...just being honest (which is how I am all. the. time.) it can be exhausting to have to figure out all the meals all the time, but then I remember it's my job*...so it's really not something I should get irritated over. I usually meal plan for the week. I know some people that meal plan for the month and that's awesome! Maybe one day I can be like you. Unfortunately, I'm a little more like Scarlett, "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow." :)
We have several "go-to" recipes and meals that we like so those stay on a pretty consistent rotation. We also have "Breakfast for Supper" every Wednesday. I've not really set up a specific theme for the rest of the days of the week, but perhaps I will. I think it could be fun. Let me just brainstorm all that out right here...
Mondays
Veggie Plate- I think I'll make this our weekly supper of veggies. Many of you out there could call it "Meatless Monday," but since we are vegan...we are meatless everyday. :) This is one of our kids' favorite meals! Usually I will make four veggies and we all load up our plates and devour it. Typical combinations are: blackeyed peas, green peas, corn, carrots OR summer squash, broccoli, mashed sweet potatoes, lima beans OR green beans, mashed potatoes, okra, baked beans. Of course there are loads more vegetables you could add! We also love to do "Beans and Greens," which is just a red beans and rice dish with turnip greens mixed in. I'll include this meal on this day too. Think "Down Home Cookin' " for this night.
Tuesdays
Mexican Night- I'd really love to call this "Taco Tuesday," but then I don't want to be limited to just tacos...so yeah, Mexican Night it is. Jason's favorite type of food to eat is Mexican so I'm going to try and be better about incorporating it weekly. The possibilities are pretty endless with this: tacos, burritos, nachos, enchiladas, Mexican lasagna. Our versions of these are all without meat and cheese, but they are full of flavor with using beans, rice, and vegetables. For example, I've used quinoa and added taco seasoning to make "meat" filling along with beans and salsa for tacos, and burritos are yummy with some sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms.
Wednesdays
Breakfast for Supper- This usually consists of eggs, grits, biscuits or toast, and bacon sometimes. We allow for turkey bacon every now and then. ;) Sometimes I'll switch it up and make pancakes or waffles with eggs and bacon instead of grits, biscuits or toast. I also serve coffee, chocolate almond milk, and orange juice to drink. Yum! I'm glad I'm writing this blog on a Wednesday. ;)
Thursdays
Italian Night- My favorite type of food to eat is Italian, so I claim Thursdays for me! There's like a bazillion (spell check passed 'bazillion') meals for this that we love. Spaghetti is an obvious choice, I have a recipe for a delicious penne alla vodka, and also a yummy stuffed shell dish too! Think of all the possibilities though, pizzas, lasagnas, and pastas...oh my!
Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays
Leftovers for Supper- We don't let food go to waste around the Hive, so I'm calling Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays "Leftovers for Supper." I know some people don't enjoy eating the same thing over again so maybe you could make one of these a night when your family eats out at a restaurant or orders something to eat in. Maybe you could do something like "Soup on Saturday/Sunday," I may do that myself occasionally. Especially if I don't have enough leftovers to serve for three more nights. Most weeks, though, the way I'll work it is by having Mondays meal as leftovers for Fridays, Tuesdays meal will become leftovers for Saturdays, and Thursdays meal will be leftovers for Sundays. My point is, it's the weekend and I'm taking the nights off from cooking!
So if I follow that meal plan then I'm only cooking 4 nights a week! If I'm really good I'll double a recipe every now and then so that I can freeze half for later. That way if I have a busy night or unexpected company, I'll have a meal already made!
I usually try to go do my grocery shopping after the kids are in bed. I still have not figured out where I would put the groceries if I had all three kids shopping with me. I commend all you momma's out there that grocery shop with more than two kids. Maybe when the baby is a bit older I'll think about it, but for now it's after bedtime that works best for me. I had been going grocery shopping on Thursdays, but I think I may switch it to going on Sundays. That way I'll have all my ingredients freshest for when I'm cooking throughout the week. I used to do all of my cooking on the weekends since I worked nights during the week, but now that I'm a full-time stay at home momma, I want the weekends to relax with my family. I'm looking forward to implementing this meal plan.
What ways work best for your meal planning? Do you have any ideas or suggestions you could add to my list? Let me know!
<3
*Side note from earlier: I am in no way saying that it is always the woman's/wife's/mom's job to do the meal planning and grocery shopping and cooking. It is super nice when the guy/husband/dad does this part too. And even more fun when it is done together! For our family, though, we have agreed that I'm primarily the one in charge of this since I'm a stay at home Queen Bee. :)
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