We are kicking it into gear this weekend with lots of plans from now till…. December? We’ve got anniversary’s, soccer games, NC State football games, weekend trips to Charlotte, birthdays and birthdays and birthdays, and then holidays… whew. Its all exciting, given that last fall we weren’t doing ANY of these things.

When it comes to meal planning, flexibility might be the winning “mantra”. I need the flexibility to toss the plan some nights and say hey, we need another night out or “breakfast for dinner”. Sometimes this feels like failure, but as my Peleton instructor Jess Sims says, “No ego amigo!” My family doesn’t really care, it’s all in my head!!

What they do care about is that dinner is a pleasant experience, a time for family, and a time for sharing and enjoying each other (I just made our dinner-time sound very “fairy tale-like”, and it is not, but this is what we strive for). Heck, Reed hardly eats what I cook anyway, and Wes will eat literally anything. So… flexibility it is for my mindset. If something isn’t jiving that day, let it go, Liz!

Meal 1: If you know me, you know this meal. A good jar of simmer sauce with cut up chicken thighs and a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas has to be one of the easiest entrees know to man. We’ll have rice, naan and dips, and some zucchini and squash with it. I’m temped to put the veggies in the sauce too, but I think it might get watery so I’ll probably stick to grilling them or slicing them the “hotdog” way and popping them under the broiler till they get a little golden and soft.

Meal 2: We’ll fire up the grill to cook the beef (and probably those zucchini and squash from Meal 1 and the chicken for Meal 5) and serve it over tossed greens with toppings like avocado, corn, tomatoes, and a nice dressing… creamy, vinegary… not sure yet. We’ll also have the leftover cornbread muffins that I froze from las weeks meal plan. One child will eat everything, the other will be happy with corn, tomatoes, and cornbread.

Meal 3: Beefy Quesadillas are a great way to please everyone. I semi-cater to everyone and make some quesadillas plain cheese and some with the beefy filling. I have tweaked Mary Ellen Phipps recipe, Cheesy Veggie & Ground Beef Quesadillas, and added mushrooms, and more seasonings. If you don’t know Mary Ellen, she has a a blog called Milk & Honey Nutrition tailored to diabetes. She has a cookbook, her blog, and she has Type 1 herself! She’s a great resource. Anyway, I love these quesadillas and we’ll have them with the usual fruit, side salad or veggies with dip, and chips (of course!).

Meal 4: This is something new. That Beefy Quesadilla recipe makes A LOT of filling. Usually I just use the leftovers for taco salads, but I think it would make a great stuffed pepper. I’m making extra rice from Meal 1 so I can use that in the filling too. Again, this is something I’m playing with, so we’ll see. My plan is to have it with simple frozen green peas, fruit and bread.

Meal 5: I haven’t used our favorite marinade in a while and I’ve got a huge tub of Greek yogurt in the fridge so… Greek chicken legs it is! I’ll grill these with the steak from Meal 2. As some point that day, I’ll throw some sweet potatoes and broccoli on a sheet pan to roast. And when dinner is ready bread and fruit go on the table… and that’s dinner.

Meal 6: Leftovers or Pizza

Meal 7: OUT - It’s our anniversary on Sunday and we’re going to Wilmington for the night on Saturday just to get a moment away. Ahhh peace.