Sunday Family Dinner
One of my favorite childhood memories comes from my Italian heritage; the importance of a delicious family dinner every Sunday. From an early age my mom, pop pop, and cousin Angie taught me the importance of whole, fresh, handmade foods and sharing it with family, friends, or those in need. As a busy mom of 2 and dietitian, I also hold these ideals close to me, but I also need any help I can get when it comes to saving time, money, and healthy eating. My answer: Sunday Family Dinner.
I utilize Sunday afternoons for prepping, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. I do this with the idea in mind that I am making enough to also create meals for the rest of the week. This saves time, stress, and money. I find that 2-2.5 hours on Saturday or Sunday can make healthy eating a breeze all week long.
To give an example I am taking you to my kitchen this past Sunday and taking you back to my delicious roots, Italian food!!
The Menu: 
Zucchini noodle salad
Homemade vegetarian lasagna
Marinara with turkey meatballs
Roasted citrus chicken with fennel and carrots
Whole grain baguette
This is a lot of food, but it only took me about 2.5 hrs of work and now we coast through the week. On Sunday we eat a little of everything and package the rest for later in the week.
Meatless Monday: Vegetarian lasagna (leftover) and steamed green
beans
Tuesday: Zucchini noodle salad (leftover) and baked salmon
Wednesday: Roasted chicken (leftover) and mashed potatoes
Thursday: Spaghetti squash with meatballs and marinara (leftover)
Recipes similar to what I make can be found on our Pinterest page. https://www.pinterest.com/banisternutriti/sunday-dinner/
These meals totaled to approximately $75. Therefore, for a week of healthy foods my total grocery bill for a family of 4 was $150. This is the same cost as ordering a fast food meal/person 6 times. Fast isn’t cheaper than cooking healthy foods. I would pick 21 delicious, healthy meals over 6 fast meals per week any day. –MVC
