These chicken marinades are a SUPER efficient way to prep ahead. I double it, and throw half in the freezer for another day. Note: When things aren’t too crazy, I try to choose one freezable recipe each week (in an ideal world at least). I know that making spreadsheets for meal planning purposes might officially cement my nerd status, but hey, it’s actually really helpful! I made a spreadsheet with our favorite go-to meals for each category, so it’s really fast to plug recipes into our menu for the week. Seasonal (soup for winter, salad/grill for summer) Step 2: Make a list of your family’s favorite mealsįor dinner, I don’t love the idea of eating the same seven meals for the rest of my life, so I created seven categories instead: Sunday If you want a tray that can be covered and put in the fridge, I’ve been eyeing this tra y from Amazon. Especially on days when the weather is nice, I set the tray out on the back patio and we have a little afternoon picnic while the kids play outside. I don’t really plan snacks regularly…but my favorite snack solution is to fill our Dollar Store party tray with a variety of fruits, veggies, and whatever else I find in the pantry that is already opened (pretzels, veggie straws, etc). Lunch is often apples, pears, baby cut carrots, etc. Breakfast is often clementines, bananas, and/or berries. Note: with every meal, I also try to serve some assortment of fruits and veggies. You can see my “rinse & repeat” menu below. That cuts down on my meal planning work by two-thirds! This action alone has saved me SO much mental effort–14 meals a week that I don’t have to think about anymore. The kids are always welcome to make a PB&J sandwich for themselves. If someone doesn’t like the day’s option for breakfast, they can always have cold cereal or toast with fruit. I brainstormed a handful of doable breakfasts and lunches, alternated hot and cold options, and wrote them into my meal planning sheet. I decided it would cut down on my decision fatigue (which is a real problem for me) if I could plan one week of breakfast and lunch and then put it on repeat for every week thereafter. However, when we started staying home all the time, it was exhausting to make those menu decisions on the fly while I was dealing with schooling, cleaning, and everything else. Until recently, I’ve always flown by the seat of my pants for breakfast and lunch, never planning ahead of time. Here’s what I’ve done to make our meals simple, and still delicious: Step 1: Put breakfast and lunch on repeat What I need are simple, kid-friendly meals that I don’t have to think about. However, with all the added responsibilities of directing the schooling of all my kids, I honestly don’t have a lot of energy left over to think of cute ways to turn a sandwich into a butterfly. So, I’ve been making a deliberate effort to make sure everyone is well fed (notice I’m including myself in the hangry club). Like many of you, right now we’re all home all the time, and when we get hungry…let’s just say things go awry. However, lately I’ve been simplifying my method even more to make mealtime doable during these crazy times we’re in. I have been a firm believer in meal planning for years. When you buy something through a link on my site, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. Note: This post contains affiliate links. Here’s how I keep things simple and delicious! You can get help from your Nutritionist or Diet Consultant (or give them access to your meal calendar) to make the meal plan if you desire.Meal planning is a life-saver, but sometimes it can feel like an overwhelming chore. It doesn't recommend food automatically for you. No, Famealy is a web-app (website) & mobile app that helps you make the plan online.

Will Famealy automatically make a meal plan for me?Īnswer. If you plan meals for others (partner, roommate, spouse, kids, parents, anyone else), then Famealy's online calendar can greatly increase your meal plan's flexibility - easy to share it with everyone involved and make changes on the go. Can I use a paper for planning my meals?Īnswer. Planning ahead once a week is even easier and takes a few minutes. If you spend just 60 seconds thinking about your next day's meals and jot it down, you'll be better prepared to cook or order healthy food at that moment. We can't decide what to eat, and often end up ordering fast-food. There are a lot of benefits of planning meals. Use it to be disciplined and prepared about your family's healthy eating. You can share the meal plan with everyone you made it for, let them make changes, or take a printout. It helps you create a meal plan for your family (or group) yourself.

Famealy is a web-app (website) & mobile app that you utilize using your web browser (no downloads).

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