Every Sunday morning, after I’ve served breakfast, I have a routine that I’ve grown to love. I grab my coffee, pencil, and meal planning worksheet and get to work.
In my house, I have to cater to a three-year-old with food allergies (dairy, egg, nuts, and sesame), a husband who doesn’t eat 98% of vegetables, rice, soup, or fish, and myself, someone who is always trying to ‘be good.’ On top of this, as a full-time working mom, there is no way I can make it through the week if I don’t plan on Sunday morning.
I always start by thinking about what protein I already have in the fridge and freezer. Then, I try to rotate the chicken or turkey so we don’t get too bored. My husband loves wraps, so we have some kind of wrap once or twice a week, depending on how busy the week is. Most Wednesdays, we have burgers or steak to break up the white meat. Friday nights are reserved for frozen California Pizza Kitchen or Nutella Challah French Toast. With that, my husband is pretty set.
That’s where the real planning comes into play for me, as I also take my lunch to work more days than not. I love dedicating Sunday to planning and cooking.
I recently made an easy 5-ingredient chili, vegan slow-cooker lentil soup, and sweet potato-quinoa soup all in one morning before even going to the gym! Also, I am a big fan of spaghetti squash and have been known to roast entire bags of frozen vegetables to have leftovers ready to go at a moment’s notice.
For me, Pinterest has been a lifesaver. There is little that I enjoy more than pinning new recipes to try. I especially love being able to search for the vegetable or protein I have handy and find a new recipe that I would have never otherwise thought of.
Sadly, my son is in the chicken nugget, hot dog, sausage patty, pasta rotation. So, whatever he hasn’t had for lunch is what he has for dinner, but he eats whatever vegetable I have. Small victories!
On most Sundays, by noon, I have a clear idea of how the week will roll out at meal times and often have done most of the prep. I only meal plan for the work week. The weekends are up for grab nights. We order takeout or dine-out.
Of course, there are nights when things don’t go according to plan, and I end up stopping for takeout on a random weeknight, but I would say I successfully execute the weekly menu 98% of the time.
Love this! I have the same Sunday routine…. fail to plan and you plan to fail 🙂
Doing this is such a lifesaver, Maria. I do mine in a similar fashion as well. Helps eliminate the grocery trips and the making of lunches is certainly streamlined. Thanks for sharing your template!
[…] lives, dinnertime can really become a stress-point. I have found that taking time on Sunday to plan out the upcoming weeks’ dinners has helped so much. Knowing I won’t have to spend every night at the stove really has made […]