Let’s talk about meal planning and prep.  I’m sure you’ve heard the adage, if you are failing to plan, you are planning to fail.  I’m sure you’ve heard excuses from yourself and others about not having the time or energy to plan.  I have those thoughts myself from time to time. Getting started with meal planning is the hardest part, I promise.  Once you get the hang of it, you will wonder how you ever survived without it. My husband and I both work full time, so our plan varies from week to week based upon the activities we have going on.  Our kids are still young, so I am constantly looking for recipes that are high in nutrition, and something the kids will eat.

I have tried a variety of meal planning strategies, from software that does it for me, to good old pen and paper. I try to keep our plan as simple as possible by choosing 3-4 meals to cook during the week, and we eat leftovers for lunch.  Sunday is my prep day, and I use that time to prep the veggies for the week, and make at least on breakfast or snack option for the kids. I don’t assign a meal to a particular day outside of Sunday. We typically have a larger lunch on Sunday that uses a recipe that is more involved (pot roast, lasagna, etc.).  Weeknights are simple, two veggie options each night and a protein. I prefer the “mix & match” method for planning. This allows for more prep up front, and more flexibility if we don’t feel like chicken on Tuesday. 

I use a variety of resources for recipes, but Pinterest is my favorite by far.  My oldest daughter even pins things that she wants to try, which gets her invested in the process (a.k.a. she will eat what she makes!).  Over the next few posts, I will outline my process for planning and shopping for a weeks worth of yummy meals, prepped in one day.