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I vary my meals seasonally (Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter), but overall I have about 5 themes that I vary: soups, pastas, casseroles (or what I call one-dish dinners), tacos/burritos and proteins (poultry, meats, fish, beans and the occasional tofu).  During the Spring/Summer I have some entrée salads that I add to the rotation.  An example of how I vary one of the menu themes is Fall/Winter soups: vegetable chili, black bean chili, white bean and turkey chili, beef stew, vegetable soup, chicken noodle soup, split pea soup, and broccoli cheddar.

I have about 10 meals that I often repeat throughout the month. Most of those are main dishes that feature a protein. These are dishes that I know my family usually enjoys. I start with those when I am writing my meal plan and then fill in with seasonally inspired dishes (lighter ones in late spring/summer, soups and stews in winter), vegetarian dishes, and those meals that I plan to purchase prepared or through take-out.

Olive oil is a healthy fat with mostly monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants.  It has the same number of calories and grams of fat as other oils, but is usually a healthier option and adds a wonderful flavor to savory foods.  Olive oil can be used with almost any kind of food, and is especially good for sautéing, roasting and making homemade dressings.  Olive oil should be stored in a darker and cooler spot in the kitchen to keep the oil from degrading (not over the stove or in a clear bottle on the countertop).  We always use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and there are many good brands widely available.  Some of our favorite brands for everyday cooking include California Estate, Kirkland Signature Select Toscano (Costco), Trader Joe’s California Estate, and 365 Everyday Value 100% California Unfiltered (Whole Foods).

Roasted Vegetables with Olive Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Your choice of Vegetables

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut vegetables in pieces that are similar in size (so that they cook evenly) and toss it in a bowl with a generous drizzle of olive oil and kosher salt. Toss to coat the vegetables, and spread them on a baking sheet (for easy clean-up use Silpat silicone baking mats or a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet). Bake the vegetables 15-30 minutes depending on the density of the vegetable (watch their browning and stir as necessary).  The olive oil makes the roasted vegetables sweet enough to eat without a sauce.

Favorites: Carrots, Zucchini, Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes (cut as fries or cubes), Butternut Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Parsnips, Asparagus, Potatoes.

Super Speedy Version: Buy pre-cut vegetables in the produce section or salad bar.

10 Great Ways to Use Vegetables Roasted with Olive Oil:

1.  Serve as a side dish with a protein (beans, poultry, meat, eggs) or grain (brown rice, quinoa).

2.  Eat cold or at room temperature as a snack.

3.  Pack in a lunch as a finger food.

4.  Puree to make baby food.

5.  Toss with hot pasta and a cheese (feta, mozzarella or parmesan).

6.  Add to bean burritos for some savory vegetable flavors.

7.  Substitue for steamed or sautéed vegetables in egg recipes like frittata or omelets.

8.  Crumble cooked prosciutto or bacon on a pile of roasted vegetables.

9.  Grate or shave (with a vegetable peeler) parmesan over hot roasted vegetables.

10.  Make carrot, parsnip, or sweet potato “fries” by cutting into sticks and roasting.

Experiment and enjoy!

Identify Your Goals for Feeding Your Family

Each week we’ll introduce a new step toward establishing a good foundation for meal planning and preparation.  You can follow all the steps with us for a full tool-kit (see System365 tab at right), but you’ll find that even using one or two steps makes an immediate impact.  Start today with Step 1: Identifying Your Goals for Feeding Your Family.

Step 1:

Identify Your Goals for Feeding Your Family

This exercise will help motivate you and guide your choices.  What are your challenges when considering what to feed your family?  Is it sitting down together for a meal, or perhaps you would like to add healthier choices to the daily offerings?  Are you spending a lot of money on food that gets thrown away, or perhaps you would just like to eliminate the daily stress of figuring out what is for dinner?  Once you identify your goals, we’ll help you meet them.

Answer the questions on our Free Printable, Table365: Feeding Your Family Goals Worksheet.  These questions may lead to others, but we hope they’ll really get you thinking about your goals and desires for feeding your family. There are no right or wrong answers. Use this to evaluate what you are doing now and what direction you’d like to take as you customize a meal planning system.  The time investment you make today will save you money and energy every week.

Free Printable Feeding Your Family Goals Worksheet

We’d love to hear from you – Please share you answer in the comments section.

And we’ll use your feedback to create better and more useful solutions to your challenges!

Here’s what Table365 partners Kimberly and Sharon have to say:

Keeping my pantry and freezer stocked so I have what I need to create three meals a day is my biggest challenge.  I’m still surprised by how much food our family of four eats in a week, and with two growing boys, I’m afraid I still don’t buy enough (especially meat and produce) to last an entire week.  Also, every time I feel “ahead” by making multiple batches and freezing meals, it seems that we eat them before I intended, so keeping the freezer stocked is a constant relay.  I’m working to cook larger batches of meals and find additional outlets for perishable foods (dairy, meat, produce) without making multiple trips to the grocery store every week (grocery delivery, CSA, or Amazon Fresh for example).

I was originally going to say “time,” but the truth is that I know I could carve out time to prepare or at least organize some of our family meals when I need to.  My real challenge is motivation. The monotony of providing three meals a day, every day, kind of kills my desire to cook – and I love to cook. To curb this feeling I have accepted that right now I rotate about 10 reliable meals that satisfy and nourish everyone. Now, when inspiration hits it‘s fun, but otherwise I have my go-to recipes that my family enjoys and that I know how to cook easily and efficiently!