This week I am focused on making meals that utilize all those items I have in my fridge, pantry, and freezer that I want to start to use up before we do a big restock. For that reason, I am going to share lots of swaps this week to help you do the same. We are trying to stay home and away from stores this week and hopefully next week, so I will be working with what we have and hopefully getting one grocery delivery with some fresh produce and fruit.
Remember, you can now get your whole or partial shopping list delivered with our new "Get Ingredients" button on the shopping list.
One more reminder! Additionally, we know that many people are experiencing financial strains right now, which is why we are offering our meal plans at a 40% discount for the first time ever. This brings the yearly cost down to under $30, which is about fifty cents per week. This is the lowest price we have ever offered, but we will be ending this sale soon
Also, just like last week, I am going to do my very best to provide lots of substitutions and tips below to help you adjust depending on what's available in your area and what you have at home. Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions about how to adjust recipes or ways to make it work for you. We are here to help.
So here goes!
- Baked Blueberry Banana Oatmeal: This dish will work with any fruit, nuts, or dried fruit you like. Fresh or frozen berries will both work. If you don't have bananas, you could use applesauce or pumpkin but you may need a touch of extra sweetener.
- Egg White, Avocado, and Tomato Sandwiches: Make this with egg whites or a whole egg. Use any veggies you like, try it on different bread or wraps, add any protein or cheese you like.
- Western Omelet Frittata: Make this with whole eggs if you like and use just one type of bell pepper to cut down on the extra ingredients. Use onion powder if you don't have fresh onions and any type of protein can be used or it can be made without the ham.
- Fifteen Minute Black Bean Soup: I love this recipe so much because it relies on pantry staples and can be made with any type of beans. Add protein if you like or add extra veggies. Make extras to keep in the freezer for quick lunches.
- Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef: Make this with chicken breast, chicken thighs, or pork.
- Italian Spaghetti Squash Casserole: Make this with any type of veggie noodle or regular pasta, any type of canned tomatoes (or spaghetti sauce), any vegetables, and any ground meat or sliced sausage. Any type of cheese will work on the top or you can leave it out. You can also substitute white beans for the meat.
- One Pan Roasted Sausages, Brussels Sprouts, and Potatoes: Use any combination of sausages, vegetables, and potatoes. If you don't have sausages, you could use chicken thighs, just adjust the cooking time.
- Creamy Garlic Chicken: Make these with chicken thighs or breasts and any combination of vegetables you like.
- General Tso's Pork: Make this with any protein you have on hand - pork, chicken, beef, ground meat, tofu, or shrimp. Use any vegetables you like.
- Brown Sugar Salmon: This can be made with salmon, any white fish, shrimp, chicken, pork, or tofu.
- Sweet Chili Coconut Chicken Fingers: Use chicken, pork, or even tofu. If you don't have sweet chili sauce or coconut, just make a seasoned breading using breadcrumbs and your favorite spices.
- Sides: Just use what you have!
Be kind to yourself! Everyone is in a different place right now, so do what makes sense for you and your family. If having kids at home all day and trying to work has you stressed (me, me, me!), substitute an easy frozen pizza night or hot dog night or pasta night as often as needed. Get takeout one night to support a local restaurant. Do what you need to make this work!
One more note: If you find yourself in need of a meal plan but financially it isn't feasible based on what's happening, please don't hesitate to reach out. We are here to help.
Love the idea of having meal planning but don’t have time to find recipes, create shopping lists, and make meal plans?
Since I know that many people simply don’t have the time to create their own healthy meal plans, we provide delicious and healthy meal plans at Slender Kitchen that you can customize to meet your needs. Right now these meal plans will be focused on using pantry and freezer items as much as possible to make things work for this difficult time. Also, if you are interested in a meal plan and have fallen upon hard financial times, please don't hesitate to reach out. We will work something out.
Each healthy weekly meal plan comes full of delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The meal plans come in regular, vegetarian, and low carb options. All feature complete nutritional information, Weight Watchers Green, Blue, or Purple SmartPoints, and categorized shopping lists! There are also two bonus fallback recipes weekly and the option for either a complete meal plan or a Dinner Only plan.
This includes our interactive meal planning option where you can customize the number of servings for each meal, swap in new recipes if you don't like something, or build your own meal plan from scratch. All that for less the cost of one cup of coffee per month with the yearly plan.