Good Monday morning!

How was everyone’s weekend? It was an exciting on for us because Trevor’s parents met baby Zahra this weekend! As you all know, we have been very cautious with her due to the pandemic and her being so small. We would normally be hesitant to have her around lots of people but Covid-19 adds a whole new layer. Since Trevor’s mom works in healthcare and neither could self isolation or quarantine the pediatrician and and us thought it best to wait until Zahra was beyond 3 months and have them test before they came. 

Thankfully they were able to get testing done before they arrived so we enjoyed a full weekend of baby snuggles and some much missed family time. I know they had been waiting to see her and it’s one of those things that I didn’t realize had such an emotional effect on us till it happened. I feel like with much of this pandemic you are sort of just continuing to adapt and ‘move on’ with life and maybe not internalizing how much it is truly affecting you. That’s a whole other topic for a whole other day 😉

As for today, we are getting back into the swing of things and since we had a pretty indulgent weekend over here we decided to meal plan a few low carb meals to stick to this week. Cooking at home has become one of my favorite activities in the evening. It gives me a bit of alone time, I light a candle and turn on Spotify and it brings me peace. This candle is a new obsession and well worth the money! It smells so good, think a subtle sandalwood reminding you of a crisp fall morning. I also recently bought the Our Place pan and am obsessed. It’s crazy what a new pan and candle can do for your mood. If you aren’t familiar with the company, it’s female owned and gives back a portion of the proceeds. The pan is non toxic, totally clean, comes with a steamer and is a cinch to clean. Overall, I think it is well worth the money considering I haven’t used another pan since it arrived. However, I don’t have a ton of time in the kitchen so being efficient and meal planning helps so much. 

These roundup’s serve as my planning the week before so I can create a grocery list and make a schedule of what we are eating when. I also recently purchased and hung this acrylic calendar in our kitchen to keep track of our lives and adding the menu to it has been amazing. 

So, here is what we have on the schedule for the week: 

 

Spicy Shrimp and Cauliflower Grits

This is a staple in our house and I love my mom’s masala recipe for it! 

 

 

 

Sheet Pan Steak and Veggies

Any sheet pan recipe is a no brainer for me and this looks heavenly for a cool fall evening!

 

 

 

One Pan Lemon Garlic Salmon

This is similar to a staple recipe of mine and I don’t know why I never thought to just throw some veggies on there! Less clean up and less work.

 

 

 

Spicy Pork Brussels Bowls

I am not a huge pork person and will substitute that with the spicy chicken sausage I get at Whole Foods but this looks amazing! 

 

 

 

Greek Turkey Burgers

Bunless burgers go over very well with Zain and Trevor so I am adding a Greek twist this week! 

 

 

Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry

Another one pot meal that eliminates lots of clean up and takes care of my veggie and protein at the same time!

 

 

Hope that provides you with some inspiration for your week!