Believe it or not I haven’t been doing near enough cooking. To remedy that I plan to do more cooking this week. I’ve already made a BIG pot of beans today. There are so versatile when I need a quick meal. I know they will keep us from hitting the drive-thru.
Meal Plan
Breakfast will be oatmeal most days. I’m really trying to avoid the expense (and nutritional void) of store-bought cereal but I want to mix up a big batch of granola and maybe even some granola bars for those on-the-go mornings. I have busy mornings planned for almost everyday this week so having something I can grab as we run out the door will be a big help.
Lunch will probably be sandwiches as we rush in from those busy mornings. I can get creative with those but my boys don’t really require much creativity. I use gluten-free bread for my youngest and whole grain wheat for me and my almost 4 year old. Peanut butter, almond butter are regulars but I like to use different kind of fruit instead of jelly. We also use apple butter. When I’m in the mood for something different I’ll have a veggie sandwich with hummus. My husband takes leftovers to work most days.
Snack will probably be fruit. I bought blueberries, strawberries, oranges, apples, and bananas for a good price. I may make smoothies with spinach and some combination of fruit.
Dinner will be a little more labor intensive but my evenings are mostly free this week. Potato Soup will be my soup of choice after I go to the dentist. We plan to make a bunch of bean burritos one evening. Most of the burritos will be frozen for future meals. I have some tomatoes waiting to be made into pico de gallo and avocados waiting to accompany the burritos. Speaking of burritos, this Breakfast Stir Fry makes a filling meal, especially when served in a tortilla. I may also make some Mexican Rice to go along with any leftover beans. Lasagna (GF and vegan) will make an appearance late in the week along with a really colorful salad. If I need any other dinners I’ll make soup, possibly Enchilada Soup.
I’m meeting with a few people this week to help them with their meal plans. I prefer an unstructured meal plan that I can change based on the days events or groceries on hand. I know many people like a more structured meal plan with each meal scheduled. Which style do you prefer and why?
I’m with you – unstructured is the way to go, I like being able to be flexible depending on how my day goes, what we’re craving, etc. But knowing which meals we have the ingredients to make is key 🙂
Semi, some where in between. I like to have a plan for each day but I will mix those meals up if I am not feeling it for that day 🙂
I like fluid meal plans too, when I would meal plan I would buy a variety of foods that could be used for multiple different meals. That ensures using up all the food, and spending a little less! I HATE to waste!
I have only within the past few months started my family on a whole foods diet and only even more recently started meal planning for a week at a time. I wish I have been doing this for a long time! I like planning out meals that use similar ingredients and also making the majority of them on Saturday or Sunday so we can have whatever we feel like throughout the week!
I have a friend who does the same thing. She cooks everything on Sunday and enjoys stress-free dining all week. I think it’s a great idea for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of time during the week.
Keep up the good work!