Weekly Meal Planning Session
I just got back from a much needed week long vacation at the beach. Last Saturday I was sitting on the airplane about to take off, phone on airplane mode, and I realized…I totally forgot to write that week’s meal planning session. So this meal planning session is technically from 2 week ago, which ends up working out perfectly because I don’t have a meal plan for this week because I was on vacation. This meal plan was all about using what was left in my refrigerator before going on our trip, which is also why I only had one option for breakfast and lunch rather than the normal 2 options.
3 tips for making weekly meal planning easier
Make a list! This is important for so many reasons: decrease the amount of time grocery shopping take, decrease the amount of stress the task causes, minimizes how often you forget times, and decreases impulse purchases saving you money.
Plan meals you think actually sound good. Forget the bland chicken, rice, and broccoli. When you actually plan meals that sound good and you want to eat, you will be more likely to eat the food you purchased at the store.
Use a grocery list planner like this one, which guides your list according to grocery store layout. Total time saver.
This Week’s Meal Plan
Breakfast Options:
Option #1 - English muffin with cream cheese, blackberries
Lunch Options:
Option #1 - Turkey sandwich on sourdough with muenster cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, and lettuce. Sides: cheddar popcorn, baby carrots and cucumbers, and grapes.
Dinner:
Sunday: Cook out at my sisters, bring potato salad
Monday: Something with dove*
Tuesday: Frozen pizza, mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, parmesan, with a balsamic dressing.
Wednesday: Work dinner
Thursday: Tomato, mozzarella, basil paninis with a side of broccoli
Friday: Out
Saturday: Leave on trip
* My husband went dove hunting Saturday so I knew we would have dove, but I wasn’t sure what we would do with it.
Weekly Meal Planning Session: Preparation Beforehand
On Sunday I spent 20 minutes preparing lunches for the week. The prep this week mainly consisted of the lunch sides. I separated grapes into tupperware, poured popcorn into plastic baggies, and placed sliced cucumbers and baby carrots into small baggies. I made 2 sandwiches, one for me and one for my husband. Sandwiches require more frequent preparation since preparing too far in advance will cause them to get mushy. I usually do 2 per person max. I try to make the sandwich the night before so that I can save time in the morning.
Weekly Meal Planning Session: What Really Happened
Plans are a great starting place, but we need to be flexible with our food. So here is what really happened…
On Monday my husband and I decided to cook jalapeño poppers using the dove. This isn’t really a complete meal so when we were at the store we grabbed some fresh cocktail shrimp and my husband decided to make fresh guacamole. It ended up being a really weird non-meal, meal, but it was delicious. The rest of the meals went as planned. The tomato, mozzarella and basil paninis were soo good. I highly recommend.
Cheer’s to the week ahead and don’t forget to sign up for my FREE PANTRY STAPLES LIST below.
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We are thrilled to welcome Chef Nichole Jagger to the Dallas Nutritional Counseling team. Chef Nichole will be working with our new family nutrition division, Feed Yourself & Your Family.