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)
monday: sandwiches
why we love a weekly sandwich night
build your own sub sandwich bar with jimmy john’s bread
I’ll get stuff for Brett to build his beloved Italian sub or California club or Chicken Buffalo Ranch sandwich (I peek at sandwich shop menus to see what ingredients I need to buy), and I’ll stick to my favorite turkey sub. best dinner ever + best leftovers-for-lunch everrrr!
or one of our favorites: the easiest, most delicious Build Your Own Dinner ever
a big bowl of fruit. or frozen French fries. the heart wants what the heart wants.
tuesday: taco-ish
big bowl of fruit
*freeze leftover taco meat in these containers
see full list of how I’m prepping for baby #2 here
see full list of what I’m freezing for postpartum here
wednesday: pizza, pasta, or rice
the frozen lasagna in our freezer
big bowl of fruit
maybe my favorite green salad
or one of those frozen bags of Trader Joe’s veggies in our freezer
or my favorite ranch dressing + salad
and/or veggie box
thursday: soup, bread, salad, cheese
the best tomato soup I never got around to making last week…or the week before
freeze leftovers in these containers
here’s how I freeze + thaw soups
see full list of how I’m prepping for baby #2 here
see full list of what I’m freezing for postpartum here
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
or my favorite ranch dressing + salad
and/or veggie box
friday: leftovers or takeout
or one of our favorites: the easiest, most delicious Build Your Own Dinner ever
saturday: snack dinner saturday or dinner with loved ones
frozen chicken nuggets + tater tots + whatever produce is still hanging around
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 the weekly pot of beans so I can make this other favorite quick breakfast/lunch or my favorite tostadas
I’ll use this recipe, but omit onion and use black beans
prep ingredients salad ingredients
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
make a double batch of the raspberry muffins I never got around to making last week, freeze leftovers
see full list of how I’m prepping for baby #2 here
see full list of what I’m freezing here
slice lemons for hot lemon water
favorite things
this magnesium lotion has been my absolute favorite thing lately - curing restless legs, body aches, insomnia, and everything in between
this phone/cup holder thing I added to my stroller
the big list of things I love to freeze
aka what I’m freezing for postpartum
how I’m prepping for our second baby
aka how we’re streamlining our household + taking care of our future selves
so a lot of the post isn’t necessarily baby-specific, especially since I had a lot of nerves
our Christmas gifts + how we simplify Christmas
yes, yes. I know it’s early. the post explains why I have to plan early.
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.