week of 7/10 menu plan

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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

    • *we always get the Queso Mama queso at Costco, but I love this or this recipe

  • 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

• my favorite summer sandwich

• veggie rice soup

  • 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

  • from my impromptu freezer cooking day

• 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.

• raspberry almond ricotta cake

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 easy, sandy (but clean!) sensory bin!

• 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.

• a love letter to homemade cornbread

• 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.

week of 7/3 menu plan

want my weekly menu plan delivered straight to your inbox each week? subscribe here!

meal plan

sunday: 

dinner: grill and chill  

• brett grills hotdogs (but also cooks some hamburgers for tomorrow night)

• our fourth of july tradition: an epic Build Your Own Hot Dog bar

  • We get good hot dogs, we make homemade buns (or buy goooood buns), and we invest in some fun toppings. I won’t inundate you with all the topping possibilities here, but I do encourage you to google topping ideas for a hot dog bar. The possibilities are beautifully endless. We love this tradition - an excuse to do hot dogs well. And the leftovers for lunch all week are awesome.

  • but know that this cheese sauce is an absolute must for us

  • we also do this epic Build Your Own Hot Dog bar as one of our New Years Day traditions - yep, we love this tradition so much we do it twice a year

• big bowl of watermelon

monday: sandwiches

why we love a weekly sandwich night

• my parents’ house

tuesday: quick, make-ahead, or crockpot

• my all-time favorite meal!!

  • use this beloved slow cooker bean recipe of mine

  • I could make Brett his favorite cornbread?

• biggg bowl of whatever fruit we have hanging around

wednesday: pizza, pasta, or rice

• cheese tortellini + pesto

• big bowl of fruit and/or veggie box

thursday: quick, make ahead, or crockpot

• my chicken noodle soup recipe (it’s the best!!)

  • but omit chicken so it’s just this awesome noodle veggie soup

  • freeze half - here’s how I freeze (and thaw!) soup

• big bowl of summer fruit

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. (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

• make my chicken noodle soup recipe (it’s the best!!)

  • but omit chicken so it’s just this awesome noodle veggie soup

  • freeze half - here’s how I freeze (and thaw!) soup

• make cheese tortellini + pesto

• make this beloved slow cooker bean recipe of mine

prep some sort of dessert for the week:

• see here why this is our new favorite thing for our marriage.

• none this week

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

• make lemon muffins, freeze half

• 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

• just ordered this and this Very First Book of Things to Spot and I can already tell they’re going to be KK’s new favorite books

• our vitamins + supplements - especially this week with us being under the weather

• our deep cleaning schedule

• our diffusers + our orange essential oil - my favorite way to add a delightfully light citrus scent to our home. see the full list of things I do every morning here.

• starting to set out our july activities and KK is already obsessed with the simple sensory bin (and the turtles!) - BLESS the inventor of kinetic sand

• 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.

week of 6/26 menu plan

want my weekly menu plan delivered straight to your inbox each week? subscribe here!

meal plan

sunday: 

dinner: grill and chill  

• brett roasts a chicken (his go-to is this)

• my favorite creamed corn to use up that corn in the freezer

• let’s roast that one sweet potato in the pantry, maybe my favorite way

• big bowl of watermelon

• and/or 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

monday: sandwiches

why we love a weekly sandwich night

• naan pizza to use that jar of pizza sauce in our pantry, and the 47972394 leftover pepperoni in our freezer

  • not really a sandwich per se, but that’s okay. themes are meant to be gentle guidances, not set-in-stone rules. follow them whenever works best for you, ignore them whenever works best for you.

• 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

• big bowl of watermelon (or whatever fruit we prepped on Sunday)

tuesday: quick, make-ahead, or crockpot

• fish tacos with that frozen, breaded Costco fish in our freezer

• corn tortillas + cabbage + red onions + avocado + limes + crema

• if time/energy, grab creamy jalapeno from Chuy’s

• whatever fruit I prepped on Sunday

Remember how I said I’m a very selective eater, but I make dinners that Brett would like? (I would get so bored only cooking things I like - and making meals Brett likes mean I might try/like something new.) And I make sure to always have Haley-approved sides just in case so that we can all eat the same meal? In this case, I’ll probably just eat some fish and mashed avocado and fruit - and be perfectly content. And Brett will eat a fully loaded taco. Everyone’s happy.

wednesday: pizza, pasta, or rice

• chicken spaghetti

  • with these crazy food prices, we’ve been much more intentional with using what we already have. so I’ve been really focusing on peeking through our pantry, fridge, and freezer to create our menu plan.

  • and I found a pan of chicken spaghetti (one of our favorite freezer meals!!!) lurking in the freezer, perfect for an easy Wednesday dinner. TYSM, PAST HALEY!!

  • want to see other dinners I like to freeze? see my impromptu freezer cooking day!

• let’s grab those two cans of green beans in our pantry and make my favorite way to use canned green beans

• big bowl of whatever fruit I prepped Sunday (but most likely watermelon)

thursday: quick, make ahead, or crockpot

• our favorite quiche

  • but let’s omit the bacon and use the two bags of leftover deli ham in the freezer. and let’s use that frozen Pillsbury pie crust in the freezer, too.

  • I’m not an onion fan, but if I cut the onion on the small side, I like this quiche.

  • and this is our favorite recipe, but instead of doing a deep dish pie like the recipe states, I split the filling between two normal pie crusts, and I freeze one quiche for later.

  • (supposedly when freezing quiche you can freeze it baked or unbaked - I freeze it baked, simply because I don’t trust myself to flawlessly make it to the garage freezer with a pan full of unbaked egg.)

• 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

• big bowl of watermelon (or whatever fruit we prepped on Sunday)

friday: leftovers or takeout

saturday: snack dinner saturday or dinner with loved ones

• those taquitos in our freezer

• big bowl of mashed avocado + salt to taste

• leftover creamy jalapeno from tuesday

• an even bigger bowl of whatever leftover fruit we have at this point

---

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 ranch dressing

• 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.

• lemon icebox pie or peach dump cake

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

• let’s prep my favorite Instant Pot Creamy “Baked” Ziti (or this creamy tomato pasta) because I’m craving it hard, because it’d make a great, easy Sunday lunch, and because having pasta leftovers in the fridge works really well for us

• 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

• make the mini blueberry muffins I never got around to making last week

  • freeze half

• 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

• our anniversary tradition :) :) :)

• 1000 things under the sea - i LOVE this book (and so does KK, even if she’s a little young for it)

• three things that revolutionized my smoothies - and actually got me to make a daily smoothie

• my favorite thing to meal prep and freeze

• why we love play themes - and a (growing) list of all our themes

  • july - oceans/seas/beach/etc

  • august - transportation/construction/town/etc

  • september - trees/leaves/apples/woods/etc

• 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.