My NEW Meal Planning Method

Today is the first day of school for Dave and for our two international students! Seriously, where did the summer go???

They all left the house at 6:50am this morning so Dave could make sure the girls knew exactly where their classes were, find their lockers, and so he could finish up a few last minute things in his classroom.

The house is silent for the first time in over a week… I’m definitely NOT complaining!

And with the start of yet another school year, the addition of 2 international students, a few more house projects to complete, and a baby on the way; I am absolutely adamant about planning ahead this year! 

Last night we packed all their lunches, picked out clothes, decided what they would eat for breakfast, took showers, and got all their bags ready to go. We were prepared, and things went very smoothly this morning.

{you can find all the links to these recipes here}

I’m also planning ahead with a new way of meal planning this year!

Basically, instead of planning a specific meal for each night of the week {which sometimes felt overwhelming for me}, I’ve created “themes” for each weeknight. 

MONDAYS: Mexican or Italian

TUESDAYS: Casserole, stew, {made with leftover meat and veggies from Sunday}

WEDNESDAYS: Breakfast {stuffed French toast, pancakes, waffles, omelets, quiche}

THURSDAYS:  Meat {pork chops, chicken, ribs, burgers, brats, steak, meatloaf}

FRIDAYS: Mexican or Italian* {whatever we didn’t have on Monday}

*Fridays could also be going out to eat, leftovers, or mics. 

So even though I still have TONS of different recipes to choose from each night, I now have a “guide” to go by.

I’ve been planning our meals this way for a few weeks now and it has been much easier to mix up my recipes. I’m hoping it will prevent me from sliding into a “rut” of making pasta or a casserole every night!

Here’s a Sample Menu Plan for the Week:

SUNDAYS:

B: Cinnamon rolls, fruit, yogurt, granola

L: Some type of meat, potatoes, veggies, fruit, rolls {or dinner with family/friends}

D: Pizza or leftovers

 

WEEKDAYS:

B: Oatmeal, cold cereals, toast, English muffin bread, fruit, yogurt, granola, eggs

L: leftovers, sandwiches, salads, wraps, hot lunch, or whatever they want to pack

 This is just an example meal plan based on my weeknight “themes”

MONDAY: Enchiladas with avocado salad, and chips/salsa

TUESDAY: Chicken or Beef Pot Pie — made with left over meat and veggies from Sunday

WEDNESDAY: Blueberry Stuffed French Toast with sausage, fruit and yogurt

THURSDAY:  Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and fresh bread

FRIDAY: Pasta with meat sauce, cheesy garlic bread, salad, and fruit salad.

 

SATURDAYS:

B: Big breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, etc.

L: Leftovers, sandwiches, salads, etc.

D: Misc or a free night for the girls to cook {they have already shown lots of interest in making food from their countries like the delicious Vietnamese Spring Rolls we had this weekend!}

How I Choose My Recipes Each Week:

My normal routine is to set aside a couple hours every Sunday afternoon to cut coupons, plan our meals, and make our shopping lists {you can read the full 10-step process here!}

Step #7 is to plan our meals — so when I get to that step, I follow my “themes” for each night and choose recipes based on what we already have in the house and what’s on sale at the store that week. I choose recipes from my physical recipe box, from my virtual recipe box, different blogs I follow, and from a variety of meal-planning website. I try my best to mix things up each week {which you all know is easier said than done!}

Obviously, there are times when I just want to make something so I’ll specifically buy the ingredients just for that meal {yes, even if they are not on sale!} However, most of the time, I try to plan our meals around family-friendly recipes that are quick and easy to make with simple ingredients.

Once I have my recipes picked out, I write them down using my One Week Vertical Menu Planner {you can see all my menu planners here} and then I use that menu planner to add any additional items to my shopping list for the week.

My goal is to only go to the store one time each week — and usually I’m pretty successful with that!

 

So that is what we’re doing this year — and I hope it continues to work well. I’ll keep you updated on any tweaks or changes I make, and I would love to know…

How do you plan your weekly meals?