We have been in a serious food rut lately. This, eating out, has been happening WAY too often. And I am starting to feel it. Nothing sounds good, healthy habits keep slipping away, and we are just lacking in any motivation whatsoever to get back on track. We have healthy ingredients in the fridge, but somehow we end up down the block at Small Cheval far too frequently. So things need to change.

I sat down to write this week’s food plan and I just had NO motivation whatsoever. Food ruts are real and we are in the midst of a major one. It’s starting to feel like summer so we want to be out of the house all the time. So dinner rolls around and getting out of the house sounds way better than cooking in. Before things really get out of control, we are making some changes to nip these bad habits in the bud.

5 easy changes we are making starting NOW:

(1) coffee at home

Blake and I are both BIG coffee people. Not only do we need that morning cup of joe to get the day going, but it needs to be GOOD. We are really really picky when it comes to coffee. Our favorites are Peets, Dark Matter and La Colombe. Peets happens to be down the block and most mornings start there with an overpriced but amazing cup of coffee. But that just starts the day off with relying on going out instead of staying in. So, starting tomorrow morning, we are getting back into the habit of making a fresh pot every morning from home. We just picked up a fresh bag of Dark Matter beans and I can already smell the rich dark chocolate flavors wafting from the bag. Yum. Anyone else go to bed at night ready for a cup of coffee the next morning?

(2) cut the takeout and eating out DRASTICALLY

We will never be a family that can just say “we are done eating out.” Cold turkey is not a method I am likely to succeed with. But, we can say that we are going to limit ourselves to one date night meal out a week and one additional meal out as a family. That seems doable. I know myself, and this type of commitment only works when I plan ahead. I have to think about my calendar, whether I have a girls dinner that week and plan accordingly. Date night happens to be tonight, on a Monday, so fingers crossed we can figure out a way to make it through the weekend without eating out. I am hoping this will help cut down on our food waste. I am embarrassed to admit how much food we waste every week, and we need to make an effort to get better at it. I thought I should say, on the record, that I do not consider a Sweetgreen salad a takeout meal and therefore do not count it towards my one meal out a week ;). Why? It’s too healthy, delicious + reasonably priced to be considered a meal out.

(3) eat breakfast before we get hungry

So often, we get caught up in whatever we are doing in the morning and somehow it is 10:30, we are all starving and running out the door to one of the 9 million amazing brunch places in the city seems way easier than making a meal. Starting tomorrow, breakfast happens BEFORE we get hangry.

(4) no sugar

We’ve done this before, many times. And I can honestly say that when we are off sugar, every other good eating habit seems to follow suit. So, once again, we are cutting artificial sugar out of our diet (with one cheat a week, obviously). Like I said, cold turkey is not the method for me. Blake happens to have the world’s biggest sweet tooth, so this only works when he is all in too. When he comes homes with a giant scoop of ice cream or chocolate deliciousness, my will power escapes me.

(5) take food prep a step further

As you can tell, we take food planning and prepping pretty seriously. We do it every single week in some way, shape or form and it is a major part of keeping our family healthy. I’ve talked about it before, I NEED to wash and prep my produce as soon as I get home from the grocery store, or the chances of it going to waste go way up. But I am actually going to start portioning it out. If I see that I have three servings worth of oatmeal left in the fridge (that is about to go bad) I will be more inclined to skip brunch out and enjoy my oatmeal from the comfort of my home! I do this for BB’s meals, and it is so helpful. I love opening the freezer or fridge and knowing exactly what I have ready for her to eat. So I am going to start doing it for me and Blake too.

Here’s what’s on the menu this week + our super minimal grocery list (GOAL IS NO FOOD WASTE THIS WEEK!):

BREAKFAST

smoothies

this is something that is really easy for me to portion out – I can prewash/freeze my fruit and kale 

oatmeal

another thing that is really really easy to portion out

LUNCH

salads

I’ve never been a fan of mason jar salads or premixed salads. I am very particular about my salads and premixing ingredients changes the flavor entirely. But I CAN pre-make my salad dressing (I never use jarred or packages salad dressings) and have it ready to go in the fridge AND pre-wash and prepare all my toppings.

avocado toast

I think avocado toast + an egg is the PERFECT lunch (plus eggs last forever and we freeze our bread, so those thing are unlikely to go to waste! avocados are never wasted because we go through them so quickly at our house. I eat at least one avocado a day). 

DINNER

grilled salmon + veggies

We are big salmon eaters. I didn’t always like it. In fact, I used to hate it. I think I trained my brain to love it because it is soooo good for you. We eat at least two servings of it a week. Grilled salmon is my favorite, my favorite easy recipe is below. Last week, I portioned out the leftovers and it make the perfect easy lunch later that week. That’s the goal!

chicken caesar salad

Sometimes, a salad isn’t going to cut it for dinner. But a chicken caesar salad is a little heavier and the perfect dinner salad. 

SNACKS

oranges (love how they are already perfectly portioned 😉 ) + walnuts

veggies + hummus

going to wash and prep and put snack sized portions into tupperware containers

GROCERY LIST

avocados

lettuce (escarole + frisee)

oranges

cauliflower

carrots

cucumber

onion

kale

brussel sprouts

hummus

salmon

chicken

milk

egg

whole wheat toast

ALREADY HAVE

frozen berries

almond milk

olive oil + vinegar and other salad dressing necessities

oatmeal

walnuts

GRILLED SALMON RECIPE

last week we served it with brussel sprouts, caramelized onion and grilled corn! 

INGREDIENTS

1 lb salmon (I find this recipe works best with a large 1lb piece of salmon, as opposed to individual fillets) with skin removed

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp herbs de provence

1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

s+p to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

(1) combine all ingredients and brush over salmon on all sides. Let salmon marinate for 1/2 hour

(2) heat grill to medium or 350 degrees (thoroughly clean grill and brush grill with remaining olive oil so the salmon does not stick to the grill)

(3) cook 5-7 minutes on each side (we like ours well done, so I cook it 7 minutes on each side)