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meal plan
sunday:
dinner: grill and chill
brett grills chicken + plenty of chicken for lunches
freeze half the grilled chicken for future quick meals
burrito bowls or my favorite bean and rice bowl
instant pot black beans or slow cooker refried beans
I omit the onion in both recipes out of personal preference
freeze half in these containers
jk I can’t limit myself to only two favorite bean recipes. I also love this copycat chipotle recipe, or this beloved slow cooker bean recipe of mine. i love beans so much.
plenty of mashed avocado + pinch of salt to taste
pico, queso*, shredded lettuce, salsa, crema, onion, cheese, etc
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.
monday: sandwiches
why we love a weekly sandwich night
pulled from the freezer in these containers - here’s how i freeze (and reheat!) soup
my absolute favorite easy green salad - prep triple the ingredients for easy dinner sides + easy lunches this week (could make a few mason jar salads?)
and/or our veggie box with our ranch dressing
and/or salad with our ranch dressing
tuesday: quick, make-ahead, or crockpot
that trader joe’s mandarin orange chicken hanging out in our freezer
white rice? that trader joe’s fried rice lurking in our freezer?
any leftover fruit still hanging around
that bag of edamame (and/or those frozen Trader Joe’s carrot coins?) also hanging out in our freezer
this dinner may be questionable in terms of authenticity, but it’ll be delicious and it’ll clean out the freezer. YES.
and really, in terms of “My Word, Groceries are So Dang Expensive so We’re Eating at Home Way More and Trying to Be More Intentional With What We Have, But Also Planning Easy, Restful Meal so Haley Doesn’t Burn Out,” this dinner scores an A++.
wednesday: pizza, pasta, or rice
lasagna
bagged caesar salad
or our veggie box with our ranch dressing
or salad with our ranch dressing
that random can of breadsticks in our fridge - maybe use them to make garlic knots?
thursday: quick, make ahead, or crockpot
easy tostadas or quesadillas using Sunday’s leftovers
friday: leftovers or takeout
saturday: snack dinner saturday or dinner with loved ones
frozen chicken nuggets and whatever produce we have hanging around weeeeeee!
meal prep
i usually do a little meal prep on Sundays as a part of our Grill and Chill, but I may instead do a bit here and there throughout the week. (you’ll notice I allow space in my daily rhythm for potential meal prep.)
below is the list of what I hope to meal prep this week - it may not all happen, and that's okay! even 5 minutes of prep is super beneficial.
prep some dinner components:
during the summer, I prep as much dinner stuff on Sundays as possible, so that KK and I can spend plenty of time at the pool after her nap
prep produce, make veggie box
pick up our ranch dressing for the week
make croutons - post coming soon!
prep some sort of dessert for the week:
see here why this is our new favorite thing for our marriage.
prep some things to make breakfasts/snacks/lunches smoother:
make sure to buy stuff for my favorite, go-to sandwich or my absolute favorite wrap for my lunches this week
pull spinach banana muffins or blueberry muffins from freezer
make the weekly pot of beans so I can make this other favorite quick breakfast/lunch
favorite bean recipes: instant pot black beans or slow cooker refried beans or this copycat chipotle recipe, or this beloved slow cooker bean recipe of mine
let’s prep smoothie cups in these containers
make a batch of oatmeal like this
excerpt from my “my breakfast and lunch favorites” blogpost:
up until, like, a year ago, i swore I disliked oatmeal. but it turns out I was just eating the wrong kind. my mom one day made oatmeal like this with good oats, and served it to me plain with a generous slab of butter stirred in. it was this savory risotto-like situation. it was heavenly. and from then on, I was a converted oatmeal lover.
move some frozen mango/pineapple/cherries to mason jars in the fridge for KK like this
slice lemons for hot lemon water
make a big batch of carrot orange juice, if time/energy
read more about my juicing routine here
Need more ideas for make-ahead breakfasts and lunches to meal prep? Here’s my list of favorites!
favorite things
this ice pack head wrap - my absolute favorite thing with this week’s headache - Brett makes fun of me but I don’t care with the amount of BLISS this thing provides
seashore sounds: kk’s favorite book (a noise book, of course!) right now
kk’s play dough tray this month, ocean-themed!
kk’s “mama and baby turtle” color-sorting/nesting set
see our ocean-themed month of play for allllll our favorite activities right now
THE LIST! my yearly tasks + expenses list! the list I NEED as a mom/homeowner/human. I cannot function without it. this gem of a system is saving my behind right now and I’m SO grateful for the kindness shown towards this new post.
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.
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