Recipes & Meal Planning Tips: January 2020

When the pandemic started in the U.S. in March 2020, I stopped meal planning and prepping because I knew I would be home most of the time. I quickly realized how important it was to add this routine back into my life. Instead of eating well-balanced meals, I was eating random snacks throughout the day and by dinner time, I was hangry. After this realization, I decided to add my routine back and currently, my weekends of meal planning and prepping look like this:

• Saturday morning (about one hour) - research recipes, meal plan, make grocery list, order groceries

• Sunday afternoon (about two hours) - meal prep lunches and snacks for the week, write dinner plans on the fridge (I have a whiteboard on the fridge)

I love sipping my coffee on Saturday mornings and researching recipes for the week ahead. I know not everyone enjoys this as much of me. That’s why I’ve decided to make it a point to blog about the recipes I’ve tried and love. Hopefully this makes your meal planning a little easier.

*Note: I am following a low FODMAP lifestyle due to some gut-health issues. I’ve noted in each recipe how to make these low FODMAP. Do not worry about making these low FODMAP if you are not having digestive issues such as gas, bloating, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and/or constipation. For more information on FODMAPs, I recommend visiting Monash University’s FODMAP website.

Go-To Breakfasts (baked goods)

• Paleo Pumpkin Muffins - There are some mornings where my body is craving a baked good and these pumpkin muffins hit the spot! I like to make half without the chocolate chips.

• Banana Oatmeal Muffins - I’ve stopped making these as I am eating low FODMAP foods and too many bananas seem to irritate my gut. When I do make these, I swapped out the peanut butter for almond butter.

• Spinach Muffins - Yes, these muffins are GREEN, which is weird. But they are SO good and easy to make.

• *Bananas are considered high FODMAP. If you are following a low FODMAP lifestyle, you may want to avoid eating a lot of bananas. Therefore, if you make the last two recipes, I recommend freezing half of the muffins and eating them in moderation so you do not irritate your gut.

Go-To Breakfasts/Lunches (animal protein)

• Blueberry Sweet Potato Turkey Breakfast Sausage - I LOVE this recipe. I find that my body enjoys eating more animal protein throughout the winter months so I don’t do a lot of green smoothies in the winter. This recipe is a great choice for those who like animal protein but are sick of eating eggs. How to make low FODMAP: omit the garlic.

• Breakfast Sausage Chicken Poppers - Another good one if you are sick of eating eggs. I like this recipe because I can freeze half of them and save them for another week. How to make low FODMAP: omit the apple.

• Keto Egg Cups - When I’m not totally over eggs, I make a batch of these egg cups. I usually make mine with spinach and bacon but you can try one or all nine of these variations. Another favorite combination of mine is tomato basil.

Go-To Dinners

• Korean Steak Bites - I love steak and this marinade makes it even better. How to make low FODMAP: omit the garlic.

• Carnitas Sweet Potato Sliders - I love a good crock-pot recipe. These sweet potato sliders are delicious and have become a go-to of mine. How to make low FODMAP: omit the garlic powder, use arugula instead of cabbage.

• Low FODMAP Maple Mustard Chicken with Rosemary - I’m so thankful there are recipes out there that are already low FODMAP. This is a great recipe to use if you are tired of flavoring your chicken with the same old spices.

• My go-to, low FODMAP vegetables I have on-hand every week to pair with my protein are: spinach, broccoli, bok choy, carrots, and sweet potatoes (if you can, find pre-cut frozen sweet potatoes and sauté them for a quick side dish).

Go-To Snacks

• I always have fruit on-hand for a morning or afternoon snack. My go-to fruits are pineapple (pre-cut), berries, and clementines. If high FODMAPs fruits do not bother your gut, bananas, apples, and pears are also great options.

  • *I prefer to buy all organic fruit. If you purchase non-organic fruit, give them a “bath” using the following: 3 cups of water, 1 cup of white vinegar, 1/4 cup lemon juice. After 15 minutes of soaking, rinse and store. I started using these fruit storage containers so my fruit lasts longer.

• Fat Bombs - There are three flavors of fat bombs in this article. Easy to make and easy to grab-n-go! I used this mold to make these.

• Here are some brands I always have on-hand in my pantry:

  • Simple Mills - crackers and baking mixes

  • Hu Kitchen - chocolate, chocolate-covered almonds and crackers

  • Lesser Evil - snacks such as popcorn, “cheese” curls, veggie sticks and cookies

For more Keto and AIP-inspired recipes, I highly recommend these two cookbooks: Ketotarian and The Autoimmune Protocol Comfort Food Cookbook.

If you are new to meal planning, click here to save a copy of the document I use every week to plan out my meals. We can also work together on meal planning. Click here to learn more about my coaching programs. Happy cooking!

Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash