Welcome to my new series: Weekly Meal Planning! In an effort to keep myself on track and accountable, I thought I would start sharing my meal plans for the week. I’ve had a modest amount of interest (4 people) after sharing a few on IG, but I’m not able to share a lot of direct links to recipes there. So, this seemed like the next best fit. A resurrection of the blog, v. 2.0 (RIP Lovely Crafty Home). I’ll continue to share the meal ideas on IG, but you’ll need to come here for the details – deal?
Now I won’t bore you with the long and detailed history of how I came to start meal planning or even how I learned to cook at the old age of 21. But I do want to share some specifics so you can best adapt it into your lifestyle if you choose. Firstly, I try not to cook everyday. I, like many others, have been subjected to a rigorous child-driven activities schedule that includes evening hours. On those days I prefer to 1) have a slow cooker meal ready 2) warm up something I have already cooked or 3) quickly prepare something I may have partially prepped or doesn’t require much cooktime (think 20 minutes or less). I have arranged my meals accordingly, but you should swap them around as you see fit. Secondly, I typically prepare enough to provide leftovers which get used as lunches, a dinner later in the week, or they go right into portioned containers and frozen to help out a future, more frazzled me. We are a family of 3, so scale accordingly. And lastly, I only typically worry about dinner. This is probably one of the biggest hangups when I talk to people about meal planning. They think each meal has to be accounted for and the whole process just seems overwhelming. Start small – just cover your most obnoxious meal. For some, that might be breakfast. But for most busy families I suspect it’s dinner.
So, with all that said, let’s get right into this week’s plan.
Monday – Mexican Chicken Soup – If you have the time and you’re at home, you can start the chicken in the morning in broth in the slow cooker on high for a few hours. Take it out and shred it, then pop it back in and continue the soup in the slow cooker. I have also used the Instant Pot to speed things along. I make and store rice separately and pour the soup over to serve. Rice will continue to absorb broth and eventually disintigate into a texture that will not be pleasing leftover. Extra soup freezes well, just whip up some rice quickly when you want to reheat. Serving this with fresh lime juice and fresh pico (store bought) IS A MUST. DO NOT skip it. For us, this is preferable to the dairy options (cheese, sour cream). Tajin is great, as well. But you do you.
Tuesday – Instant Pot Lasagna – I have made this 750 times. It’s good every time. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you need to purchase one to make this recipe because it will be worth it. You could start a small business selling this lasagna to your friends and pay for the Instant Pot in a matter of weeks. I get by with just 1lb of meat, since that’s the most convenient volume to purchase.
Wednesday – Choose from Leftovers (I need a break)
Thursday – Greek Beef & Rice Skillet – Another tried and true. We don’t like ground turkey too much, so I use ground beef. You could use whatever you like. I prefer to use a premade Greek seasoning spice blend when browning the meat instead of just oregano as it calls for.
Friday – Pizza Night – Choose your own adventure here. If you haven’t tried yogurt dough before, it’s awesome. We always have plain yogurt (Siggi’s for life) and flour on hand, so it basically requires no thought. This is a great way to use up deli meat you haven’t finished during the week. Try a BBQ chicken pizza with torn up deli chicken or a Hawaiian pie with ham and pineapple.
Bonus: House bake this week is Banana Cake. I know the recipe calls it a brownie. I have made these 47 times and it never, not once, has resembled a brownie. Not in texture, not in appearance. It is a delicious cake though…essentially banana bread with frosting. I’m leaving the frosting off this week. Also, I don’t add nuts.
There you have it, the first installment of Weekly Meal Plan (made easy?) Please let me know if you try any of the recipes and how you like them!