Meal Planning Monday

Happy Monday!

This week I want to talk about one of my favorite things to do....

Snack!

I. Love. To. Snack. I would choose snack foods over an actual meal 4 out of 5 times. 

I'm typing this with chex mix residue on my hands. My left hand keeps slapping my right hand telling it not to go back into the bag for more, but my right hand is being a total rebel. 

(*crunch crunch*)

I should probably put it away so I'll have some left to eat tomorrow.

In celebration of my love of snacking, I thought I'd share some of my favorite quick & healthy snack ideas!

*Boiled Eggs

I normally boil a dozen, peel them, and keep them in a ziplock so they're ready to eat. PERFECT for when you are really hungry but have zero time to prepare anything. Which is pretty much every day for me.

I add salt, pepper, and lots of hot sauce.

*Cheese wedges

I'm cheap, so I don't usually buy the 'pre-cut' cheese wedges. Just cut up a bunch into bite-sized chunks at the beginning of the week and you'll have it ready to go.

*Cottage cheese & pineapple or peaches

*Wheat thins flat bread crackers

You can top them with anything! Cheese, avocado, cottage cheese, hummus...My favorite is low-fat cream cheese and deli-sliced turkey.

*Bananas & Peanut Butter

*Wine

Any kind with alcohol in it, really.

*Greek Yogurt

I seem to forget greek yogurt exists every time I'm at the store, but when I do remember to buy it I'm so glad I did.

*Make-my-own-trail-mix

I buy the bulk containers of craisins and sea-salted almonds from costco and throw a few handfuls of each in a ziplock along with some mini chocolate chips.

*Chips & Salsa

We go through a lot in our house

*Sweet potato chips

Did you know they made these? I'm not talking about the sweet potato flavored tortilla chips (But those are really good too!). I got these chips that were actual sweet potatoes. Only two ingredients: Sweet potatoes & sea salt. They are delicious!

What are your favorite snack foods? 

I'm always hunting for different ideas!

And while I do love to snack, I also do try to eat at least one cooked meal a day.
Here's what we're having this week!

Zucchini Beef Skillet

I've made this several times. We love it! Hubby and I both love zucchini, and this meal is a perfect way to get your meat, veggies, and carbs all in one dish. I usually serve it over brown rice, and that's it!

Forgotten Chicken

Really yummy! & You can literally 'forget' about it. This would be a good Sunday meal to just start early and leave in the oven for several hours before dinner. 

Since there's rice in it, I usually just throw a salad together or have a green veggie on the side. 

Philly Sloppy Joes

SO good. Seriously. 

I always make sure I have really good buns when I make something like this, though, because I feel like the bun will make or break it!

I personally don't go to the trouble to make the cheese sauce the recipe suggests--I just get sliced swiss or provolone and melt it over the sandwiches in the broiler for a few minutes. 

Crock Pot Chicken & Rice

I've never made this, so we'll see how it goes!

It looks really good and really easy....My favorite!

Monterey Chicken

This is hands down my favorite baked chicken recipe ever. 

The flavors all meld together for the most perfectly perfect blend of deliciousness.

We really like spicy food, so I use the rotel, but if you don't, just use the non-spicy rotel or regular canned tomatoes.

I think this would be just as good with any kind of cheese you want. I used just cheddar last time.