Hannah Morrison

A Week of Meals

Now that things are getting back to normal (or should I say falling into a “new normal”?), I am back to meal planning and prepping for our weeks with intentionality. That means well thought out meal plans and grocery lists! Football foods and chilly weather faves are on the brain as our first cold fronts blow through here in Texas. And while our days may start in the 50’s we peak mid-80s in the afternoon… but, none the less… it’s fall y’all. 😉

Here’s a meal plan you can steal for next week that we did this week!

  1. Whole 30 Nachos!! The boys love bell peppers, so this is a great way to get their veggies in. Paul will likely put the whole “chip” onto a real chip, but I think this recipe will be a hit for us.
  2. Chicken Tenders on Basmati Rice and Asparagus: I have grown to LOVE throwing frozen chicken into the air fryer. I used to defrost ahead of time, but I have actually found by accident (err forgetting to put out meat ahead of time) that frozen chicken in the air fryer is EXTRA juicy. I throw in the tenders frozen at 400 for about 20 minutes with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil!
  3. French Toast Casserole: This is basically famous in our home, hehe. My friends ask for it if we are doing a potluck and I always bring it to anything I can get away with it. Wednesdays we have small group with our church, and our potluck theme of the week was family favorite casseroles. So, naturally I brought this one as our contribution and it was a hit!
  4. Texas Ribs + Mashed Sweet Potato and Broccoli: I am making these tonight and going off of the recipe! We just got an HEB (ALLELUIA!) and bought some boneless beef ribs for $8.
  5. Baked Sweet Potatoes, Chicken Apple Sausage and Shaved Brussels Sprouts: I cook the sweet potatoes in the Ninja Food at 400 for about 25 minutes. Put chicken broth in the bottom of the pot for soft and smoosh deliciously baked potatoes!

Favorite Costco Purchases This Month


Hello! I have been wanting to do better about sharing our grocery hauls in addition to my meal plans. We typically do two bigger Costco hauls a month, the first of the month being our biggest as we budget to replenish toilet paper/diapers/wipes/household items. We have to do separate grocery stops at our local market for our gluten-free and paleo cooking items. Usually Sprouts or Market Street! HOWEVER, we are getting HEB down the street and the San Antonio girl in me is rejoicing. I was really excited about some new buys this week as well as staple items that are back in stock at Costco and wanted to share!

  1. Cilantro Shrimp: I always eye the shrimp in the cooler section but never have bought it before. I usually grab the taco tray or stuffed peppers. But I went for it this time. I bought with easy lunches in mind. Only $12 for a large tray of them, I plan to use on top of salads this week for my lunch/dinner rice bowls with veggies. I eat cold like a shrimp cocktail!
  2. Caesar Salad and Cranberry Brussel Salad Mix: I buy these to keep on hand basically at all times. I use for lunches or dinners! Again, this week I am topping with shrimp!
  3. Chicken Burger Patties: I LOVE THESE! They used to have a mozzarella and kale one that they stopped carrying but was a top purchase of mine for lunches, but they now have a caramelized onion and cheddar one that’s really good. They’re great for me and the boys for lunch with some carrots and ranch or chips and hummus. Super quick and easy!
  4. Pulled Pork: Still a favorite for us! They didn’t have it for a while but it’s back! We put in the Ninja Foodi for a quick second to warm and add a little BBQ sauce. This is amazing by itself, on top of rice, in a sweet potato, in a sandwich… all of the above.
  5. Pimento Cheese and Simple Mills Crackers: This is a favorite snack for me! Pimento cheese on a sandwich, on a cracker, on a bagel… I don’t care what it is. Give me more cheese! Their Jalapeño Pimento Cheese is for real the best.
  6. Strawberries: They look so good right now as we are “in season” for strawberries in Texas! They’re red, big, and so juicy. Perfectly tart! My boys love strawberries and they make a great snack in the afternoon for them with a tablespoon of chocolate chips!
  7. Croissants: I can’t eat these.. sad. But my boys love a croissant! I heat up with jam and butter for a quick breakfast day or Knox will eat it as a sandwich bread!
  8. Beef Jerky Sausage Sticks: Knox and Rory LOVE these (but really we all do). I say the boys, though, because I use for their lunches often. It’s perfect for a protein for Knox’s lunch at school, or I can cut up into Mac and cheese at home and a quick can of green peas (Rory can legit eat an entire can of peas alone).
  9. Apple Sauce Pouches: We eat these like candy in our home. Another great pre-k lunch box item for snack time, but I pass these out all day at the house to be honest.
  10. KidKraft Woodland View Playhouse: Okay, we haven’t bought this YET. But we plan to. See it here on this blog post. It’s first and foremost so cute. It looks like a mini version of our home. And, it’s only $600, which is half the cost of most play sets you’ll find. It has a slide, picnic table, ladder, and kitchen. What’s notable about it to me is actually the size. Rather than a “play set” when thinking of size, picture more like a thinner two story playhouse with a slide. We have a small back yard, so it’s been hard to picture what kind of play set we could get for the boys, but we have known we want one. I also didn’t want something that would ruin our backyard aesthetic or peace. This set is SUCH a win-win-win.

DF/GF Baked Pasta

I grew up on mom’s famous spicy spaghetti sauce (no, really, all of my siblings’ friends/high school soccer team asked for it!) and it’s become a staple in my own family. The key is spicy Italian sausage, y’all. Today, as promised, I am sharing a recipe for baked spaghetti/lasagna that was a hit on my reels the other day. The notable part of this recipe is that it’s gluten free AND dairy free!

Cashew Ricotta “Cheese”

1 cup unsalted raw cashews

1 tbsp EVOO

2-3 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

1 tbsp Full Fat Coconut Milk

A dash of salt

Boil on high the cashews for 35 minutes. Blend in a food processor until grainy. Add EVOO, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add coconut milk and pulse until creamy.

Lasagna/Baked Spaghetti

**I often make a larger batch of sauce for freezer- note you may not use all of this sauce depending on the size of pan/people to feed. I have a fully homemade sauce recipe but when cooking a typical weeknight meal, I go the easier pre-made marinara sauce!

This recipe is all exactly the same process other than the noodles of choice

1-2 packs of GF lasagna noodles (Spaghetti if doing baked spaghetti!) *My favorite is Cappelo’s Lasagna Sheets!

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage

1lb. chicken sausage

1 tbsp EVOO

2 16 oz. marinara jars *I like Rao’s at Costco!

Salt

Pepper

2 cups fresh spinach

Cashew Ricotta “Cheese” (See above recipe)

Instructions

Prepare the noodles as instructed on box. (Cappelo’s sheets don’t require any prep!!) Brown the meat together in large skillet with 1 tbsp of EVOO. Add in sauce once browned and spinach. Place a lid on top over a low simmer until the spinach is wilted. Mix together and set aside.

Place a layer of sauce on the bottom of a cooking dish to begin. Start layering noodles (if doing spaghetti, think just enough to cover the sauce evenly), add a dollop of ricotta every 2-3 inches, layer more sauce, repeat process until all noodles and ricotta are gone, finishing with a thick layer of sauce on the top. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes (or edges golden brown)

Fancy Gluten Free Brownie

The other day I found myself sitting at home with an unused brownie mix and all the fixin’s needed, but I wanted to dress them up a little. The Miss Jones Keto Brownie mix is alright as-is for a basic GF brownie, but they needed just a bit of a kick to take them to the next level. I added extra chocolate and used a little extra butter and then topped with marshmallows and chocolate sauce for a delicious sweet treat! I used this recipe to base mine off of, but if you’ve been around here before for a recipe post from me… you know that I don’t actually use a recipe 90% of the time.

Fancy Gluten Free Brownie

Miss Jones Keto Brownie Mix (Follow directions – use really butter for best results)

1/4 cup extra chocolate chips (add into the mix- I promise you want to!)

Small Marshmallows (Hot cocoa kind – not mini)

Chocolate Sauce:

1/4 cup chocolate chips

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp milk (we use almond)

2 tbsp brown sugar

Directions: Preheat oven to 350

Mix the Miss Jones brownie mix exactly as the instructions say, but definitely mix in extra chocolate chips! We used Grass-fed Butter from Costco, but the directions give the option for an oil instead of butter (it makes them very difficult to eat as a brownie and more muffin-like). Bake for 30 minutes.

While brownies bake, create the chocolate sauce in a small pot on the stove. Keep a low heat to keep from burning the chocolate! After 30 minutes, remove and add a layer of marshmallows to the top of brownies for 3-5 minutes (until golden on top). Once golden, top with sauce and let cool down before placing in fridge for 1-2 hours to harden. The chilling part is SUPER important to make this a hand held dessert and feels fudgey!

Yogurt Cup Treat

Raise your hand if your post-holiday appetite is the worst… *raises all hands and feet* I find myself craving heavy foods (pizza, please), ice cream, chocolate… just, all of it. The way to combat the post-holiday cravings is to trick your brain! Sure, it’s no slice of pie, but these Berry Yogurt Cups do the trick and look/feel like a treat! They’re really fun for Knox, too, and will be great for Rory as we start doing more solids (we just started this week!).

Berry Yogurt Cups

1 cup Greek Yogurt

1 cup raspberries

2 tsp maple syrup

Sprinkles of choice

 

Blend all the ingredients together and pour into cups. Place in freezer until solid.

The end.

Difficult, huh? 😉 What healthy treats are you making right now? Bonus trick: Frosted grapes! Promise – they’re so good. Recipe here.

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