sunday: our beloved grill and chill ritual
Build Your Own Grain Bowl - plus plenty of leftovers to eat/repurpose all week.
grill chicken like this - and probably grill some sort of beef, too
roast a variety of vegetables like this
make a big batch of grains with chicken/bone broth for added flavor
I love my beloved rice cooker for this
make the weekly pot of beans
prep goooood salad ingredients
like my favorite green salad or strawberry spinach quinoa salad
also make our beloved veggie box
make croutons with Dave’s Killer Bread (or this air fryer version)
prep (or pick up) gooooood salad dressings + sauces
at a minimum we like to have something creamy (like ranch) something vinaigrette-y (like a good balsamic), and something different (like from this list or in the aisles of Trader Joe’s)
peruse 10 Ways To Make a Better Grain Bowl, How To Build an Easy Grain Bowl, and other internet inspiration to get ideas for the week
monday: sandwiches
why we love a weekly sandwich night
build your own ranch wrap:
leftover grilled chicken
tortillas
ranch dressing
lettuce
tomatoes
red onion
frozen sweet potato fries
big bowl of fruit
tuesday: something easy
brett wants to make “a bone-in chicken with pan sauce” tonight, but if for some reason that doesn’t happen, we can have the frozen trader joe’s quiche in our freezer
roast those potatoes lurking in our pantry
some sort of salad with sunday’s leftovers
and/or veggie box
frozen rolls or these easy ones
big bowl of fruit
wednesday: pizza/pasta/rice
big bowl of fruit
thursday: something easy
one hour french bread for toast or leftover rolls from Tuesday
scrambled eggs or that frozen Trader Joe’s quiche in our freezer
any leftover roasted veggies from sunday
big bowl of fruit
friday: fajita friday
pick up sauces from our favorite Mexican restaurant,
grab the chips, tostadas, and tortillas we always have on hand,
clear out the lurking cheese, crema, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, avo, etc from this week,
and use Sunday’s leftover meat/beans/rice to make:
fajitas
nachos
or whatever speaks to our heart
the easiest, most celebratory way to end the week, while also cleaning out the fridge. and, let’s be real - I’ll ask Brett to make margs. happy fajita friday!
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
prep smoothie cups in these containers
make a batch of instant pot mac and cheese
see my quick Instagram post here on how I always freeze any sort of leftover pasta in a silicone muffin pan to make the easiest meal for Future KK. but really it’s the best gift for Future Haley. a filling meal that KK loves! already prepped!
make these raspberry jam bars, if time/energy
make our weekly batch of beloved oatmeal
prep any fruit for easy snacking + easy dinner sides (like wash + destem grapes)
also make veggie box
favorite things
getting ready for march’s month of play
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.