Weeknight Menu Plan #1
I am so excited to introduce this series. The goal behind creating Poppy was simple: Make mom's lives easier and help moms (like me!) to look and feel more like themselves.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about what else I can share with you, beyond the Poppy bag, that will deliver on those goals. And weeknight menu planning is one of them!
Let's be clear–I am not a chef. I am not a nutritionist. None of these recipes are my own, even though most do have some notes on tweaks I've made to improve them. I am just a mom who has curated a large spreadsheet of tried and true, fairly simple and quick, weeknight meals. I'm sharing a list of dinners that my husband, 4-year-old, and 1.5-year-old and I will eat this week in the hopes it makes your week a little easier.
Burger Night
I make burgers with 1lb of beef and 1lb of turkey, seasoned, and with all the toppings my family likes.
I roast cubed sweet potatoes doused in olive oil and seasoning, cooked at 425 degrees for about 30 min.
I roast cauliflower the same way, on a separate pan, but at the same temp and amount of time as the potatoes. Tip: Make sure you break apart your florets so they're small. And use plenty of olive oil.
I pan sauté zucchini with olive oil and herbs/spices.
Sometimes, I make my own quick burger buns (link below). Or to make it simpler, I buy Dave's Killer Bread Organic Burger Buns.
Lentil Tacos
I love swapping meat for lentils or tofu in meals where you really don't need the meat. A steak has to be a steak (IMO), but tacos, not so much. It's all about the seasoning. And my kids love these.
Instead of tofu, I use one can of lentils and one can of black beans for these tacos. I heat them in a pan and heavily season the lentil/bean mixture with the seasoning linked below.
I serve shredded Monterey Jack cheese, guacamole, sour cream, red onion, sliced tomato, cilantro, and hot sauce as toppings.
Slow Cooker Basil Chicken Coconut
This recipe is amazing. It's probably my husband and kid's favorite of this week's menu.
I make a few tweaks, like increasing all the seasonings by 50% and leaving the skin on the chicken.
The best part is that after searing the chicken, you just dump everything in the slow cooker. Super fast to put together while baby naps, and have dinner ready with minimal dishes and no effort in the afternoons.
Marinated, Air Fried Tofu Bowls
I love this marinated Tofu cooked in the air fryer so it gets crispy. You can find lots of easy air fry instructions if you haven't done that before.
I serve over rice and with sautéd zuchini and mushrooms cooked in sesame oil and soy sauce.
Swedish Meatballs
I love meatballs and so do my kids. I make variations of these from greek to Italian to Swedish often.
Meatball base recipe: I substitute all turkey for the two kinds of ground meat, and I often use store-bought organic Italian breadcrumbs.
I'll link the recipe that I use the gravy directions for below.
I serve over egg noodles, and usually roast cauliflower or broccoli (like night #1 on this list) as a side.