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 grills chicken for tonight’s dinner + plenty of lunch leftovers
freeze a breast or two of grilled chicken for easy future meals
see full list of what I’m freezing for postpartum here
set out the following ingredients so we can make quesadillas, tacos, tostadas, my favorite bean and avocado bowl, burrito bowls, nachos, etc. whatever speaks to our heart for dinner!
the weekly pot of beans (see meal prep section below for recipes)
plenty of mashed avocado + pinch of salt to taste
pico, queso*, shredded lettuce, salsa, crema, onion, cheese, etc
flour tortillas, tortilla chips, tostadas, rice
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. and that way if I’m too tired to make dinner later in the week, nbd. we just throw together some quesadillas or my favorite bean and avocado bowl or something.
monday: sandwiches
why we love a weekly sandwich night
the best tomato soup I never got around to making a few weeks back
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
and/or veggie box
and/or big bowl of fruit
tuesday: something easy
double, freeze for postpartum (details in link)
see full list of what I’m freezing for postpartum here
and/or big bowl of fruit
and/or leftover bread
big bowl of fruit (and/or meal prepped bread)
wednesday: pizza, pasta, or rice
frozen fish from Trader Joe’s + tartar sauce
my absolute favorite easy green salad
and/or doctored canned green beans because I will never not love them
and/or that frozen bag of Trader Joe veggies in my freezer
skillet creamy macaroni and cheese
freeze any leftover pasta like this for easy toddler meals
big bowl of fruit (and/or meal prepped bread)
thursday: something easy
our favorite, favorite ground beef tacos
make a double batch, freeze leftovers for postpartum
see full list of what I’m freezing for postpartum here
or Build Your Own Breakfast Tacos if I run out of steam
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.
more of my favorite soft oatmeal cookies
or a triple batch of peanut butter cookies, 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
let’s just chop up a bunch of greens/carrots/etc to make a basic green salad like my favorite green salad
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 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
experiment with some sort of simple peanut butter-ish oatmeal ball - I’m trying to find one that doesn’t have an overpowering honey taste, that claims to be cookie dough-ish in texture, and that has some added nutrition for KK and me
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 one of our easy favorites, like this recipe
let’s prep smoothie cups in these containers, if needed
make our weekly batch of beloved oatmeal
favorite things
being 90% done with Christmas shopping (and staying under budget)
my goal this year was to finish early as apart of my baby prep
curious what gifts we’re doing this year? click here!
brett starting his new job this week - I haven’t mentioned this on Instagram, as this transition has felt very overwhelming for me, especially with all the moving parts of a baby being born next month. i’m so excited for brett to make the change, and I’m so excited for this big area of our life to feel a little more settled again.
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.