This week is the last full week in our challenge, and we had some more deviations from our list. Overall though, the week was chock full of yummy meals and (mostly) everyone was happy!
If you need a refresher, here is the initial post explaining what “Minimal Meals Month” entails.
You can also read a recap of Week One and Weeks Two and Three!
Here’s what we ate during the fourth full week of our challenge.
An Overview
Breakfast has probably been the simplest part of the challenge. We have many different options, and my kids generally like all of them!
- Pancakes* (I did use a pancake mix in my pantry rather than making these from scratch like I did in previous weeks using just bananas, oats, etc. so this is a cheat!)
- Smoothies
- Tofu scramble (OK, this is a mom favorite – not my kids’ preference)
- Eggs, mostly scrambled or fried
- Steel cut oats chilled with fruit, cacao nibs, cocoa powder, etc.
Snacks were also pretty easy.
- Celery, cucumbers, carrots and peppers
- Apples and peanut butter
- Mango
- The kids did eat Goldfish* for one snack when I was out of the house working
- Other fruit: mandarins*, grapes*, blueberries, raspberries
Lunch was a bit thrown together in this week. I didn’t plan in advance well for lunch options, so we did a lot of leftovers.
- Pizza (made simply using plain pizza crusts, tomato sauce, and mozzarella; a few kids added olives*)
- Mac and cheese
- Leftover spaghetti
- Other dinner leftovers
- Friday we were out of the house for our annual homeschool Harvest Party, so we had chips and dip, cut veggies, cheese and crackers, rice, chili, sausage and kale soup, peach cobbler, baked apples, and pumpkin cookies; it was a feast!
- And one day was our family “Poetry Slam” (the kids performed poems they had been memorizing for school in front of family members): hummus and PBJ sandwiches, homemade tomato soup, fruit, and chocolate tofu mousse with blueberries (there was also chocolate creme pie*, and a tray of Italian cookies* for the occasion)
Dinners got creative this week and we did a lot of leftover/clean-out-the-fridge nights.
- Dal makhani with yellow rice (black beans cooked with garlic, ginger, and spices like cumin and coriander)
- Leftover tofu nuggets with General Tso’s sauce and rice
- Salads
- We were at a friend’s one night and had takeout: pizza
- Tofu veggie breakfast scramble with toast
Things I ate instead of pizza and some of the options I made for the rest of the family:
- Arugula salad topped with berries and balsamic vinaigrette (I make my own by blending hummus with vinegar and some spices and then thinning with water – creamy and delicious!)
- Fresh raspberries and blueberries drizzled with almond butter* and sprinkled with flaxseed, chia seed, cacao nibs, and/or sometimes a bit of granola
Another deviation from the Minimal Meals Challenge: A. really wanted these vegan reubens that I make, so he stopped at the store for thousand island dressing, vegan provolone, and rye bread, and I made the vegan “pastrami” using vital wheat gluten and spices. I already had sauerkraut in the fridge. Several people in my house ate these sandwiches – including me! They went so fast, I never remembered to take a picture.
Conclusion
I really like this challenge despite some hiccups and cheats along the way. If you want to read more about the month, check out the Minimal Months in Review post.
Thanks for following along with us!