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)
Brett makes teriyaki chicken for crunchy roll bowls
see my love letter of an instagram post to this dinner here
monday: sandwiches
why we love a weekly sandwich night
build your own club sandwich bar
save leftover bacon/ham for Thursday
big bowl of fruit
tuesday: something easy
no knead cheese bread or Brett’s bread
wednesday: pizza, pasta, or rice
my favorite build your own pinto bean bowl
use this week’s Weekly Pot of Beans: my slow cooker pinto beans, omit sausage
big bowl of fruit
thursday: something easy
scrambled eggs
big bowl of fruit
or miss b’s frozen biscuits
and either:
various fixings like jam, cheese, bacon/sausage/ham, honey, butter, etc for a build your own biscuit situation
friday: leftovers or takeout
saturday: snack dinner saturday or dinner with loved ones
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. 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 sort of dessert for the week:
see here why this is our new favorite thing for our marriage.
one of my favorite cookies - make a triple batch, freeze leftovers for postpartum
prep some things to make eating at home this week smoother:
make veggie box, prep produce (like wash + destem grapes)
prep gooooood salad ingredients for an easy, delicious dinner side for this week
we learned we eat a ton more salad 1) when it’s gooooood salad and 2) when I do the prep work for multiple salads ahead of time
(ie prep greens, cut produce, make dressing, crumble cheese, etc)
could make some Mason Jar Salads for Future Haley’s lunches, too.
make a salad dressing or two
pick up our ranch dressing for the week if needed
and/or make homemade salad dressing for this week’s salads in my favorite dressing containers
make a batch of instant pot hardboiled eggs for Brett + KK
prep a few of my favorite wraps, if time/energy
make the weekly pot of beans
for a quick dinner if I’m too tired to cook (like Our Quesadilla Dinner), for a quick lunch, and/or a quick Leftover Night option
I love to eat beans plain, with eggs, with rice, in this favorite quick breakfast/lunch of mine, as my favorite tostadas, in breakfast tacos, in quesadillas, in a bean and cheese taco, as nachos, etc etc etc
recipes I love:
instant pot black beans or slow cooker refried beans, but I omit the onion in both recipes out of personal preference, and often times I’ll use black beans in the refried beans recipe
my slow cooker pinto beans, omit sausage
freeze leftover beans in these containers
see full list of what I’m freezing for postpartum here
make the weekly pot of soup, if time/energy
for a quick lunch for me, for an easy dinner, and/or a quick Leftover Night option
freeze leftovers in these containers
here’s how I freeze + thaw soups
see full list of what I’m freezing for postpartum here
make a double batch of some sort of muffin/pancake/waffle/bar
make our favorite yogurt muffins, freeze half for postpartum
I love love love these muffins when eaten like this!!
make bread, if needed
Brett’s been getting into sourdough, so finger’s crossed he makes a loaf this week. we find a lottttt of joy in homemade bread, and I love how it also stretches our grocery budget…and elevates our dinners.
if he doesn’t make a loaf, I may make no knead cheese bread
make a batch of pasta, if needed
Brett works from home, and one of his favorite things is just a basic bowl of pasta, jarred sauce, and gooood parmesan. so making this (or whatever Wednesday’s dinner is) on Sundays can be a big gift for him. (and a wonderful Leftover Night option for him, too.) KK also loves this for lunch or as a quick dinner.
let’s prep smoothie cups in these containers, if needed
make our weekly batch of beloved oatmeal
favorite things
our Christmas gifts + how we simplify Christmas
yes, yes. I know it’s early. the post explains why I have to plan early.
updated my Amazon storefront with lots of toddler favorites + home organization favorites
didn’t think I’d love a sponge-holding dish soap dispenser so much, but here we are
got this sticky-backed acrylic container to hang below my sink on the inside of the cabinet door (for storing dishwasher pods) and I’m probably a concerning level of excited
our Friday routines we do every week thet take care of our household all. week. long.
why we love having a magnetic chalkboard near our kitchen for our toddler
(hint: it’s not for chalk! it’s for these!)
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.