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 for general chicken/rice bowls (and for leftovers this week)
but we might make sure we have all the fixings to make bbq ranch chicken quinoa bowls and chicken berry quinoa salad
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
BLTs
frozen sweet potato fries
salad (or veggie box) + ranch dressing
big bowl of fruit
tuesday: something easy
pancakes + eggs + leftover bacon
big bowl of fruit
or, or!
premade pizza from our grocery store
salad (or veggie box) + ranch dressing
or leftover roasted veggies from Sunday
big bowl of fruit
wednesday: pizza/pasta/rice
year of beer - eat dinner at this month’s brewery (pack a bentobox for KK)
thursday: something easy
trader joe’s teriyaki chicken
rice + steamed broccoli
or leftover roasted veggies from Sunday
big bowl of fruit
friday: fajita friday
pick up sauces (and margarita mix) 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
I’ll clear out the fridge/freezer/pantry and make some sort of snack platter: produce, cheese, crackers, meats, dips, smoothies, sandwiches, chicken nuggets, Trader Joe frozen appetizers, whatever’s hanging around. Basically it’s a snazzy version of Leftover Night.
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
also: here’s a blogpost on alllll my smoothie favorites
meal prep
prep smoothie cups in these containers
make these raspberry jam bars, if time/energy
make our weekly batch of beloved oatmeal and yogurt parfaits
prep any fruit for easy snacking + easy dinner sides (like wash + destem grapes)
also make veggie box
favorite things
how I store our monthly play themes + our monthly activities
this month’s toddler bookshelf - alllllll our favorite farm books!
according to my yearly tasks and expenses list, it’s time to take stock of our summer/swim supplies, and plan Easter baskets around that. :) weeeee!
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.