Okay, here we are! It’s 2022. 🎉 New Year, new…365 days of trying to decide what to make for dinner. Listen, hard same, and also we’ve got you, we’ve got you. This week’s 3-2-1 meal plan keeps things easy and delicious which, oof, after these last couple years we would like to dub the theme for this new year.
As promised with these meal plans, to make this magical list of yum happening, we’re going to do three sauces, two veg preps, and one snack to get you set up for the week. That way when dinnertime rolls around, you can roll your sleeves up and tackle it head-on, without too many sighs or rolling around on the floor crying (you know, in your head. Or maybe literally…depends on where this new year is finding you lol.).
So take some time this weekend and get some things prepped to help make life a little smoother, to save your brain and your time and your patience. And then let’s eat the heck out of some nutritious, delicious, joy-giving food all week long.
Smoky black beans simmered up with loads of kale and enchilada sauce, tucked into charred corn tortillas with some crunchy fresh corn in there for brightness. But also let us please warn you that we are pouring an extreme amount of spicy, herby aji verde (a Peruvian green sauce) all over these. It’s all just so wonderful. Plus, how fun is it to say “Beans & Greens”?! So fun. So good.
Classic vegan sorcery coming your way — this roasted red pepper sauce is so creamy without one single drip-drop of cream. Toss it with some perfectly chewy pasta and crown it with some sweet blistery tomatoes and a handful of fresh herbs. It’s such a breeze to come together, it is likely to become your new favorite weeknight staple
This stew is such a stunner and is so simple to put together that you think you must be doing it wrong. But you’re not! Super cozy and a highly delicious all-veg stew coming ‘atcha. It’s full of peppers and kale and warm smoky spices, there’s some pinto beans to fill it out, and then surprising little chunks of plantains! If you’re not familiar with the vegetable, they are an amazing starchy little banana cousin that bring an unexpected, slightly sweet bit of creaminess in each bite. And you better believe that deliciously spicy aji verde is coming back. Cuz you’ve got it prepped! Start pouring.
Easy breakfast and ready-grab snacks — and not thinking too hard about it either — is where. we’re. at. So these lil’ energy bites are our very best friend. Like, wholesome, slightly sweet, super satisfying, and very keep-in-the-fridge/ready-whenever-you-need-them best friends. With hints of honey and a subtle chocolatey crunch, they are so simple to throw together are ready to boost you all week long!
Veg course this week is the simplest green salad that will take under a minute and get your taste buds dancing. The dressing is an easy jar shake away, with hints of maple and deep balsamic flavor. Drizzle that on some tender fresh spring greens and you’ve got yourself a win. Also super flexible to be dressed up with cheese, nuts, dried fruit, and/or a protein, and also it goes with everything. Dinner, lunch, brunch — get this girl on your plate.
Sign Up To Receive Our Full Meal Prep Guide
So yes, now you have a list of links that gives you what you need to make a seriously delicious week of meals.
But we took it a step further than just a list of links.
We have a full grocery list and meal prep guide for you!
This series includes FREE printable meal plans for every week that not only include what you need to make these delicious meals, but how to make them happen in an easy, fun, and efficient way through the meal planning system I’ve used and loved. It’s real-life tested and real-life approved.
Here’s what’s included:
A meal plan with the selected recipes for the week;
A full grocery list;
A prep guide that outlines a 60 to 90 minute blitzfor prepping your meals for the week. THIS TOOL IS CRITICAL and this is what differentiates this resource from just a list of recipe links. I already did the work to pull out the steps that work well to prep ahead, and I made them into a really nice and easy guide for you.
All you have to do is sign up below to get started.
Happy Cooking!
Let’s ease into this new year, yes? Let’s have it meet us where we’re at, still moving through the world with joyful caution. Keep taking care of each other and taking care of yourselves and if just a small part of that is making food prep and planning easier for the week, we’re so happy to be able to help.
Thank you so much, food angels, for reminding us that something as simple as bright spring greens and an incredible homemade maple balsamic dressing can literally save the day over and over and over. Did you get a vegetable on the table with the meal? Sure did! And it was this super delicious, slightly sweet, super flexible, add-what-you-want/nix-what-you-don’t green salad and we are eating it every day with wild abandon.
And this little babe is ready to greet you any old time. Dinner, of course. Lunch, yes that makes sense. Brunch, you better believe she’s going to shine next to a piece of quiche. It’s all honestly so easy and so good.
The BEST Homemade Dressing
Since we really cannot take any credit for the spring greens, they’re just doing their thing, let’s talk about this dressing. It’s got all the elements you need to really make it feel special even though it could not be easier and it’s just a few jar-shakes away from being yours all day every day. Deep rich balsamic, a hint of maple sweetness, a subtle little garlic bite. Just get everything together in a jar and then that magnificence is going to be at the ready for you in your fridge all week long.
Here’s what you’ll need:
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
maple syrup
garlic powder
salt + pepp
That’s it, frands! Dressing dreams are yours!
How To Make This Green Salad (It’s Simple!)
You don’t really need a step-by-step here because it really only entails shaking up the dressing and plopping handfuls of greens into a bowl for gentle tossing, but there it is. Dressing ingredient jar-shake, greens plop, donezo. And then after that it’s really only the greens plop step since that dressing is already waiting in the fridge for you.
Shake dressing ingredients in a jar.
Plop your greens in a bowl for tossing.
Donezo.
Wrote it out anyway, just in case you didn’t believe us.
The real beauty of this easy wonder is that it can go with anything! It’s so good with soup or as a side with a pasta dish, something bright and green to go with a casserole or seriously, it’s been brunch-fare around here and it has been WONDERFUL. It’s so fast to bring together that even if you think of it at the very last second, you can still get it out on the table in under a minute for a nice little green boost to any meal. You better believe our fridge has been steadily stocked with spring greens and dressing swirls for just such a last-second occasion.
Dress It Up If You Like
It’s been a meal plan staple around here just as is, but it is ready for any of your salad-making artistry. You can make it as hearty as you like by adding some goat cheese or any other you like, maybe a few nuts or seeds. Maybe a little dried fruit in there or a pile of extra veg if you’re chopping. Did someone mention big hunky croutons? Yep, that was us and they would definitely be great.
Get some grilled chicken going on that and you have yourself a whole meal outta this guy. But then just please make sure you stock up on some more spring greens so you can keep popping those on the side at every meal this week and feel like a darn fancy champ with this tangy, barely sweet stunner.
Ugh, it’s just so great with all the things. What is that Whitney Houston song? “YOU’RE SIMPLY THE BEST!….The salad that’s lightly dressed….”
Not sure if those lyrics are right but…they feel right.
Simple Green Salad: FAQs
How long does the dressing stay good for?
Dressing keeps well in the fridge for a week or more!
What should I serve with this salad?
This goes well with literally everything: soups, pastas, casseroles, brunch – I’ve done it all. This is a weekly staple for us.
When should I toss the salad with the dressing?
The greens will start to soften a bit when the dressing hits, so be sure to toss just before serving for optimal salad texture.
Every table needs this Simple Green Salad! Fresh spring greens drizzled with a maple balsamic dressing and sprinkled with whatever crunchies your salad-loving heart desires.
Ingredients
Units
Dressing
1/4cupmaple syrup
1/4cupbalsamic vinegar
1/2cupolive oil
1/2 teaspoongarlic powder
1 teaspoonsalt
black pepper to taste
Salad
4cupsspring greens
seeds, nuts, or any other crunchies for topping if you want (not necessary though!)
Instructions
Shake dressing ingredients up in a jar. Taste and adjust to get it just right for how you like it.
Toss a generous amount of spring greens with just a few light drizzles of dressing – you want to get the leaves entirely coated in dressing (but not so much that they get soggy). I often use my hands to gently toss it well without breaking all the greens. Serve immediately.
Notes
I usually do one generous handful of spring mix per person, and 1-2 circular pours of dressing from the jar – you really need less dressing than you think! Just need a really thorough toss to coat them well.
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:0 minutes
Category:Salad
Method:Toss
Cuisine:American
Keywords: simple green salad, green salad, everyday salad
I’m so excited to be here with a COFFEE DATE after a long (too long) hiatus, and I have about a million and one things I want to tell you about. And I’m back on caffeine so, yeah, that adds up!
I’m titling this a Post-Holiday Coffee Date because I feel like I’m still sort of recovering from the holidays (lol) and sometimes the easiest way back in is to start with what’s easy and fun.
So, before we launch into this, what are you drinking?
I’m still drinking peppermint coffees because I am a monster who bought an excessive number of peppermint creamers in November and December. They are WINTER drinks to me, okay? Not just holiday. And winter in Minnesota is long! We need a lot of this stuff.
I’m also showing off a photo of my Caribou drink in that photo up there because what is Midwestern holiday season without 500 Caribou drinks? And also, the designs on the cups this year were SO GOOD that I am tempted to flatten all my used cups and repurpose them as wallpaper. Seriously. Well done over there, team.
Alright, coffee (caffeinated!) is refilled, so let’s chat.
1: Life With Two
This could be the start and end of this coffee date, because some version of this is what I am doing pretty much most of the time.
Having two kids is a trip. And I mean that in a sometimes-fun-sometimes-omg kind of way. 2021 (the baby / toddler combo year) was not the easiest time for us. We pretty much haven’t had a night of sleep straight through since… 2020 sometime? I don’t know. It’s all a blur. You guys know.
That transition from one to two has been quite a ride for us, but now that it’s even-ing out a bit and we’re out of the very thickest of the chaos of middle of the night feedings and potty training, I am just enjoying these two little floofs so, so much.
In the category of random things that moms talk about:
Breastfeeding: Yes, I breastfed Lena, and now we’re done. Mixed feelings about it. Mostly sad feelings, actually. But I couldn’t keep up with pumping anymore and she was just too interested in other things to have the patience to keep nursing. She does just a few whole milk bottles each day now.
Sleep Training: Yes, we did it, with both girls. Yes, I mostly hated it. Yes, I think it was the best decision for us. No, I don’t want to start any debates. We did the Taking Cara Babies program with Solvi did perfectly and she has been a great sleeper until this summer when it all fell apart (fun!), so we are now rebuilding a bit. And Lena, from literally the first night in the hospital, she just had her own agenda. Screamed all night unless she was held. And I mean ALL NIGHT. Sleep training at 6 months with a sleep consultant sorta worked, sorta not. But at this point she’s doing so well and she definitely wins the “most improved” award. She wakes us up with snuggles every morning and it’s absolutely worth all the extra dark circles I’ve gained this last year.
Solids / Food: I know Baby Led Weaning is The Thing right now, but we are not doing Baby Led Weaning with Lena. Didn’t with Solvi either. They both ate purees as their first food because I was too anxious for BLW. And because I liked making purees! They now both eat table food of all varieties and I’m glad I didn’t do it just because I felt like I should do it, know what I mean? If you are doing BLW, that’s awesome. I love the concept of it. It just wasn’t right for us.
Overall, knock on wood, things are really in a good place. As a former elementary school teacher with a minor in preprimary education, I’m find this preschooler + pre-toddler combo to be really, really awesome. I love where both of them are at developmentally and it’s such a joy to learn a little more about their personalities every day. I feel like almost everything they do or say is funny, cute, or just totally off the wall weird… unless it’s one of the 100 things they also do that are frustrating in which case nevermind. 2022 is looking solid. It’s exhausting, but – cheese alert – I am just having so much fun being a mom. ðŸ˜❤️
2: Solvi’s Heart Surgery
(SIde note – this is a photo from one of my favorite Christmas memories this year that I turned into a “painting” with this fun app called Brushstroke. I don’t care if it will look weird in 5 years, I love it so much.)
Many of you followed up after the coffee date post in September to ask about Solvi’s heart procedure and how it went. Thank you so, so much for your care. ♡
The short version is that everything went as well as it could have possibly gone.
The doctor had given us a 40% chance that this procedure would not work for her, in which case they’d move to open heart surgery as the next step. But when the surgeon walked into the waiting room to talk to us, he help up the photo of her heart and how the issue had been repaired, and we just cried with relief.
She is doing so well and has no restrictions on anything from here on out, assuming all her checkups continue to appear normal and healthy. We are so grateful to the doctors and nurses who took such amazing care of her and her heart, and grateful for all of the prayers of our friends and family who held us up during that time.
Life is a gift.
3: Spas Are Great
On a lighter, stress-reducing note, spas are amazing for making you feel like you’re on a vacation for 4 hours! This one in particular is really luxurious, if you’re in Minneapolis and looking to treat yourself to a day that feels like vacation.
This is the Anda spa in downtown Minneapolis and I would highly recommend it. It’s gorgeous, quiet, and super easy to navigate being that they give you free valet parking with spa services. WIN. I’m planning to move in for the winter.
4: The Invisible Work Of… Everything?
I’m not sure if this is a book rec or just more of a hey-we-did-this-and-it-was-interesting kind of thing. Maybe both?
This is called Fair Play and it’s basically a book / card system to divvy up domestic responsibilities of life between partners.
I read most of the book this fall (felt kind of meh about it), but Bjork and I used “the cards” for it which I found a lot more useful. It’s been a really interesting way for us to look at dividing the load of life – housework, parenting, chores, etc.
The concept is that for each task that needs to happen in life (groceries, car maintenance, yard work, kids’ clothes) you assign one partner the card for that task. And when a person holds a card, they’re in charge of it from start to finish – conceptualizing, planning, and executing. With the goal that no one person in a relationship feels overburdened with all the tasks (even if those tasks are invisible or just mental). It doesn’t have to be equal in number, but just agreed upon in terms of who does what – and what things you can get rid of altogether.
There are some things about it that I didn’t love about it – mainly that it paints a picture of male partners who don’t do any work, but I will say even in a partnership where both of us were very involved with various domestic tasks, I feel like the cards were still a good tool for having some conversations about how you could create more of an efficient partnership in how you manage your home life.
Anybody done this?
5: Christmas
Here’s a photo of Lena wearing a Christmas dress that I wore as a baby. MY HEART.
Our Christmas was really sweet this year, especially after a year of limiting social contacts last year. Christmas fast-facts:
Best present I got: a gift card to Anda spa (see you soon!), a molcajete, an “I Love My Mom” mug from Solvi, and a spring trip with my family to Arizona. YAY!
Best present I gave: Paw Patrol Skye figurine to Solvi, water bottle to Lena (lol), and a big batch of Swedish meatballs for our extended family Christmas.
Favorite memory: taking Solvi out to play in the snow on the evening of our biggest snowstorm – running through the dark streets with snow falling, her laughing, and just the streetlights on.
6: Really Just The Best Ice Cream Of All Time
End of story.
I’ve spoken about this at length on Instagram and I really do think it’s the best ice cream I’ve ever eaten. It’s supremely creamy, with the right amount of flavor and crunch, and there is nothing else like it. Please go find it.
7: Five Years
Hard to believe it’s been five years.
There were moments of sad this year, but overall this year felt peaceful.
I’m so grateful that all the love we feel for Afton has an adjacent place to land with Solvi and Lena. It’s not the same, and sometimes it still takes my breath away when I see a little boy and his mom having a moment together, or when I think of what life would be like with him here. But the fact that we don’t have to just hold onto all that love in empty arms anymore definitely softens that pain. Sharing that love with our girls is such a gift.
Sage Says
Oh, Sage.
She’s still our sweetest, snuggliest, growl-at-strangers nervous girl, and she is usually slightly annoyed with the girls for constantly getting in her space, but then sleeps next to the door outside Solvi’s room every single night like the loyal protector and friend that she is.
Our girl is getting older, though. I knew it would happen, but also, why does it need to happen. Her knees and joints are getting weak. She’s struggling to go up and down the stairs and she is taking arthritis medication to help her manage the pain in her legs. And I feel a little tender writing this out because it makes more real that our fur baby is entering old age. I’m not ready for it.
Sage with our friend Joe, one of her favorite people for snugs.
This quote is less of a Sage-Says and more of a Sarah Bessey-Says, as it’s taken directly from a newsletter she wrote that landed in my inbox this afternoon, but I think it fits as we think about a new year:
“Some of your work for 2022 will be evident to people. Other work will only be evident to you, perhaps your therapist, your closest people, our Holy Spirit. It’s all good work and I bless you in it. But perhaps this is also a year to be excessively gentle with yourself, too.
Gentle with your words to yourself. Gentle with your expectations. Gentle with your demands. Gentle with your soul. Gentle with your plans, your time, your hours, your sleep. Gentle with your partner, your kids, your people. Gentle with your needs, your wants, your desires. Gentle with your mind and your body.
Be excessively gentle, my friend. You don’t have to earn this. You are beloved by God, our Mother, let Them love you as a mother loves her baby.“
As a mother loves her baby. As a girl loves her dog. And I think that sums it up: whether to Sage, or your people, or yourself, gentleness feels really right these days. ♡
Thanks for being here, as always. Wishing you gentleness as you enter the new year. Cheers to good, good things ahead.
But also, yes, here we are. And it’s clear we’re still very much looking for an ease into things. This month we’re all about preparedness (#newyear) and ready-grab snacks and not thinking too hard about it all, and bingo! These lil’ energy bites are our new very best friend.
Wholesome, slightly sweet, super satisfying, and very keep-in-the-fridge/ready-whenever-you-need-them best friends. And we are calling on them. Weekly. You will too!
Perfect for breakfast or an anytime snack. These little sweet, chewy bites with hints of maple and subtle crunch are ready to boost you all day long!
A No-Bake Seven-Ingredient Miracle
It takes very few things for these little wonder bites to come together and here’s the thing, an oven IS NOT ONE OF THEM. A real simple list of ingredients that you mix up, ball up, chill up, and then eat ’em up all the days through.
dates
pecans
oats
almond butter
maple syrup
vanilla
flaxmeal
Three Steps To Make These Energy Bites
Who doesn’t love a three-step process?! Classic. Easy. Get us to pecan pie bites quickly, please.
Throw everything in the food processor and buzz up until mostly smooth and kinda dough-y.
Start balling them up! And pop them on a parchment lined sheet.
Chill and store in the fridge or freezer (we prefer the freezer, but both are great!)
Made that last guy a step even though it’s really not a step so much as a yay-you’re-done-pecan-pie-energy-bites-forever declaration. See? So easy! These keep saving us over and over and over.
Made To Your Heart’s Desire
The flexibility of these angels is also A+. You can throw in different nuts, use honey or another liquid sweetener you prefer. Want a different nut butter option? That’s a thing you can do! Want to skip flaxmeal because that isn’t a pantry-stocker for you? You’re a champion, who needs it. Did some cranberries or chocolate chips fall in that food processor while you were mixing?! OK YES, YOU’RE DOING IT. SNACK NIRVANA IS ON ITS WAY.
Whatever you make them, they are great for an easy grab-and-go breakfast, or awesome to put out on the table for the kiddos to occupy their little hands and tum tums while you get dinner prep going, maybe you’re doing laps through the house while you WFH and why not stop and grab one out of the fridge and pop it in your mouth on the move? It’s like those cheering volunteers who hand you tiny cups of water during a marathon but instead, it’s pecan pie energy bites and honestly, they are so, so much more fun than a tiny cup of water.
(But also, drink water. It’s the new year. We’re all making that resolution, right? Drink more water?)
Truly that marathon analogy feels right. We rounding the corner of this very long run but there’s still quite a ways to go. So we’ll take the little energy boosts anywhere we can get them — especially if they’re balled up and in a ready-grab fridge container — to help keep us going and push us through, with wholesome pecan pie flavored goodness.
Pecan Pie Energy Bites: FAQs
What could I use instead of dates?
Dates really work best here, but you could also try dried figs – they will be less soft and creamy so you may need to adjust amounts. If you’re looking for a date-free energy bite, try these fan-fave Cookie Dough Energy Bites.
How do you recommend storing these?
You can store these in the fridge or the freezer in a sealed container.
Is there a sub for almond butter?
You could use peanut butter or sunflower seed butter here in place of the almond butter.
These Pecan Pie Energy Bites are a cute lil’ 7-ingredient miracle! Made with dates, pecans, oats, almond butter, and maple syrup, you’re going to be snackin’ on these all. day. long.
Ingredients
Units
10dates
1 1/2cupspecans
1/2cupoats
1/4cupflaxmeal
1/4cupalmond butter
2 tablespoonsmaple syrup
1 teaspoonvanilla
pinch of sea salt
Instructions
Mix everything in the food processor until it’s nice and smooth-ish, like a dough.
Roll into individual balls.
Store in the fridge or freezer (I keep mine in the freezer).
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:0 minutes
Category:Snack
Method:No Bake
Cuisine:American
Keywords: pecan pie energy bites, energy bite, pecan pie energy ball
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