Monday Meals | 01

Well, it's another Monday and the week is off to a busy start. I always have staff meetings on Mondays and when they're in the am, the day seems to fly by so much faster. Today is one of those days. But, I'm not here to give you a play-by-play of how fast or slow my day goes. Today I'm going to share three quick meals that you can use in a bind.

I chose three, because that just so happens to be what I had planned for this week anyway...annndddd...it's Monday. So why not give you some ideas for the upcoming week?!

It's a short school week for me with it being fall break, but quick and easy are our go-tos lately. Lewis has to eat between 5:30 and 6 or else he's a monster. Here they are!

Egg Roll in a Bowl

This is one of Kyle's new favorites. I first heard about it from April over at Smidge of This. It was also one of her Monday Meals a while ago. Here's how it goes when I make it: 

Ingredients--> 
1 pound ground pork 
1 1/2  – 16-ounce bag coleslaw mix (shredded carrots and cabbage) 
2-3 large cloves garlic, minced 
1 teaspoon ginger, minced or grated
⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce 
2 tablespoons sesame flavoring oil 
Green onions, for garnish (optional) 
*and if you like a little kick, add 1-2 T Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce*

Here's the thing...the sauce goes a LONG way. The original recipe calls for 1 bag of slaw mix, but it gets too soggy for my taste, so 1 1/2 it is. 

Also, I add chow mein noodles to the top of my bowl for a little extra crunch.  

The longest part of the process is browning the pork. It takes approx 5 min to prep and should be on your table in less than 20 min.

serves: approx 6


Hoisin Chicken and Veggies
This is also a new one for us. I wanted a one pan meal and it kind of worked. It was easier for me to roast the veggies in one pan and the chicken in another. 
Here's our version with modifications:

Ingredients--> 

2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts

4-5 small/med red potatoes, halved or quartered

2 large carrots, sliced

1/2 head broccoli florets

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

1/2 head cauliflower florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and black pepper to taste 

1/3 onion, in chunks

For the sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon grated or minced ginger

1/2 tablespoon corn starch

Toss veggies with olive oil and salt & pepper. Roast at 400 or 450 for 15 min, turn over, drizzle 1/2 sauce over top and cook until tender enough.

Bake chicken breasts at 400 or 450 until done. Cover with remaining sauce when almost done.

Serve alone or over rice/quinoa

Serves: approx 6

Prep Time: 15-20

Total Time: 60 min

Spaghetti w/Homemade Tomato Sauce

Ingredients-->
6-8 roma tomaotes, quartered
1/2 white onion
2-4 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 c red wine
2-3 T evoo

1 lb ground beef
1/2 box spaghetti

The night before, coat tomatoes, onlion, and garlic in olive oil, add red wine and roast for 30-40 min at 400 deg. Let cool for 10 min, then puree and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 year.

The next day, brown your hamburger, heat up your spaghetti sauce, and cook pasta according to preference. 

Serves: approx 4-6
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time (including roasting): 60 min


This is just a glimpse into our menu this week. The rest of the week consists of pumpkin pancakes, chicken in the smoker w/quinoa or rice, homemade pizza, and at least 2 batches of scrambled eggs. 

If you try these and modify, have suggestions, or love as is--please comment below!

Happy Monday!