Who can relate to that?? I know I have been in that spot a time or two :) Life gets busy, there are kid activities going on, errands to run, basketball/soccer practice, etc. Sometimes dinner comes out of no where!!
If you fail to plan then you plan to fail :) I have found that making a meal plan/menu on a weekly basis (or bi-weekly if that works for you) has helped our family immensely!! I decided to start making a menu to help save some money, thinking that if I knew what I planned to cook that week then I would only have to go the store once that week, so I wouldn't go multiple times buying un necessary things out of hunger. It has not only helped us save money, but it has created unity in our home by having a set dinner together every night. It has also helped us to eat more healthy, because we aren't frantically out ordering/getting take out all the time. (I'm all about take out every once in a while though!)
This is how I plan my menu: I sit down one day a week (for me that's usually thursdays) and prepare my weekly menu. I don't use any fancy "app" or menu board. I do have a planner that has a menu/grocery list built into each week, and I often use that, but to be honest, most of the time I use a simple piece of paper that I split into columns for each day of the week and then have sections for Breakfast, Snack 1, Lunch, Snack 2, Dinner. Then I plan away :) I generally use the same meals/recipes. If I'm feeling bored with our past menus I'll hop on Pinterest and see what I can find to "test out" that week. Then from my menu I make my grocery list. I can see how many pounds of ground turkey I will need, how much cheese, eggs, veggies, etc. I'll need, and then my grocery list comes together so much easier and more accurate. {Don't you hate it when you go to make a recipe only to find out you forgot to buy one main ingredient?!}
Here is a break down of meals I eat in each category: (I try to eat every 2-3 hours)
Breakfast: I generally eat the same thing every day for breakfast. It's just easier for me and keeps things consistent for me. I get up pretty early in the morning and do my workout. I will usually eat a banana or apple with a few teaspoons of peanut butter and then workout 30 min later. Within an hour of working out, I will drink my Shakeology. Sometimes, depending on the day, I will have another piece of fruit or a slice of whole wheat toast along with my shake.
Snack 1: I also keep my first snack the same every day :) Maybe I'm boring, ha ha! But it works for me! This snack is usually plain greek yogurt (I use chobani) with some sliced fruit (my favorites are strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and kiwi). Super easy and VERY filling!!!
Lunch: Lunch varies, depending on my mood when I'm meal planning, ha ha! Here are some of my go-to lunch ideas that I use all the time:
*TBLT (turkey bacon, lettuce and tomato) sandwich. I use 4 slices turkey bacon and spinach with whole wheat toasted bread. I then will eat some veggies with that, like carrots or cucumbers.
* Egg salad- I use 1 hard boiled egg, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, some mustard and some relish. Then I stuff that into a whole wheat pita or whole wheat bread. I'll eat that with fresh veggies as well.
* Turkey sandwich- I use low sodium turkey and I love muenster cheese :) I then add spinach and onions and tomatoes with it, so yummy! Sometimes if I'm being adventurous I'll eat this in a tortilla as a wrap instead of on bread. (my FAVORITE tortillas are X-treme wellness high fiber ones, I have seen them at WinCo, Walmart, Smiths, and Macey's). I like a little mayo and mustard too. I use Mayo made with olive oil, it's way low in calories and tastes really good.
* Leftovers- If I see that one day I'll probably have left overs from dinner I'll put that on my menu to make sure our dinners get all used. I LOVE leftovers, but I know it's not for everyone :)
Snack 2: This snack varies. Here is a list of snack foods that I LOVE during this time of day:
* Hard boiled eggs (I usually have 2)
* Veggies (Carrots and cucumbers are my favorite) with hummus or ranch ( I LOVE yogurt ranch, you can find it in the produce section by the salads and other dressings)
*Almonds (I try to eat about an ounce at a time, which is about 1/4 of a cup)
Dinner: Dinner varies every day. I try to mix things up and I like to try new things every once in a while. Sometimes I find keepers and others not so much :) Here is a list of some of our favorite {family friendly} dinners:
* Grilled cheese and Tomato soup - We use whole wheat bread for our sandwiches and we use low sodium turkey and swiss cheese for our sandwiches without putting any butter on them to fry them. We heat them up on our griddle to melt the cheese and toast the bread.
* Broccoli, Quinoa casserole- to keep this one a little healthier, I omit the step of frying the Panko bread crumbs in oil, I just toss them on top of the casserole before baking.
* Flank steak- we coat our flank steak with our basic seasoning, and broil it in the oven until its cooked through, we will serve it with a steamed veggie and brown rice or sweet potatoes
* Chicken Quesidillas- whole wheat tortillas with our seasoned chicken and a little cheese. I like mine dipped in salsa while the hubby and kids like ranch :) We'll usually have a side salad to go along with this meal. Our kids LOVE salads and "decorating" them with all sorts of veggies (peppers, cucumbers, red onion, olives, carrots)
* Cheeseburger sliders- we use lean ground turkey and swiss cheese (or no cheese) and whole wheat hamburger buns. I like to serve these with homemade fries on the side! Who needs fast food?!
* Roasted Veggie mac and Cheese- I eliminated some of the spicy spices to keep it kid friendly. This is a BIG hit at our house!! Great for those garden veggies!!
* Homemade pizzas- We love homemade pizzas! The kids like to help roll out their own dough and "decorate" them. I make this whole wheat dough and then pinch of a small amount (to make a 6 inch pizza) for the girls to roll out and do. I use the rest to make a regular sized pizza for my hubby and I. We keep it pretty simple with toppings. We use jarred pizza sauce (although I'm sure it's not hard to make your own ha ha!) and mozzarella cheese and turkey pepperoni with some veggies.
I hope this breakdown of how I menu plan and what we like to eat has been a little helpful. I find that if I am well planned then the day isn't as stressful. I know what we are having for dinner and about how long it will take to cook (that way I know about what time I need to start cooking it so it's ready when my husband gets home from work). I can pre prep food for that meal during naps or during a quiet moment in the day (like chop veggies or cook chicken and dice it). I find this helps making dinner go more smoothly and less stressful. I don't know about you, but the hours of 4-7 are pretty stressful at our house! If there is anything I can do to make it less stressful and crazy I am ALL about doing it!
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