fyi: the menu plan newsletter is being paused until I get some energy back - which may not be until after baby boy is born! (missed the pregnancy announcement? see the post here!)
meal plan
sunday:
dinner: grill and chill (or Brett cooks something from his favorite cookbook)
I’ll have Brett make five ingredient spicy pork - I think he’d LOVE this!
I’ll make rice and veggies - maybe a huge salad.
I may do my favorite green salad, but prep enough ingredients for Monday’s dinner and Thursday’s dinner, too.
Could make some Mason Jar Salads for Future Haley’s lunches, too.
Brett’s been on a bread kick, so finger’s crossed he makes another loaf this week, too
monday: sandwiches
why we love a weekly sandwich night
one of our favorite dinner combos: potato soup and Build Your Own BLT Bar!
loaded baked potato soup (omit green onions out of personal preference)
good bread, crispy bacon*, goooood tomatoes, diced green onions, cheese
*make extra bacon for Tuesday’s dinner
tuesday: taco-ish
build your own breakfast tacos
use Monday’s leftover bacon - I just reheat for a few minutes in oven
“refried” black beans
I use this recipe, but use black beans and omit onion
roasted Yukon gold potatoes
cheese
big bowl of fruit
wednesday: pizza, pasta, or rice
big bowl of fruit
thursday: soup, bread, salad, cheese
some sort of gooood bread
either from the bakery, from Brett, or from this recipe
that wedge of Trader Joe’s cheese we have
can be eaten separately, or can be turned into grilled cheeses
friday: leftovers or takeout
KK has a Parents Night Out at her preschool, so Brett and I get to go on another dinner date!
saturday: snack dinner saturday or dinner with loved ones
chicken nuggets + tater tots + whatever produce is hanging around at this point in the week
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.
the oatmeal cookies I never got around to making last week…or the week before.
prep some things to make breakfasts/snacks/lunches smoother:
make the weekly pot of beans so I can make this other favorite quick breakfast/lunch or my favorite tostadas
I’ll use whichever recipe I make for Tuesday’s dinner
prep ingredients for my favorite green salad, but prep enough ingredients for Monday’s dinner and Thursday’s dinner, too.
could make some Mason Jar Salads for Future Haley’s lunches, too.
let’s prep smoothie cups in these containers
make our weekly batch of beloved oatmeal
pull banana muffins + egg muffins from freezer
if time/energy, I could make Monday and Thursday’s soups ahead of time
slice lemons for hot lemon water
make a big batch of carrot orange juice, if time/energy
read more about my juicing routine here
favorite things
my “pregnancy” highlight on Instagram - baby prep blogpost (and My Big List of Things I Like to Freeze and How We Simplify/Plan our Christmas Season + Our Christmas Gifts) coming soon!
and really, this baby prep post is more about “how can we streamline our household for a toddler and a newborn?” so a lot of the post could be helpful for anyone looking for ideas to simplify their home
lift the flap trees: an informational book for older kids that Brett and KK love right now
also one little tree and why do we need trees?
see more about our forest/woodland/tree-themed month of play (and our bookshelf) here
Our Memory Boxes for KK and Baby Boy - our easy way to organize childhood keepsakes
I use this file box and these hanging files
The Box - the simplest, most-used system in our house for alllllll the adulting/parenting/home-owning things I need to deal with, but don’t feel like dealing with right this second
I use this pretty box!
I also use this exact box to store allll my postpartum recovery supplies, but more on that soon
something I do every September and March that saves my bottom countless times throughout the year
How We Do Quesadilla Night 101: A Step By Step
aka our saving grace for our minimal eating out budget
september’s sensory bin…and bookshelf…and play kitchen items
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.