Well, week one back on the meal planning train went great. In fact, at one point last week Anna said, “What is this magical book that means home-cooked meals every night?” It was so cute! So far I am completely loving The Ultimate Meal Prep Cookbook. (Thank you, Bonnie!) Although this week it’s a mix up of their recipes and my own – looking to minimize time standing at the stove thanks to another warm week of weather!

MONDAY:

• Skillet Tortellini with Sausage and Tomatoes

TUESDAY:

• Homemade hamburgers

WEDNESDAY:

• Chicken Caesar Salad

THURSDAY:

• Spaghetti and meatballs (I have some meatballs in the freezer)

FRIDAY:

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Takeout night

SUNDAY:

• Smoked pork butt with grilled veggies

Your turn! Share your own meal plans, recipes, whatever in the comments below! Have a great week!

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great summer! School started a few weeks ago, which was when I was planning to get back to meal planning. But then we tore out all our cabinet doors and painted the kitchen (still working on the cabinets) and then that heat wave hit. But my excuses are expiring, so it’s time to get serious again. I’ll be honest, I don’t really feel like planning menus, but I definitely need them back in my life. So, here we go!

Thank you to long-time menu contributor Bonnie Lawrence for telling us about America Test Kitchen’s The Ultimate Meal Prep Cookbook. This is my first week of using one of their weekly plans to a T. I’m excited!

MONDAY:

• Parmesan Chicken with Cherry Tomato Salad

TUESDAY:

• Chicken and Rice with Chorizo and Artichokes

WEDNESDAY:

• Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork with Lemony Broccolini

THURSDAY:

• Skillet Tortellini with Sausage and Tomatoes

FRIDAY:

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Takeout

SUNDAY:

• Outdoor Grill Night! (I’ll buy the food for this dinner when I do next week’s shopping)

Please share your weekly menu in the comments below! I’m excited to be re-connected and see what you are all up to in the kitchen!

Hello foodie friends! I am crying “Uncle!” and going to take a summer break from meal planning (since I basically am already). We aren’t eating out a ton or anything, but we are taking a very relaxed approach to dinner each night. I haven’t ever officially taken a summer blog break from planning my weekly menu…it feels weird but also a bit refreshing. I think by the time school gets started, the break will have me ready to get planning weekly again. 

Until then, please feel free to drop your menus on this post all summer long. It can be our summer resource weekly menu spot.

Happy summer! Happy eating fresh produce!

Pictured: Sunset in our beautiful Carlsbad last week, photo by my daughter Anna 🙂

Week 750. That feels like a number to celebrate for some reason. It’s like the third quarter quell times 100. (That’s a lot of Hunger Games.) It’s three-quarters of the way to 1000. It’s a lot of years, that is for sure. Anyway…happy 750 menus, Blog!

MONDAY:

• Smoked turkey breast with salad and rice

TUESDAY:

• Naan pizzas (speaking of pizza, have you ever tried making this no-cook pizza sauce? it’s great, just fyi.)

WEDNESDAY:

• Thai basil beef rice bowls

THURSDAY:

• Ancho bbq sloppy joes (still need to make this! recipe to come…)

FRIDAY:

• Slow cooker Korean beef bbq (another repeat from last week…can you tell I did a lot of cooking the last week of school?)

SATURDAY:

• Leftovers

SUNDAY:

• Father’s Day! Whatever Nate wants! 🙂

Your turn, share your menu for the week below! Have a great week!

Hello! How has another week passed? It’s last day of school on Thursday, so I am anticipating a bit of “crazy,” but should be fun!

MONDAY:

• Leftovers (after a weekend of delicious home meals!)

TUESDAY:

• Ancho BBQ sloppy joes (planning to modify from a Hello Fresh recipe we liked)

WEDNESDAY:

• Slow cooker Korean beef barbecue rice bowls

THURSDAY:

• Last day of school beach party!

FRIDAY:

• Night at the Padres

SATURDAY:

• Grilled Salmon with rice and salad

SUNDAY:

• Smoked whole chicken with salad and corn

You know what to do…share your own menu in the comments, steal our ideas, eat good food! 

Our Memorial Day is done and we are completely stuffed with the most wonderful food. It’s actually a little hard to plan a menu right now because the last thing I want to think about is food. No, but seriously. This is hard…can we just have water and fruit for all the meals because that is all I can think about right now.

MONDAY:

• Memorial Day BBQ Feast

TUESDAY:

• Caprese salad and fruit

WEDNESDAY:

• Indian food (will grab some simmer sauces to make paneer and chicken dishes)

THURSDAY:

• Breakfast for dinner: Omelettes and fruit

FRIDAY:

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Takeout night

SUNDAY:

• Homemade pizza night

Your turn! Share your menus in the comments below! Have a great week, everyone!

Long time no talk! I took a break on Mother’s Day, and then last week I just inadvertently took a break from meal planning…and cooking for that matter. I must admit, making dinner has been a real struggle lately, and it is only going to get worse these last weeks of school. I’m going to go ahead and make this plan and then be kind to myself should things go off the rails, again. Wish me luck!

MONDAY:

• Panda Village (this is our local plaza with a Panda Express, Rubio’s and Jersey Mikes affectionately known to my kids as Panda Village – choose your own adventure!)

TUESDAY:

• Fried Rice

WEDNESDAY:

• Tortilla Soup

THURSDAY:

• Bistro Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Salad

FRIDAY:

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Eat out

SUNDAY:

• Smoked Meats and Fixins

Orange text. Black text

And we’re back! Spring break ended with a lot of driving on my part after leaving my wallet and keys in a national park many, many miles away from my home. Completely threw off the week, but I got my stuff and on life goes! Back to normal finally…

MONDAY:

• Homemade Bolognese

TUESDAY:

• Cilantro Sour Cream Enchiladas

WEDNESDAY:

• Pat’s Asian Chicken Salad 

THURSDAY:

• Hamburgers

FRIDAY:

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Takeout

SUNDAY:

• Breakfast for dinner: Omelettes

You know the drill…share your own meal plan in the comments below! And have a great week!

Hello intrepid meal planners. It’s Spring Break this week and we are hitting the road…Park City, here we come! I have no idea what we will be eating where and when. Can’t wait! 

I figured I would pop in and put a post up for those of you who do have your weekly menu in order. Go ahead and share them in the comments like usual! And I’ll see you all next week!

I am sick (again) and for real have no idea what we should have for dinner this week. 🤦🏽‍♀️ Here goes nothin!

MONDAY:

• Turkey Boursin Baguettes

TUESDAY:

• Pasta with Bolognese

WEDNESDAY:

• Ramen bowls with soft boiled egg

THURSDAY:

• Chili

FRIDAY:

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Takeout night

SUNDAY:

• Easter Brunch with family

As usual, your shared menus are the best! Keep it coming and put your own meal plan in the comments below. Thank you!