Resolutions, Meal Planning, & Free Printables

This year I didn't exactly make a New Years Resolution since my Resolution started in October when I started P90X3 and a healthier lifestyle. One thing I am working to get better about this year compared to last year however is meal planning. I tend to be a little lazy about my meal planning, which leads to my husband and I going out for Subway or Chipotle runs for dinner. But one great way to keep me on track with my healthy choices is to meal plan for the week and get my groceries early. This week I'm ahead of schedule and have already started the process of meal planning for the upcoming week. As soon as I finished my meal planning I got all the groceries I needed as well. 

I like to use handy meal planning documents on my computer because they allow me to add links to the recipes I'm making along with the ingredients I'll input on the Shopping List side before I print it. This week I'll be making Chipotle Burrito Bowls (Vegetarian and Chicken versions), Balsamic Tofu & Avocado Tacos, Zucchini Pizzas, Sweet & Sour Spicy Tofu Stir Fry, Spinach Burgers, Avocado Quesadillas, and Crockpot Minestrone Soup. The great thing about the Soup I make on Sunday is that I'll have enough leftovers after that to last 1-2 extra days of the next week. As the week goes on I'll post my recipes for any I don't already have on the blog.

I'm pretty happy with the ingredients I bought. For the recipes I've picked I have the majority of the ingredients around my house normally. For the ingredients that I had to pick up it was mostly fresh ingredients or reduced sodium/organic ingredients. Plus for what I had to buy for recipes this week I spent less than $40 total. That makes my Shakeology breakfast shake I budget of $4.00 per day even more reasonable this week. 

Here's the free printable I've made to use. Feel free to download or print for your use as well. 

What are your favorite go to meals while meal planning? Do you use a printable document or an app on your phone to meal plan?

Balsamic Tofu & Pineapple Avocado Tacos

I absolutely love finding new Vegetarian recipes that are actually healthy. I have to say this recipe for Balsamic Tofu & Pineapple Avocado Tacos by Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth is one of those recipes. I've been craving this recipe ever since I saw it on Pinterest. The mix of tangy balsamic, sweet pineapple, and creamy avocado just sounds perfectly mouthwatering. Even typing this up right now I'm getting hungry thinking about it. Therefore my husband and I decided we had to make it for dinner this past weekend.

We started by gathering all of our ingredients together. This recipe really doesn't have that many ingredients to it so it makes it SUPER easy to make. I love the recipes that have less than 10 ingredients. I hate when I find a super tasty looking meal then check the recipe and theres like 20 plus ingredients. No thanks!!

If you haven't worked with tofu before there are certain steps you must take to prep the tofu for your meal. If you skip this step your tofu will end up being super watery which doesn't make it taste as great and cook as well. You can do this step either before or after cutting up the tofu. I drain my tofu, chop it, then lay it on a plate on top of a paper towel. I then place another paper towel on top, with a plate on top of that. I used my bowl of bananas to press the water out, but you can use anything that's about 1-2 pounds. It's good to let it stand for 20-30 minutes. 

Next I measured out my ingredients and mixed the sauce to create the glaze for the tofu. At first glance it might seem like these would be a weird mixture on tofu, but it's perfection!! Once the glaze was ready I transferred the tofu to the balsamic mixture and let it marinade for 20 minutes. 

I then laid the tofu out evenly on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. I set it to bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. After the first 20 minutes I flipped the tofu, drizzled with remaining balsamic glaze, and put it back in to bake for another 10 minutes. While this was baking I prepped the pineapple and avocado. I used my OXO 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer. Since I eat a lot of avocados this thing is basically my best friend!! If you eat avocados as much as me I definitely recommend buying one. It slices the avocado in half, de-pits it, and cubes the avocado all with only 1 tool. I seriously love it!

Once everything was ready I laid out my ingredients and was ready to chow down. Seriously guys this recipe is amazing. It's so refreshing and great for a healthy dinner or lunch option for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. This is definitely a beautiful recipe as well. 

Balsamic Tofu & Pineapple Tacos
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 package extra firm tofu (14oz)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp honey mustard
• 1/2 Tbsp agave
• 8 corn tortillas
• 2 cups pineapple, cubed
• 1 avocado cubed

Instructions

1. Drain tofu and place on a few sheets of paper town on a plate. Cover with another few pieces of paper towel and another plate, and weight the top with an object of about 1-2 pounds. Let the tofu stand 20 to 30 minutes to extract excess liquid. 
2. While the tofu is being pressed, mix together the balsamic, honey mustard, and agave. 
3. After excess liquid has been extracted from the tofu, chop into small 1/2 inch cubes. 
4. Transfer tofu cubes into the bowl of balsamic mixture and let it marinade for 20 minutes. 
5. After tofu has marinated, transfer to a baking pan lined with parchment paper (save excess balsamic for later). 
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 
7. Using a spatula, flip tofu, drizzle with remaining balsamic mixture, and cook for another 10 minutes. 
8. Toss the tofu with pineapple and avocado, and place in corn tortillas. Enjoy!