Meal Plan
It’s too bad we all have to eat three times a day! I’m pretty sure food is the most stressful thing for me in this homemaking journey. Eesh. I need to feed everyone. Every day. Several times a day. And it does not go well when there’s not a plan in place, nor when there’s not any food in the fridge. Eesh again! Do you know what you’re eating this summer? All I know is that I do not want to be in the kitchen hours on end. So I must have a plan. I need recipes I can make as fast as possible.
Enter my meal plan anchors…my favorite thing I added to my anchor list. I already have a pretty good rotation that works well (see it here), but I needed it to be whittled down even further, so that when it comes time to sit down and plan out what we’re eating for the week, I don’t have to take much time at all.
Salsa Sunday
We have leftovers for a late lunch on Sundays, but Sunday evenings are weird. We leave too early to eat dinner before church, and we get home so late we’re starving to death by the time we get back. We need something FAST! Enter chips and salsa. That’s what we’re eating Sunday nights. Boom! Decision made! No searching around in cabinets at 10:00 pm trying to figure out what we’re having for a snack.
Monday: Sandwich Night
We need quick on Mondays because it’s just an off day trying to catch up from the weekend and planning ahead for a new week. Enter sandwiches…whatever sandwich that sounds good that day.
- Grilled cheese
- Sloppy Joes
- Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
- Burgers
- Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Hot Dogs
Taco Tuesday
Can Tuesday be anything else? I like this one because we have lot of good taco recipes. Here are some of my favorites.
- Chicken Street Tacos
- Beef Tacos
- Carnitas
- Tinga
- Fajitas
- Quesadillas (also love to do Taco or Fajita Quesadillas with leftovers!)
Wednesday: Quickie Meals
Wednesdays are for quick meals…because church! Think a quick chicken salad meal with rotisserie chicken and bagged chopped salad from the deli section at your local grocery store. This is my current favorite because it’s very quick and a perfect summer meal. Add a slice or two of butter bread to fill up your husband.
- Easy Rotisserie Chicken and Bagged Salad
- Perfect Baked Potatoes
- Ham and Cheese Quesadillas
- Smoothies
- Naan Pizzas
- Frozen Pizza
- Frozen Taquitos
Thursday: Meat and Potatoes
My husband is a meat and potato man. This meal is especially for him. A roast, honey mustard or garlic honey chicken, mini meat loaves, any grilled meat. Potatoes can mean French fries, baked potatoes, foil packet potatoes, even rice if it comes down to it. I know that’s not a potato, but starch counts.
- Mini Meat Loaves and Baked Potatoes
- Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies
- Grilled Meat and Veggie Foil Packets
- Grilled Meat Kabobs
- Bacon Burger Bowls
- Roast
Friday: Leftovers
By this time we usually have plenty of leftovers. We’ll finish those up or go out to eat. (But we live pretty far from everything, so we don’t go out to eat too often on Fridays anymore.)
Saturday: Non-American Cuisine
I typically have more time on Saturday evenings for experimental cooking. This is when I do all of my extra flavorful cooking…think Indian, Chinese, Mexican, etc. I always make sure I make plenty so we have leftovers for a quick lunch after a busy Sunday morning. Here are some of my favorites:
Southwest Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Hopefully this gives you some ideas for a summer full of easy kitchen duty! Happy Cooking!
Sarah