sunday: our beloved grill and chill ritual
brett grills chicken like this for tonight’s dinner + plenty of lunch leftovers
freeze a breast or two of grilled chicken for easy future meals
or pull grilled chicken from the freezer if too tired to grill
and we’ll set out ingredients to make our favorite Grill and Chill Meal
or our beloved burrito bowls
Brett may do this too to make our week easier while the grill’s still hot
I’ll also set out flour tortillas if someone prefers a taco-type situation. Whatever speaks to our heart!
ingredients like:
instant pot black beans or slow cooker refried beans
I omit the onion in both recipes out of personal preference, and often times I’ll use black beans in the refried beans recipe
plenty of mashed avocado + pinch of salt to taste
pico, queso*, shredded lettuce, salsa, crema, onion, cheese, etc
*we always get the Queso Mama queso at Costco
flour tortillas + rice
could also grab sauces/sides/fresh tortillas from one of our favorite Mexican restaurants
we THRIVE on this Build Your Own Dinner and we thrive even more on the leftovers all week. and that way if I’m too tired to make dinner later in the week, nbd. we just throw together some quesadillas or tostadas or something.
monday: sandwiches
why we love a weekly sandwich night
our menu plan was thrown off last week due to that Ice Storm, so let’s do a few things I never got around to making:
grilled ham and cheese on brett’s sourdough bread
the best tomato soup, pulled from the freezer
I froze the soup in these containers
here’s how I freeze + thaw soups
see full list of how I prepped for baby #2 here
see full list of what I froze for postpartum here
roasted parmesan sweet potato or frozen sweet potato fries
big bowl of fruit and/or salad + ranch dressing
tuesday: something easy
random clean out the pantry/freezer:
Trader Joe’s frozen fish or a Costco rotisserie chicken
those frozen biscuits in our freezer
that packet of cheesy rice in our pantry
strawberry spinach salad, if time/energy
big bowl of fruit
wednesday: pizza/pasta/rice
my favorite rosemary bread (or frozen garlic bread)
my favorite green salad (or bagged caesar salad)
thursday: something easy
tamales from freezer
or Quesadilla Night with Sunday’s leftover grilled chicken
big bowl of mashed avocado
big bowl of fruit
friday: date night or something from the freezer
that Trader Joe’s ravioli in our freezer + jarred sauce + gooood parm
my favorite rosemary bread (or frozen garlic bread)
whatever produce is hanging around at this point in the week
saturday: snack dinner saturday or dinner with loved ones
I’ll clear out the fridge/freezer/pantry and make some sort of snack platter: produce, cheese, crackers, meats, dips, sandwiches, chicken nuggets, Trader Joe frozen appetizers, whatever’s hanging around.
see a full list of alllll the things we love for Snack Dinner here
but know I also love Yummy Toddler Food’s Snack Dinner blogpost, too
and, and! we LOVE doing a muffin pan snack dinner like this
And really quick, here are few of my favorites for making dinner even remotely possible:
a tripp trapp chair for Baby Boy with this incredible newborn insert
aka the only way we can eat dinner as a family…and with my hands free.
and our twin-size kitchen helper stool (and a second tripp trapp chair) for our toddler
I talk more in my baby prep blogpost about how I set up my home for life with a toddler and a newborn, if you’re looking for more of my must-haves!
meal prep
below is the list of what I hope to meal prep this week - it may not all happen, and that's okay!
prep produce (like wash + destem grapes)
also make veggie box
prep gooooood salad ingredients for the week
prep the weekly pot of beans
for a quick dinner if I’m too tired to cook (like my favorite tostadas), for my favorite lunch, and/or a quick Leftover Night option (like Our Quesadilla Dinner)
recipes I love:
prep a few things for quick, easy breakfasts/snacks/lunches
pull a batch of banana muffins from the freezer
prep smoothie cups in these containers
make our weekly batch of beloved oatmeal
favorite things
see a peek into our Mr. Valentine Baskets for this year - Brett and I each get one, too!
here’s a full list of our simple Valentine’s Day Traditions
my little couch armrest clip-on tray table might be my breastfeeding mvp
here’s all my other baby/breastfeeding favorites
checked on our emergency stash + our evacuation bag this week
on my yearly tasks + expenses list, i have written down to check these two things every January
an easy first step to creating your own emergency stash? invest in a good light source(s) (here’s my favorite!) and add a gallon or two of water to your next few grocery carts.
we officially have an LLBean tote bag that lives in our hallway - our easy way to keep library books both contained and available <3
buying this storybook for my “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” loving girl
my favorite thing KK received in her stocking this year? these blank postcards to decorate and mail loved ones. (we gave her cousin these dinosaur ones to color - preaddressed to KK - and we received our first one from him! so much fun!)
the big list of things, systems, and routines that help me feel my best - I’m always updating this post and it’s the best place to start to get a lot of FAQs answered!
want more?
i’m always sharing our favorite routines, our favorite systems, and our favorite dinners on Instagram.
and know that when you share kind words with me or share my page with your followers, I do a happy dance. your support means everything, and your support allows me to spend time creating free content, like this menu plan. xo.