"Thrive"

If you've been following my Garage Girls Facebook posts, my theme this past week has been "thrive".  What things are you passionate about and help motivate you?

Growing up in a big Italian family, food was always the center or focus of our day!  On the weekends during breakfast, my father would ask, "What should we have for lunch?"  Our family gatherings were filled with homemade & delicious treats.  Because of this, enjoying family and food has always been something that has helped me "thrive".  I am trying to pass on  family traditions with my children, one in particular is enjoying meals together.

Many of us are busy with work, kids, sports, etc. and are looking for ways to put a healthy meal on the table.  Feeding my family nutritious meals is very important to me.  I want them to enjoy "real" food and appreciate the health benefits of eating clean & healthy.  They understand that to thrive & excel requires nourishing the body with food and movement.

We have incorporated planning our weekly meals together so they feel like they have a say in what they are eating.  I ask all 4 of them to pick a meal and they help prep, cook, and clean up.  It gives us one- on- one time together which we all love, and they are learning important life skills.

I do my market shopping usually on Mondays, so Sunday morning while eating breakfast we discuss our meal picks.  Each child gets a night and so does my husband and I, leaving one night free for pizza, take out, etc.  After discussing, tweaking, and making my list, I hit the market.  Weekly meal planning has saved me time and money!

We do have some rules.  We agree to look through some cook books or magazines for some new and healthy ideas and try every few weeks to not repeat.  Tough for many because once they find something they like they want it each week!  It's becoming harder for the older kids to really participate with the planning and cooking because of sports and homework.  However, they really like having a say and do their best to participate.  We all look forward to eating dinner together and talking and sharing stories.  Some nights there are more of us at the table then others, but we try and make it work.  The memories at the table are priceless!

Here's this week's menu:

Monday: mini-pizzas for an appetizer made with pie crusts, BBQ chicken, fresh veggies, salad and watermelon.

Tuesday:  Shrimp risotto with onion and zucchini

Wednesday:  egg & sausage sandwiches on a bagel with sauteed mushrooms, onions and spinach

Thursday: Roasted veggies and chicken

Friday:  salad and pizza

Saturday:  grilled flank steak, roasted potatoes (sweet and white), & string beans

Sunday: seared tuna steaks on top of arugula and brown rice

If anything seems interesting to you and you'd like the recipe, please contact me and Ill be happy to send it to you!

Enjoy all.  Here's to a great week ahead!

Donna