Hey, loves! If you follow me over on Instagram, you know that I’ve been trying to stay on top of all of your questions by doing a Sunday Q&A every week. And this week, I got lots of requests for healthy and budget friendly meal ideas, plus how I stay on top of meal planning for the week. So let’s meal plan together for the week!
When it comes to reaching for healthy meals, lunch is always hard for me. If I don’t plan ahead, I’m more likely to just reach for something prepackaged or grab something from a drive-thru while I’m running errands. If I want to make sure I make good choices, I have to meal prep my lunches. This salad is the best for fall, and if you make it with kale, you can let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days soaking up the dressing and softening the crunchy leaves.
1. Chop up one sweet potato into small cubes. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake at 425 for 30 minutes.
2. In a large bowl add a spinach and lettuce mix, top with chopped avocado, the roasted sweet potatoes, crumbled feta cheese, pomegranate seeds, and candied walnuts.
3. Drizzle on any vinaigrette dressing of your choice, and enjoy! 🥰🥰🥰
This salad is packed with super foods and the colors are just so pretty for fall!
Everyone has that one day of the week where everything just seems to come down on you at once. School, sports, meetings, doctor’s appointments. Whenever I know I’m going to be too busy to even think about dinner, I go for this no brainer recipe – 15 minute chili! It’s a hearty, filling meal served hot on a chilly fall day. I know the kids will eat it, and I love making a big batch so I can freeze half for later or use it for my lunches for the rest of the week.
My kids go crazy for these pumpkin bread rolls (no pumpkin involved in this recipe!) They’re adorable, they keep well throughout the week, and they’ll wow guests if you have anyone over during the week.
1. Chop a mozzarella stick into 8 small pieces
2. Using grands crescent rolls, roll each triangle into a ball. Push the piece of cheese into the middle and roll until the dough ball is smooth.
3. Tie kitchen twine around the ball to give it a pumpkin shape. Don’t tie too tight or it’s really hard to remove!
4. Bake on a greased baking pan at 350 F for 10 minutes.
5. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the twine.
6. Push half a pretzel stick into the roll for the stem. Enjoy!
And with Halloween coming up, I’m sure you’re either volunteered to help with a classroom celebration, invited to a neighborhood block party, or looking for a way to kick off the festivities at home. Put the healthy dishes on pause for a minute and make room for the pumpkin swirl brownies!
These ooey gooey fudgey brownies are just as pretty as they are delicious, so everyone will think you went the extra mile. But spoiler alert, they’re so easy!
Preheat oven to 350 F.
For the Brownie Base
In a mixing bowl add:
* 1 stick of melted butter
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
* 3 eggs
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix well.
In a separate bowl add dry ingredients:
* 2/3 cup cocoa powder
* 1 cup flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 tsp salt
Mix well. Then add to wet ingredients and blend for 2 minutes. Add batter to greased 13×9 baking dish. Spread evenly.
For the Cheesecake swirl
In a new bowl add:
* 4 ounces room temperature cream cheese
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1 egg
* 1/2 tsp vanilla
Mix well, and then divide in half in two separate bowls. Add these two ingredients to one bowl and mix well.
* 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
* 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
* Optional: a few drops orange food dye
Put lines of the white cheesecake and orange cheesecake over the brownies. Use a butter knife to draw marbled lines across the batter.
Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes.
Let cool and refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting.
Enjoy!! ✨✨✨
I hope you all have an incredible Halloween and remember how much you’re doing for your families just by cooking them these meals. The most important work you’ll ever do is inside your home. Happy Halloween!
enjoying bits of life as a mama + homemaker 
easy + extra recipes, decor + cleaning motivation! 
