Hi You Guys!!!
I hope you've been well, nourishing yourselves with God's goodness, and enjoying life. As you guys know I work a regular 9 to 5, which sad to say, has many downsides in this century, than advantages. Why it has to be that way is beyond me. I'm a very observant type of young woman and I can't help but see how far we've strayed from the ways of God as a country and people. The way God designed things was so effortless and beautiful and intentionally created with Him and His creation in mind- so complex (for us), so wise, so God. Imagine life, God's way? I'll let that be the food for thought for today's writing.
Now, let's get into the topic for today's post which is how to bring healthy and simple dinners to your table EVERY night, especially for the working ladies.
Working a 9 to 5 can be crazy in today's world; with our phones constantly going off and beeping for our attention, children or family to tend to with love and patience, and God who deserves our best every day- it all can be hard to manage. And in all honestly, IT IS hard to manage. There's no other way around it, but there are ways to make it easier and one of those ways is what's being served on your plate day in and day out.
Feeding ourselves well, called nourishment, is vital. Our body was designed to use food as fuel. The options you reach for everyday affect you today and in the future, which also affects, Jesus and your family. I can't expect to eat Cheetos and strawberry slices for lunch and feel like I can take on my portion of the world (because let's be real, "taking on the world" is not for me). What I used to make for dinners for my family were so amazing, but took hours to make. Yes, lobster thermidor is delish on Fridays and stuffed chicken with a frou-frou side dish on Wednesday, but I can't do that every week. But, we (Jesus and I) can do these meals that I'll share below! They are so nourishing, simple, and delicious- I know your family will enjoy them!
TIPS:
The key to making these nourshing, simple kind of meals starts with the ingredient list and the overall quality of the product (Organic). If I already lost your interest, then this blog isn't for you. If you're still interested, please keep reading!
The ingredient list is our tool to know if our body can digest what it's eating. My body doesn't recognize guar gum, but it does recognize other thickeners, like flour. My body doesn't recognize maltodextrin and can't digest that, but it does recognize flax seeds that can aid in the same purpose of what maltodextrin is being used for. All these extra, unneeded ingredients can cause inflammation and things in the body that leave us scratching our heads, when our food is one of the main culprits with its own constitution written on the back under the ingredient list. Next, quality. I used to be one of those people that said 'If I hear someone say "And yes, these are my organic potatoes, oh, and I can't forget my organic eggs and shampoo", lol! Now, that's me, lol again! Non-gmo gets rids of the gmos, but Organic gets rid of the pesticides that hurt our body. Why would I want to eat food that's been sprayed with so much junk, why would anyone? So, I now make the effort to buy Organic almost everything and trust God to provide.
I try to make sure my meals include a protein, carb, fat, and veggie. I sometimes might x the veggie out if I'm short on time, but that's what I go with normally.
Those are the basics. I KNOW you'll feel better and if not, seek God. Let's get started.
Monday
Baked Chicken with Mash and Broccoli
I like to bake enough of my meals for leftovers for the next night. Start with thawed bone-in chicken thighs, place in a big baking dish with enough room for all your meat, season with excellent quality salt, chopped onion, garlic cloves, some herbs e.g. thyme, oregano, etc., and just enough good quality water. Bake until done. For Mash, soak potatoes in cold water, rinse, then fill pot with water to boil them (until just over tender), pour out excess water, mash with a fork, add butter, milk, sour cream, sharp white cheddar (or switch up the cheeses if you'd like, whatever the budget can afford), salt, and pepper. Set aside.
For the Broccoli, boil until tender. Toss with butter, chopped garlic, and salt. Serve with a teaspoon or more sauerkraut to help your gut's flora and overall, bodily wellness.
*I do tallow for now, since dairy doesn't do too well with me but my momma does dairy!
Tuesday
Repeat of Monday
Wednesday
Steak with Mash and More Broccoli
For the steak, I sear on both sides until brown, preparing them by ensuring they're thoroughly dry and seasoning with salt and pepper generously. I add butter and herbs to pan. Bake in the oven until done. Let rest. Prepare sides as listed on Monday, but skip the cheese for the potatoes, unless desired. I didn't make doubles for this one.
Thursday
Roasted Chicken with Butternut Squash Cubes and Kale
For the chicken, prepare as Monday (you can spruce it up with apples and onions, it's up to you!). For the squash, I grease a baking sheet, pour out frozen cubed butternut squash, drizzle with olive oil, not extra virgin kind but standard, top with salt and pepper. I bake until tender. For kale, I use the Oh She Glows Kale Chip seasoning lol with nutritional yeast, and sautee my kale with olive oil and midway cooked I add those seasonings until tender. I did doubles for Saturday night.
Friday
Stew Beef Soup with Butternut Squash and Veggies
This meal I keep simple since I like to cook big breakfast on Saturday morning (anyone remember getting up on Saturday looking forward to pancakes, bacon, eggs, the whole nine?)! This meal is like a rest for our tummies before we eat amazing goodness soon to come. I brown my beef on all sides (make sure it's dry y'all) in a preheated dutch oven, sprinkling with salt. When the last side is almost brown, I add my onions and garlic, just enough of them. Fill pot with water. Add in your veggies that take the longest to cook first e.g. broccoli, squash. Bring to a boil, then turn down just enough but where boil is maintained and cook until tender with lid on. This is so delish and I have the recipe on my blog, check it out!
Saturday
Leftovers from Friday
Sunday
Stir-Fry
Soak your rice and rinse, then cook with unsalted homemade meat stock. Sautee any veggies leftover in fridge that go together in a heated pan with duck fat. Set those aside and cook up a lot of eggs. Once all those are done, place together. In small pot, heat liquid aminos, brown sugar, minced ginger, a small bit of garlic and green onion. Once you get a bit of fragrance, turn off and drizzle sauce over your mixture of rice, veggies, and eggs. I make a simple meal on this night as Sunday is my day to cut up veggies, prepare any grains, etc. for the week ahead.
I hope you see how simple this can be- it works for my family and we reap many benefits from it. I hope you give these ideas a try and tell me how you like them!
Love,
Hannah
Don't forget to check out my YouTube channel, Hannah's Home created., if you enjoy more of a video-format!
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