What We Are Cooking This Week

One of the most common things we hear when it comes to nutrition is, “It’s just overwhelming.”

We get it—life is full. The weeks are busy, the days fly by, and trying to figure out what to cook and what to buy at the store can feel like a lot!

So, we wanted to give you a glimpse into how we tackle food during the busy weeks. 

(Truth: we actually made every single one of these last week.)

Here’s how we tackle the week:

✅ One bulk lunch recipe that we prep on Saturday or Sunday for the week
✅ Three dinners we cook during the week, with leftovers on the other nights

🥣 Bulk Lunch: Taco Stew

We doubled this recipe by Pioneer Woman and left out the broth to make it more like a taco stew.  Top it with fresh cilantro and hot sauce if you like a little kick.

📌 Get the recipe

Grocery List:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 2 cans pinto beans
• 2 cans black beans
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 2 cans corn
• 2 packets taco seasoning
• broth: optional
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• Olive oil
• Fresh cilantro (for topping)

We skipped the broth so it’s more stew than soup—totally optional!

🍅 Dinner #1: Baked Orzo with Veggies & Ricotta

This Stephanie Kay Nutrition recipe is one of our favorite ways to sneak in a ton of veggies. We usually add chicken at the end for extra protein and love that it makes plenty for leftovers.

📌 Get the recipe

Grocery List:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 cups mushrooms, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1½ cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 lb dry orzo
• 2½ cups chicken or veggie broth
• optional: chicken to add to recipe!
• Dried basil, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt
• Olive oil
• Fresh basil (optional, for garnish)

🍗 Dinner #2: Grilled Chicken + Roasted Veggies

Simple is sometimes best. This meal is on weekly rotation at our house—easy to prep and easy to love.

Here’s what we do:

• Grill the chicken
• Roast the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes in olive oil, salt, and garlic powder

Grocery List:

• 2–4 chicken breasts or thighs
• 1.5 lbs Brussels sprouts
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder

🍔 Dinner #3: Smash Burgers, Salad, & Watermelon

We love these at our house. This “Recipe by Carol” is quick to make, great for summer nights, and kid-approved. We use this smash burger taco recipe as our base, and just adjust the toppings based on what we like.  Our favorite toppings: tomatoes, pickles, red onion, and lettuce or spinach. During the week, we use a bagged salad to save time—and watermelon is always a hit.

Grocery List:

• 1.5–2 lbs lean ground beef
• Tortillas
• Fresh tomatoes
• Pickles
• Red onion
• Lettuce or spinach
• Condiments
• 1–2 bags of salad mix
• 1 small watermelon

We hope these make your week a little easier. Let us know if you try them—or what tweaks you make to make them your own!