This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
As life gets busier, I’m trying to make things easier on myself by being on top of my meal planning game. I know that when I have some healthy meals ready to go in my fridge, I’m more likely to reach for something healthy when I’m starving and impatient!
Low-Carb Egg Roll in a Bowl, from The Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook
I thought it might be fun to start a new series here on my website, where I share my meal plan for the week. That way I’m held accountable to have “a plan,” and you can follow along with me if you want to!
If you happen to follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you can also watch me do my meal prep LIVE(!) on Monday nights at 8:30pm CST. (9:30pm EST / 6:30pm PST)
After last week’s meal prep LIVE, I received several requests to post the meals I that I’m planning to make ahead of time– so that you can “cook with me” on Monday night at the same time, if you want to. I think it sounds fun, and it’s also a great opportunity to ask me any questions as we go!
In case you missed it, you can watch a replay of last week’s meal prep cooking demonstration here on YouTube, and you can watch me make my One-Pot Shepherd’s Pie LIVE in the Instant Pot here on YouTube. (I answer lots of Instant Pot questions along the way, too!)
Here’s my meal plan for dinners this week:
- Monday: Egg Roll in a Bowl (I make this low-carb meal in the Instant Pot– you can find the recipe for it in my Weight Loss Guide, which is a free gift you get when you pre-order The Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook.) There’s also a vegetarian skillet version here on the blog!
- Tuesday: Leftover Eggroll in a Bowl, stir-fried with brown rice for an easy “fried rice”
- Wednesday: Vegan Lentil Soup (I’ll use leftovers for easy lunches until I run out)
- Thursday: Vegan “Sushi” Bowls (This dressing is addictive, so I use leftovers for salads at another meal)
- Friday: Curried Chicken Stew (I created this recipe for Whole Foods, and my husband is hooked! We serve the leftovers over rice for a second meal.)
- Saturday: Take-out (I always try to NOT cook one night each week!)
- Sunday: Quinoa & Black Bean Salad (Leftovers will get me through a couple of lunches, too.)
Monday Meal Prep:
If you want to “cook with me” on Monday night LIVE, I’ll be making the Egg Roll in a Bowl in the Instant Pot, along with a batch of Zucchini Hummus to have as a healthy snack all week long. (I love that the hummus is bean-free and properly combined!) My goal is to finish the LIVE cooking demo in under an hour, and since I talk to you so much as I go, I’ve found that two dishes is a reasonable goal. (Normally I’d get at least 3 things done in an hour if I were on my own, but it is more fun this way!)
Other Meals:
You’ll notice that I don’t plan my breakfasts and lunches as much, because I tend to have smoothies most mornings and I usually just use whatever ingredients we have on hand, or go by what I’m in the mood for. (Our go-to smoothies right now are this fruity one, this coffee smoothie, and my “Frosty Chocolate Shake” in No Excuses Detox.) If you want something warmer for breakfast, try Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats, Zucchini Oatmeal, or Sweet Potato “Toast.”
For lunch, I’ll usually have leftovers from the night before (or something I prepped even earlier, like a quinoa salad or soup) or I’ll just stick to a simple salad with a dressing that I made ahead of time. My go-to dressings to have on hand are my Apple Cider Vinaigrette and the Everyday Basil Vinaigrette in Everyday Detox. (Which is my all-time favorite dressing!) Sometimes I’ll chop several toppings, as pictured above, to have a “salad bar” in my fridge, and other times I’ll rely on store-bought toppings, like vacuum sealed steamed beets and bagged shredded carrots and leafy greens.
I also usually have something sweet on hand, but I don’t always have to make that every week. Last week I made the 5-Minute Freezer Fudge from No Excuses Detox, and that usually lasts me 2 to 3 weeks since it makes so many pieces!
–
I hope you’ll enjoy this new Meal Planning series, and I’m hoping that it helps make my week easier, too. We make so many decisions on a daily basis, that it’s nice having one thing that you can put on auto-pilot.
Let me know what you think in the comments below, and I hope I’ll see you during my LIVE meal prep this Monday!
I LOVE YOUR COOKBOOK!!!
I love meal planing.
Hi there!!
Love all your recipes and the meal planning is awesome! Thanks for adding!!
I’d love to see a week of meal planning specifically for families with small (read picky!) children.
Hi Megan, this is a great idea, love your recipes..could you please tell me how to make a vegan version of the Curried chicken stew? My entire family eats meat, but me. Should O prepare the two versions separately or is there a way to prepare a vegan version first and then upgrade it with the meat? Thanks. Kinga
Does your son eat these meals? If you make anything differently for kids, I’d love to know the variations you use!
My 2 year old daughter does, but my 5 year old son does not. I sometimes post what his meals look like on my Instagram stories– they are VERY simple, so I don’t really cook anything different for him! He likes very plain food right now, like raw broccoli and carrots, sliced apples, grapes, rolled up organic turkey slices, etc. He doesn’t even eat “kid food” like mac n’ cheese or chicken nuggets. He does like snacks like goldfish or graham crackers, which he gets at preschool most days, so we keep things pretty simple at home right now. Hoping he’ll grow out of his pickiness if he sees what the rest of his family is eating for long enough!
Thank you for doing this. I have such a hard time meal planning. I get very overwhelmed and give up! Looking forward to meal planning with you! So appreciate the hard work you do!
Thank you for the inspiration!! The Egg Roll in a Bowl is on constant rotation at my house…I usually add a bit of jalapeno for an extra little kick (my husband and I both love spicy food!). I also made the dressing from the sushi rolls for my salads this week, and the Vegan Lentil soup is on my list for things to make soon! 🙂
This sounds great! I love your recipes and am trying to eat healthier and plan ahead for my meals. One question – will you provide alternate cooking methods for those of us who don’t have the Instant Pot?
Definitely! In my recipes here on the blog I always try to include stove top directions below the recipe, but I can talk about alternatives in my meal prep videos when I use a recipe from the new book, too.
Thank you for doing this! Meal planning is always a struggle, this will be a huge help and motivation to keep me on track each week to follow along with your meal plan. I have both your cookbooks and love all your recipes 🙂
i love this type of blog post, ITV totally inspires me to get my butt in gear and meal prep for the week!