sunday:
lunch with Brett’s family
bring lemon cake with lemon cream cheese icing!
dinner:
grill and chill, explained in this ig post about our latest dinner themes
skipping grill and chill and doing something easy since we’re eating lunch with Brett’s family - let’s do easy sandwiches and grilled cheese for the kids - or maybe even frozen pucks of pasta for the kids
meal prep:
unload groceries for the week
prep any fruit for easy snacking + easy dinner sides
make bread
monday:
dinner:
friend dinner, explained in this ig post about our latest dinner themes
it’s our turn to host! so we’ll do an easyyyyy Build Your Own Baked Potato Bar:
slow cooker bbq chicken, pulled from the freezer
leftover roasted chicken
that chili in our freezer
butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, blue cheese
ranch dressing, buffalo sauce, bbq sauce
oven roasted bacon
green onions, red onions, caramelized onions, jalapenos
(and a vat of macaroni and cheese for the kids)
with a big salad and a big bowl of fruit
and a pan of cornbread
meal prep:
make a big batch of our favorite ip oatmeal for the week
here’s why this serves us well all week long
make a few yogurt parfaits
tuesday:
dinner:
something with beans
because I meal prep here and there throughout the week, Tuesdays are my day I make my beloved Weekly Pot of Beans. so Tuesday Dinner is something with beans.
burrito bowls with shredded IP beef or leftover roast chicken
big bowl of fruit + big bowl of mashed avo
meal prep:
pull egg muffins from freezer
I omitted both thyme and bacon, and used thick cheddar cheese
or make an oven omelette like this
make Weekly Pot of Beans*
make a big batch of rice* with chicken/bone broth for added flavor
I love my beloved rice cooker for this
caramelize onions, or roast onions and peppers*
oven roast some bacon*
dice onions and jalapenos*
put cilantro* in water (here’s why)
* Brett works from home, and loves having components for bowls, quesadillas, tacos, etc to eat lunch at home. Taking half an hour to prep these things each week really helps our food budget…and elevates our at-home eating. Since I prep them on Tuesday, I plan something for dinner that use these components for a two birds one stone situation.
wednesday:
dinner:
leftovers
because it took me awhile to realize Leftover Night can be any night of the week. And because I have a standing weekly playdate with my BFFs Wednesdays after nap, cooking dinner wasn’t working. Wednesday Leftover Night it is!
I usually pack a dinner for KK - here’s my favorite containers and things for eating away from home!
meal prep:
brett roasts a chicken like this
pull mini blueberry muffins from freezer
and/or make banana muffins with all those brown bananas
make some sort of soup and/or pasta, if time/energy
maybe make potato soup with all the leftover baked potatoes?
thursday:
dinner:
something with fish
because we realized an easy family favorite follows this formula: fish + grain + produce + bread. with a good sauce.
sunday grill and chill usually follows a similar formula, too.
let’s do bbq salmon with mango salsa with rice, leftover bread, and my favorite way to use canned green beans
meal prep:
bake a treat for brett - strawberry oatmeal bars :) :) :)
brett makes stock like this
do this quick little routine of seeing if there’s any leftovers from the week I can freeze
throw any lurking produce into these containers to make smoothie cups
friday:
dinner:
something easy, frozen, or IP
because Friday nights call for something easy, but our weekly habit of getting takeout was no longer working. and once I realized we had upcoming roadtrips, I reframed my mindset to look at Fridays as an opportunity to practice quick, road trip-friendly meals. (a second Leftover Night - or a trip to my parents’ house - is definitely an option, too.)
let’s head to my parents’ house, or do a Leftover Night at home.
meal prep:
make croutons, make dressings
assemble our veggie box
saturday:
dinner:
snack dinner saturday, explained in this ig post about our latest dinner themes
usually a toddler-friendly movie is involved, too
meal prep:
clean out the fridge
new posts this week
our bedding + our favorite systems - because for me, simple systems are the key for both rest and contentment
want more?
i’m always sharing our favorite routines, our favorite systems, and our favorite dinners on Instagram.
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