My Weekly Meal Plan: A Typical Week for a Young Family
I’m not the world’s best meal planner. There are times when I’m gung-ho for months at a time — be organized! Plan ALL the meals! — and then life gets in the way and I’m flying by the seat of my pants throwing stuff together on a whim. But with two little kids — and another who might be here by the time this posts — cooking and meal planning are kind of the one chore you can’t slack on. You can get away with letting laundry pile up sky high, and you can get away with floors that desperately need a mop, but you can’t not feed the children. They let you know in a big and bad way, for sure.
So while searching Pinterest for new recipes and flipping through food magazines might not be how I spend my spare time, I do have to get out the old pencil and paper, plan my meals and put together a grocery list every week. My kids are in daycare Wednesdays and Thursdays, and while you’d think I’d take more time to cook those days, I actually try to dial it in even more so I have time to actually work. These are ideal slow cooker or leftover days. Here’s what a typical week looks like for us!
My Weekly Meal Plan: A Typical Week for a Young Family
Monday: Salsa Stoup and Quesadillas
I love making soups early in the week because leftovers are great for lunches. Plus, soups are an awesome way to get tons of veggies into your diet. I made this Rachael Ray soup recipe for the first time in years the other day, and while Rachael may not be known for low-cal fare, this one is an exception. Filled with tomatoes, onions, celery, peppers, it’s thicker than a soup and thinner than stew — hence the name.
Tuesday: Mini Pizzas + Salad.
English muffin pizzas are a super-fast and kid-friendly meal that you can customize for all the picky eaters in your house. Fancy them up with greens and lots of veggies for the adults or go simple with a cheese or turkey pepperoni for the kiddos. Add a big-ass salad to get even more veggies in, and dinner is served!
Wednesday: Sweet & Sour Slow Cooker Brisket
I tried this recipe out of The Robin Takes 5 Cookbook for Busy Families, and it’s so simple and easy. You throw red onions in the bottom of a crockpot, toss on a salt-and-peppered brisket, then cover with a mix of jarred whole cranberries, a small jar of tomato sauce and a scoop of Dijon mustard. After 8 to 10 hours, the brisket falls apart and dinner is ready. You can serve it with veggies, and maybe a potato, rice or quinoa side, and you’re good to go!
Thursday: Quiche + Fruit
Breakfast for dinner (brinner!) is one of my favorite things in life. My kids love eggs (my son calls it corn and my daughter calls it chicken), so quiche or omelets are a great way to get some protein into their carb-heavy lives! One of my go-tos is a quiche using leftover veggies I’ve got around and a frozen crust. Dinner’s a hit, and I love anything that takes an hour to bake because I can get clean-up done before dinner is even on the table.
Friday: Dial It In Night or FFO
Oftentimes we need a break from responsibility on Fridays, and after a long week, Friday is the perfect night to either grab takeout or just eat whatever we’ve got around the house, which we’ve dubbed “FFO” or “fend for ourselves.” We typically have leftovers to eat or the kids get something quick and easy like grilled cheese and soup.
Saturday: Grilling It Up
I put my husband in charge of dinner most Saturdays, and it almost always turns into us grilling out, which is fine by me. We’ll have steaks or burgers or hot dogs or kebabs, and we’ll grill up a ton of veggies. Add some corn on the cob and maybe a pasta salad, and we’re happy campers.
Sunday: Leftovers
The beauty about the big grill Saturday is the leftovers! It makes dinner on Sunday a breeze. If no leftovers are around, my hubby gets creative in the kitchen — he makes a mean beef stroganoff.
So that’s our typical weekly meal plan! Do you have regular nights when you dial things in and go for something simple? —Erin