Meal planning has become such a routine in our household, that I don’t even know what it would feel like to not have dinners planned for the week. Truth be told, every meal doesn’t always happen, sometimes we grab something in the drive thru or decide to just have crackers and cheese for dinner. But just having a general guideline of what we are going to be eating, knowing that we have the ingredients or have prepped for the meal is just so reassuring! During times of stress and uncertainty, it is nice to have some things that are consistent. Meal planning has been one of those! I hope you find some inspiration from our weekly meal plan, and I would love to hear how you meal plan in your home!!! Each week I will bring you our past week’s menu- that will reflect the real life way!!
My 4 Top Steps to Meal Plan Success:
1. Taking a survey of what’s in my pantry, fridge and freezer-
Goal- use what I already have- because it’s already been paid for and there is nothing worse than having to throw away something because it didn’t get used before it’s expiration date.
2. Review our schedule-
- this helps to have meals that are realistic for what activities are going on
- looking over the schedule for the week helps me plan which meals I should make a crockpot meal for, or that I need to cook something ahead of time
3. Plan the grocery list at the same time as meal planning and surveying fridge/freezer/pantry-
I have tried many different grocery lists. This is my favorite and what we are currently using. On Google Keep, making lists and sharing them is super easy! Then multiple people can add to lists and if they pick items up they can select it so that it gets taken off of the list!
4. Prep ahead of time-
- Cook or prep meat
- Wash and cut veggies
- Separate things into containers as needed
Basically anything that will take a step or 2 away the night of your meal is helpful to do before hand!
Monday:
Lasagna
[ultimate-recipe id=”2443″ template=”default”]
Making my healthier twist on my mom’s lasagna means using zucchini noodles. I found this attachment for my mixer that makes veggies into sheets. Once it attaches, it works so smooth! If you are interested in this KitchenAid vegetable sheet cutter, here is a link on amazon.
Tuesday:
Easy salad
When in need of a quick dinner- this is one of my favorites
Throw together a salad
Add some protein- the quick ways that I do this are:
- leftover meat
- lunch meat
- chicken nuggets
Top with some cheese & dressing!
A quick meal that’s done in less than 5 minutes
Wednesday:
Leftovers
Thursday:
Spaghetti
During our weekly son/mom date night- my son made me dinner~ yum!!
He fixed:
- Spaghetti
- Roasted Asparagus
- Garlic bread
Friday:
Round 2 of Leftovers
Saturday:
Grilled Steaks
Sides-
- cheesy hash browns
- green beans
- salad
Sunday:
Steak Bowls
Using leftover steak add your toppings:
- cauliflower rice
- black beans
- lettuce
- cheese
- ranch
Thanks for stopping by to see what is cooking in our kitchen! If you need even more weekly dinner inspirations- head on over to the Organizing Junkie site.
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Be well,
Faith
Board Certified Nurse coach
Holistic Coaching • Yoga teacher • Love Your REAL Life Membership
***Some of the links in my posts contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. I pinky promise I will always give my honest opinion of any product and would never recommend something if I did not use and love it!!
D I S C L A I M E R Anything that I discuss about making any lifestyle changes is from my own experience and/or other clients personal experiences and may not be suited for you. It is strongly recommended that you consult with your health professional before making changes in your own life. By engaging in anything that I talk about, you agree that you do so at your own risk.