Here is my meal plan for this week. Are you shocked? Yep, it’s been a LONG time since I have posted anything about our meal plans here, but I am telling you having a meal plan every day has CHANGED MY LIFE! I forget how important meal planning is until it almost drowns me trying to prepare for each meal on the fly.
A few months ago, we painted a wall in our kitchen with chalk board paint and it has been wonderful. Each week it is updated with our meal plan, our verse of the week and I even use it to keep track of our “point system” for character quality training. I might need to do a post on that later!
If you need a little direction on how to easily and quickly meal plan, checkout my post below on 5 Easy Meal Planning Tips. But one of the most important things I do is to simple check the calendar and see what we need each night.
Here is a list of some of the meals I will be planning on having this week. Usually I slot them into certain days, but give myself room to change it up a bit!
Meatballs and Spiraled Sweet Potatoes – these spiraled sweet potatoes have changed my life. I just use frozen made ahead meat balls, and make a simple tomato sauce by sautéing red onions and garlic. Super simple dinner.
Meatball Subs with Peppers and Onions – just using leftover meatballs and sauce to make an easy dinner this week.
Black Bean Soup with Cheese Quesadillas – I love making this and using leftovers for another night! If there are any peppers and onions left from the meatball subs, I’ll add those to the quesadillas.
Roasted Chicken, Skillet Green Beans and Brown Rice
Burrito Bowls – Using leftover black bean soup, roasted chicken, peppers and onions, we will have a really tasty leftover meal. This is perfect to just dump leftovers into, extra rice, quinoa or more. We top it like a burrito, with cheese, avocado, salsa and sour cream.
In addition, for snacks and breakfast/lunch we will just use leftovers in the fridge and my new addition.
Raw Apple Crisp – my new addiction!
Here are a few more meal planning resources that might be helpful.
Weekly Meal Planning Template Download (you can even type in and print!)
My Recipe Box Page – full of over 400+ money-saving recipes !
Kelly, I appreciate your meal planning tips, but I have a question related to your photo. I love the chalkboard wall!! Would you please share details about the “Happys” and the tally marks that I am guessing go with the “Happys” and your kids? Thanks for your inspiring posts!!
Jennifer, the “happy’s” are tally marks my kids get for character qualities. I give them (and take them away) at random times. If I see them being kind to each other, they each get points. When one of them remembers to practice our Bible verse all on their own, they get points. They get points for just saying and trying to recite the verse from memory. Anytime they are showing positive character qualities, they get points. If they show poor character qualities, such as using mean words, having a bad attitude or not doing something I’ve asked them to do, they lose points.
Once they have reached 100 points, I give them a “Happy”. The last few times it has been an Ice Cream Sundae party after dinner. Since starting this I have seen so many random acts of kindness. It has given them practical applications, and what has happened is that being nice, using kind words and desiring to learn God’s Word have become second nature. I hope that helps!