What This Mama Made- A Week Of Weelicious Meals (3)
As much as I SUPER love my slow cooker, after a while my boys get tired of soups, stews, or casseroles every night. This week, I decided to plan mainly meals that were cooked on the stove top or in the oven. I gathered inspiration from a cookbook I’d never used before. The promise of some healthier meals drew me to it! Read on to see what recipes I chose to cook for a week of Weelicious meals.
OUR WEEK OF WEELICIOUS MEALS
First, Let’s Get This Out Of The Way
I want to make sure this is clear up front, guys. First, I’m not a dietitian, doctor, food photographer, baker, or chef. I’m a mom who really isn’t a great cook, trying her best to put some relatively tasty, not-too-unhealthy food in front of her picky kids each evening. You won’t find 100% organic, from scratch, or totally restrictive menu ideas here. I plan to share what we’re really eating- processed portions and all. Second, you’ll notice I only plan 5 meals each week. My parents inevitably invite us over one night, or we meet them out, or just eat leftovers one evening… Planning for 5 meals is more ‘do-able’ for us, and means we are less likely to waste food when plans change last minute.
What Inspired Our Family Meals This Week?
Last year on vacation, I picked up a used copy of Weelicious by blogger Catherine McCord. McCord is also the author of Weelicious Lunches which I hope to check out soon! I loved the idea of healthier meals, as well as the ‘One Family. One Meal’ promise on the cover. (Since we all know how picky my boys can be!) Due to all my fatigue and food aversions during pregnancy, I had never gotten around to cooking anything from it. (Also, I’m just a smidge of a cookbook hoarder. I’ll admit it). So this week, when I wanted to mix up our meals a bit, seemed like the perfect opportunity to start trying some Weelicious meals.
The Family Meals + The Family’s Thoughts
Turkey Pesto Meatballs
Served with: tricolor rotini, Parmesan cheese, salad, + banana.
#thebigone: ★
#thelittleone: ★★★★★
#thehubs: ★★★
#homeboundbuthopeful: ★★
Would we make it again? Truthfully, I don’t think we will. Full disclosure, #thehubs took over kitchen duty on this one, so it’s possible the meatballs were super mushy due to a mishap on his part. But regardless, this one wasn’t a hit with most of us.
Chicken + Rice Stir Fry
Served with: mandarin oranges + salad.
#thebigone: N/A
#thelittleone: N/A
#thehubs: ★★★★
#homeboundbuthopeful: ★★★★
Would we make it again? We will definitely eat this meal again. I’m pretty sure #thebigone will also like it, so it’s a pretty safe go-to for our family. It’s not terribly complicated either, which is a plus.
Shredded BBQ Chicken Sammies
Served with: buns, sweet corn, raspberries + blackberries.
(There was supposed to be a salad served with this meal! I was at #thebigone’s soccer game while #thehubs was home with the little boys, and he forgot to pull that out of the fridge!)
#thebigone: ★★★★★
#thelittleone: N/A
#thehubs: ★★★★★
#homeboundbuthopeful: ★★★★★
Would we make it again? Absolutely! Even though #thelittleone didn’t try it, we’re pretty sure this is a meal he’ll also love. It’s super simple, very quick prep, and tastes amazing.
Rice + Cheese Treasures
Served with: salad + green grapes.
#thebigone: ★
#thelittleone: ★★★★★
#thehubs: ★
#homeboundbuthopeful: ★★
Would we make it again? Nope. I chose this because #thelittleone LOVES rice, and #thebigone LOVES cheese sticks- seems like a recipe made for my boys. In reality, it was extra work making the ball shapes- and my kids didn’t care about the shape at all. So while we won’t make this exact recipe again, brown rice with cheese is definitely a possibility in the future.
Chicken Teryiak-Wee
Served with: salad, pineapple + brown rice.
#thebigone: N/A
#thelittleone: N/A
#thehubs: ★★★★
#homeboundbuthopeful: ★★★★
Would we make it again? We sure will. The prep for this is very simple, and the chicken came out moist and flavorful. #thehubs and I were both thrilled to have some leftovers for lunch.
Notes:
- Meals rated out of 5 stars.
- ‘N/A’ for #thebigone generally means he was with his dad and couldn’t try the meal.
- ‘N/A’ for #thelittleone generally means he ate his fruit and side dishes, but didn’t try the main course.
- We don’t force the kids to eat anything, but don’t cater to them either. I always serve fruit with dinner though, so even a picky kiddo will find one thing they’re happy to eat.
- Liking our dishes and trays? We mainly use the Pillowfort line from Target!
Tell me about your go-to resources for finding healthy(ish) meals your family loves!