Happy Monday! Did you do any meal prepping over the weekend? I did not do near as much as I would have liked. I did at least make a meal plan for the week so I thought I would share it with you.
What is a Meal Plan?
You may be new to meal planning and wondering what even is a meal plan? A meal plan is a strategy people use to know what they are going to eat during the week. Some people meal plan weekly while others may meal plan for an entire month.
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How to create a meal plan.
I like to plan Saturday to Friday. That seems to work best for me since I have more time to cook on the weekends and I do my weekly shopping on Saturday. Do what works best for your schedule.
Once you know your timeline, start by deciding which recipes you would like to have for the week. Most of the time I only meal plan for dinner. I always choose one or two meals that I can use to repurpose leftovers for an additional meal.
Once you have a plan for your meals, then it’s time to head to the grocery store. Make a grocery list and stick to it. This will save you so much money!
Simple Meal Plan for the Week
Your meal plan does not need to involve fancy dinners every night! Who has time for all that?! I like to have at least one crockpot dinner each week. It is so nice to come home and have dinner almost completely finished.
Also be sure to plan around your schedule. I know that by Friday night, it is time for a break. That means I plan for getting takeout. By planning for it, I know to look for coupons or special so I can still save money.
- Saturday – Roasted Sausage, Potatoes, & Peppers served with green beans
- Sunday – Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken served over rice with salad and roasted vegetables
- Monday – Leftover Sausage, Potatoes, & Peppers (this is really good reheated) served with a fresh batch of green beans
- Tuesday – Leftover Hawaiian Chicken served with a fresh batch of rice and salad
- Wednesday – Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup
- Thursday – Marinara Pasta (Gavin & Graylie’s favorite meal) served with peas
- Friday – Takeout Pizza or Burgers (My favorite night of the week!
This is the plan. It doesn’t always work out and the kids aren’t always thrilled with the menu choices. Sometimes they have a peanut butter sandwich or macaroni and cheese. I am sure other parents of young kids can relate or at least that is what I tell myself!
What is your favorite weeknight meal? I would love some new ideas to add to our weekly rotation!
Meal planning and prepping can be tough sometimes. one of our favorite easy go-to recipe is a recipe I found in Prevention magazine for quick lamb curry. The nice thing about this recipe any ground meat can be used. Just add your favorite jar marinara sauces,salt and curry powder to taste to the brown drained meat and add small bag of spinach,cook until wilted. Serves with rice or cauliflower rice and Nan bread.
This sounds great Amy! Thank you for sharing!