sunday: our beloved grill and chill ritual
superbowl
easy fish tacos, thanks to this brilliant, inspiring post
monday: sandwiches
why we love a weekly sandwich night
our go-to easy, last-minute dinner: air fryer breaded chicken sandwiches
hoping to post this on Instagram, but know I keep these frozen patties from Costco in our freezer always for dinners like this. I heat them in the airfryer, I buy our favorite buns (Martin’s), and offer up onion, tomato, lettuce, etc. SO GOOD.
but know there’s a chance I might cut up my chicken patty to make my absolute favorite chicken caesar wrap with crushed croutons and parmesan cheese instead
big batch of comeback sauce (and either roasted broccoli and/or frozen fries)
tuesday: something easy
but tbh yall, we’re tired. and some things are going on behind the scenes that I omit from IG, so in order to give ourselves some more rest and grace, we may just take it easy this year with a heart shaped pizza or a heart shaped chick-fil-a platter. and that’s okay.
wednesday: pizza/pasta/rice
buttered noodles (or garlic butter pasta)
frozen garlic bread or frozen ciabatta rolls
big bowl of fruit
thursday: something easy
balsamic glazed sheet pan gnocchi with sausage
one of our family favorites and the reason I keep TJ’s sweet potato gnocchi and TJ’s sausage in the freezer!
our favorite cornbread or frozen biscuits
big bowl of fruit
friday:
my favorite build your own pinto bean bowl
my slow cooker pinto beans, omit sausage
brown rice, mashed avocado, shredded cheese, etc
big bowl of fruit
our favorite cornbread or fritos
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
make a batch of banana oatmeal muffins, freeze half
prep smoothie cups in these containers
make our weekly batch of beloved oatmeal
favorite things
here’s a picture of KK’s basket from Mr. Valentine! a basket of red and pink art activities and crafts - basically one big gift for Future Haley. :)
everything is linked here
finally posted a quick graphic of our daily rhythm - aka how I break up our days and things we do every single day. I will remember this season of my life with such joy, and I accredit a good portion of that joy to our daily rhythm.
here’s a reel on the three places we store/organize KK’s books! i always receive DMs on that third location, so I thought a tour was way overdue.
here’s a list of February’s book rotation and March’s book rotation!
or, here’s the link to our 12 Months of Monthly Play Themes with allllll our monthly books, sensory bins, play dough trays, play kitchen activities, and more!
shared links to our simplified gift wrap stash - and how we store it all - on Instagram this week! saved it all to my “hallway closet” highlight.
but know we love kraft paper bags like this, a roll of kraft paper like this, a massive pack of white tissue paper like this, a variety of fun ribbon, and an assortment of personalized gift tags.
here’s a photo of my go-to way to wrap a gift using these things!
first sticker book: dollhouse is absolutely captivating KK. we’ve tried a lot of sticker books, and these continue to be our favorites. (and when you buy through my link, KK and I earn free books! we send you the biggest hug of gratitude when you do.)
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.