Meal Planning and a Meal Plan

Several People have asked how I do my meal plan and my grocery list. So this week, I am giving you BOTH! I am sharing with you my FREE PRINTABLE meal plan and grocery list, my meal plan with links to recipes is below AND I'm sharing my personal meal plan and grocery list!

So, here's a couple pictures, one blank and one in progress. Then I'll give you my steps!

In Progress

Blank

Weekly Meal Planning Step by Step Guide:

First, I check my calendar. I use an Erin Condren Life Planner, to keep track of all the things going on at my house. I find that doing this BEFORE meal planning generally means that I don't plan a complicated meal on a busy night or after I've had a day that really is not conducive to cooking. It also means that I can check for when I might have time to do prep work the night before and I can put it in my calendar when I need to.

Second, I talk to my kids about what things they like to see on the meal plan. My little ones generally want the same things, but my big kids have started exploring Pinterest and watch the Food Network now and again and they have shown an interest in branching out! It also helps them feel more involved in what we're eating and doing when they get to help make the plan.

Third, we check the cabinets and the refrigerator. Maybe what you want is already in your house. Maybe something strikes you as sounding wonderful! Or maybe you realize you shouldn't buy that snack anymore because no one is eating it... No matter what, checking the pantry, fridge and freezer is a smart thing to do before moving forward.

Fourth, I gather the recipes and start planning out my meals and groceries. I do it all on one sheet. It's here and this helps me make sure that I don't get too much or not enough. Or, if I'm using half and half creamer, for example, I know I don't need the whole container that is purchased, so I may check for another recipe to use up that last little bit rather than have it go bad in the fridge.

Finally, I check the coupons and the circulars for sales!!! Chicken was on sale week before last for 39 cents per pound!!! So I got 20 pounds. So last week and this week have been lots and lots of chicken. Which obviously means, this week is.....chicken!

Here's my meal plan and grocery list.

And here are all the links to all the recipes!

Monday:
BBQ Chicken
Macaroni and Cheese
Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

Tuesday:
Shredded Chicken Tacos with fixings!

Wednesday:
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Veggie Stir Fry
White Rice

Thursday:
Chicken and Spinach Alfredo Casserole

Friday:
Leftover Baked Potato Bar

Saturday:
Burgers and Hot Dogs
Fries

Sunday:
Beef Stroganoff
Salad

How's your week shaping up?

It's Raining Monday

I'm sure by now, those who follow the blog closely could point out that I forgot my meal plan post last night. I could make excuses about how tired I was after a busy swim meet weekend or I could just say, "I'm sorry."

I'm sorry. 

If you were waiting for it; here's the plan:

Monday: tacos

Tuesday: breakfast

Wednesday: Brauts, smashed potatoes, green veggie of choice

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: grilled chicken and veggies (and Mac and cheese for the kiddos)

Saturday: burgers and fries

I've been thinking a lot about recreational sports and activities and how we oversee sporting activities for kids. Have you noticed the egos that are going crazy? It's the adults. Not the kids. Generally speaking, of course. 

Many times the people who are getting the most emotional, upset and dramatic about anything that is going on are the ones who are supposed to be "adults". I find this confusing. 

Let's try to work on setting an appropriate example of good sportsmanship, modeling appropriate language and losing gracefully. 

Here's a few suggestions:

1. Congratulate a parent on their child's good performance, time, etc. (especially if they beat your kid or are on an opposing team.)

2. Cheer for great plays/swims/runs/hits etc. If it's great, it's great!

3. Congratulate the winners of a game/match/race, even if they are not your child/team. Don't complain about the referees, clock, ball, bat, etc. 

4. Let the coaches coach and try to say to your child, "I enjoyed watching you play". 

5. Thank the referees, coaches, volunteers, etc for their efforts in helping with that event. 

6. Pick up your trash. No matter where your contest takes place, do not leave your trash. It's just rude. Seriously. 

7. Be mindful of others. If you must complain, because sometimes you just need to whine and get it out, respect small ears. Reserve the more colorful, strong language for after you leave. 

8. Remember your company. Similar to number 7; sometimes we forget when we are "in our space" that your guests/hosts, or their friends, may be nearby. Let's not make them feel unwelcomed in that moment of complaint. They make take personally your whining. Maybe you have a solution you can offer later for improving for next time.

9. If you must have your phone, resist emails and focus on what's in front of you. Photograph your child/their team and share it with the team. 

10. Encourage your child to thank the coaches, referees and volunteers; when appropriate. We're not talking about kissing up or attempting special favor, just appreciating their time. 

Have any others? Please feel free to share in the comments! 

A day late and a dollar short

So, I was supposed to post this meal plan yesterday...buuuuuut, my internet and my computer decided not to talk to each other...

So, here's the meal plan, a day late and a dollar short.

And just a warning, it's very carb heavy because we have a swim meet coming up...and you need carbs stored up for a swim meet...

Sunday: Meatball Subs and Country Salad (we used the meatball recipe from Spaghetti and Meatballs; see recipe on friday.)

Monday: BLTs and grilled cheese; what's your favorite way to make this classic? I'm planning to try adding some cut up pepper slices to mine!

Tuesday: Pan-seared chicken, mac-n-cheese and green bean casserole

Wednesday: beef and broccoli stir-fry with rice. I've really wanted to try this and I'm excited. If you try this recipe too, please let me know what you think!!

Thursday: We are headed to out to dinner with my cousin to talk race day prep for my daughter's first Half Marathon!!!

Friday: Spaghetti and Meatballs, green beans, bread

Saturday: This is swim meet day 1, I'm planning on sandwiches and leftovers because we will also be going to a Halloween pumpkin carving party. I'm bringing corn dip.

Sunday: This may also be a leftover/chill day...because Swim Meet weekends make me really tired. (Let's just face the reality of this...I use paper plates to avoid much clean-up and I find making dinner after a swim meet is tiring on top of being tired and I'll probably have a decent amount of clean-up to do around my house. So, yeah...)

What's for dinner? And breakfast and lunch and dessert

Fall break has begun at my house and with it comes LOTS of cooking. The list of recipes in this post will be MUCH longer than usual. You may want to par down if you have a busy week. If not, if love to hear how these recipes turned out at your house!!!

Breakfasts: We have a supply of biscuits, bagels and cereal for the week. Let's keep it simple.

Lunch: Chicken salad, Egg and Avocado Salad, Lunch meat, PB & J or leftovers.

Sunday: I'm hoping to kick our week off with some snuggles, a movie and tortellini soup. We're going to try out making freezer ice cream too!!

Monday: My husband is on the road for a photo shoot, so tonite is meatball stroganoff and country salad, since he doesn't really like it. And why not make an apple pie, but we use a freezer dough instead of making raw dough, to (hopefully) go with the ice cream from last night. 

Tuesday: oven fried chicken, spinach, macaroni and cheese and we're going to try the Martha Stewart chocolate cupcakes. 

Wednesday: By this point, I'm expecting to be a little worn down in the kitchen so this is going to be a simple taco night and as a surprise to my husband, we'll be making a chocolate chip pound cake! This recipe is a labor of love that is so tasty! 

Thursday: This is one of my favorite meals, especially when there are lots of leftovers; baked potato bar! This is a great one for entertaining too; pull out lots of toppings or have friends bring their favorite and set out a bowl of baked potatoes. Cut them in half and allow everyone to dress them as they like. So yummy!

Friday: Dinner out with family

Saturday: I'm hoping by Saturday we have cleaned our house or most of it, so we'll be ordering a pizza for sure! 

What does fall break look like at your house?

No recipe shared for macaroni and cheese because I'm wanting to know what your favorite recipe is!! Share in the comments!!

No grocery list this week, to encourage you to pick and choose what you'll make!

Cheers to a great week!