aren’t watching their gluten and dairy LOVE it! My lasagna loving husband has even started making it. It’s so light and doesn’t leave you needing an immediate nap like the real deal Italian dish.
Super Easy One-Pan Lasagna by Primal Palate
Paleo Marinated Flank Steak by Paleo Running Mama
Super easy, and the date sweetener is genius!! I love how this dish pairs with broccoli. This Honey Oven Roasted Broccoli Recipe is my go-to!
Chimichurri Cauliflower Steaks
These “steaks” coupled with quinoa, avocado and micro greens is my idea of a super yummy #plantbased dinner. For the kids + the hubs that would NOT qualify as “dinner” so I serve them with this super easy shredded chicken mixed with white rice! I skip the parsley for the kids and serve myself a double parsley portion!
5 Minute Broiled Salmon by Camille Styles
You had me at five minute salmon!! Salmon is a BIG winner in our home, so I’m always looking for healthy and quick ways to whip up our fav pescatarian dish.
If you have a bit more time (20 min), I also love to slow roast salmon. This one by GOOP is my favorite recipe.
Vegetable Drawer Frittata by Camille Styles
This recipe speaks my love language!! Wasting precious veggies is one of my top pet peeves so anytime I find family friendly recipes that are useful in cleaning out the fridge I pin for dear life!!! Are you with me? I skip the cheese and basically use any veggie I have on hand. Sweet Potatoes, broccoli, spinach, arugula, onions and herbs are repeat offenders!
***Stir Fry and taco night are also useful ways to clear out your veggie drawer!!!
Speaking of Tacos! This Paleo Shrimp Taco Recipe by Nom Nom Paleo is another Hit! My kids will partake in eating exactly TWO varieties of lettuce. 1. Romaine and 2. Butter leaf. They can get behind the crunchy, slightly sweet flavor which makes me OH SO Happy!! If lettuce wraps aren’t a winner in your home {they aren’t always winning here!} they go with Siete Grain Free Taco Shells! Nothing Better!!
I hope these recipes give you some inspiration to create your own menu this month! One that makes you feel fabulous and you find easy to maintain ALL YEAR ROUND! Not just January! As you learn how to create meals that combine healthy combinations of greens, protein, fiber and fat you won’t necessarily need to rely on meal plans or guides. You will start to notice what foods your body thrives eating and what foods aren’t tolerated as well!
