As women, we are constantly being pulled in endless directions. I’m sure men are too but they have this innate ability to compartmentalize their thoughts. How they do this blows my mind, as my brain certainly always looks like a browser page with at least 14 tabs open. It’s only gotten a little crazier since becoming a mom so I am constantly looking at ways to organize, simplify and delegate. The delegate one is a new area of focus for me, so more on that later, but organizing certainly makes a big difference in my sanity. My favorite thing to organize, which probably comes as no surprise, is our weekly meal plan.
I used to share our weekly meal plans (which are archived here), but somewhere along the way I fell off of it. Still, those posts are some of my favorites to revisit when trying to plan meals each week because I’ve added which months the meals were in and have links to most recipes and all that jazz. So for the sake of adding to my collection, I wanted to hop in a share last week’s meal plan.
Also to note, I prefer shopping on Fridays now, as it helps us eat out less over the weekend and culminates with an easy pizza night Friday night, once the week’s new groceries are put away. I get so much joy out of Friday night pizza nights!
Ok, ok, enough, I could chat forever about meal planning, so let’s just jump in!
Here’s where it all starts- at the grocery list! I outline my process for planning the week of meals here, if you’re interested.
Then I hit up Whole Foods (which is my go-to, which supplemental items from Target, as their selection of groceries is quite impressive!).
I mostly stick to the list but occasionally end up tossing a few extra items in (bananas, hearts of palm).
First let me share my breakfast with you. I made this fried egg on sweet potato, onion and spinach hash for breakfast every day last week (well, Monday-Thursday) and will certainly repeating it in the future!
It’s super simple! On Sunday (food prep day) I diced 4 small sweet potatoes and 1 onion. I sauteed them in a little grapeseed oil over medium heat with garlic granules and a pinch of sea salt until soft (about 15 minutes). I let that cool, then stored in the fridge. Each morning, I’d pull out a handful and toss it into my nonstick pan, saute it for about 5 minutes with a little chopped spinach then cooked an egg right in it. It tasted incredible and was a healthy, filling start to the day. I highly recommend it!
Now a look at the dinners:
Brown Sugar and Bourbon Glazed Salmon (with unpictured Brussels and baked sweet potato)
Roasted Tomatoes and Goat Cheese Polenta (which was delicious and easy, but just was enough to feed David and me, though it says it serves four, just FYI)
Paleo Sausage Bake (one of my favorite go-tos. It’s packed with veggies, simple and David loves it)
Buffalo Chicken Piles. Because when you forget to buy romaine… you grill and slice chicken then top it with shredded rainbow carrots, diced celery, blue cheese crumbles, red onion, scallions, ranch and wing sauce.
Pulled Pork BBQ with (unpictured) Roasted Asparagus (which I found is a veggie that Kaitlyn actually devours ::heel click::)
It was a week of good eats! I get an odd satisfaction from meal planning and it’s one of my favorite topics as I’ve really developed a great system for my family over the years. I’ve actually been offered by more than one friend to be paid to meal plan and prep for them. If I had even a minute of free time I totally would accept because meal planning makes me all kinds of happy! Any other meal planning weirdos out there? 😉
Where do you get inspiration for weekly meals?
What requirements are important to you when meal planning?
For me, it must fit the schedule/timing of the day and I like to try and match meals up with the weather (soup/stew/roast for cold and rainy, grilling out for beautiful evenings, etc).
Lindsey @ Simply Lindsey says
That pulled pork BBQ looks delicious! I get meal inspiration from Pinterest and blogs, sometimes from cookbooks. Our requirements for meal planning are that it’s what we’re in the mood for (obviously haha) and that for week nights, it doesn’t take hours to cook.
Katie says
My meal planning is 100% dependent on my schedule. There are nights that I need to cook specific big dinners so that I have enough leftovers to carry through my busy days. Other times I’m getting home late and need a heat and eat meal.
Kate says
I love to look at other people’s meal plans or recipes on blogs for inspiration.
Timing and schedule are really important for me as well. I also try to keep the meals seasonal, so that I don’t have to rely on produce that needed to be shipped from the other side of the world…
Btw, love the browser comparison! That’s exactly how my mind feels like…
Alyssa @ renaissancerunnergirl says
I definitely want to try making that polenta, and the Brussels sprouts/sweet potato combo, as make ahead meals now that I’m working and trying to meal prep on Sundays. Thanks for sharing!
Christina says
I love your posts on meal planning! 🙂 I get tons of inspiration from blogs and magazines, as well as cookbooks. Generally, if I find a recipe I *love*, I write it on a recipe card and put it in my recipe box (so my recipe box contains my tried-and-true favorites). I also keep a list on my fridge of meals that we try and love, so I can always turn to that for quick inspiration.
BTW, your sausage paleo bake just made it into the recipe box this week! We love it!!!
Brittany Dixon says
I am so excited I made the recipe box! 🙂
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
I meal plan every single week. It might not be something I love doing (the actual picking recipes) but it saves my sanity! I love not having to think about what I’m going to eat when I get home from work. I just know that I have all the ingredients and can make whatever is on my meal plan. I’m with you, I like to plan according to weather, so I’ll look up the weather for the next 10 days before I start so I can make sure I’m not making soup in 87 degree weather — haha I also like to make sure I don’t have chicken 2 times in one week (or any meat repeating). I need to be better about making sure one day it’s vegetarian!
Brittany Dixon says
I don’t repeat meats either! Ha, so funny. I also have started trying to make one dinner a week meatless. It’s harder than I anticipated since I can’t eat lentils (got sick after them last time and still can’t stand the thought of them) and beans have been tough of my digestion.
Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me says
I’ve always been envious of the way the men in my life are able to disassociate different areas of their lives. When something is annoying them in one area, you’ll never hear about it unless you’re a part of it! Crazy!!! It’s something I need to work on for myself. Also, I love that you transitioned your grocery shopping to Friday. That’s so smart of you to save money that way!
Dana says
Love your meal planning posts….please keep them coming! I to find it so much easier to meal plan for my family. i also seem to plan by the weather and activities with the kiddos what meal we will be having. It makes my life soooo much easier to know what we are having for the week! Thanks for the inspiration! Added that paleo sausage bake to next weeks meals 🙂
Dana says
Love your meal planning posts….please keep them coming! I to find it so much easier to meal plan for my family. I also seem to go by the weather and what activities we have that week as far as what meals we will be having. Just makes my life sooo much easier to know whats for dinner 🙂 I added that sausage paleo bake to next weeks meals…..looks yum 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Sarah says
I don’t love the meal planning process but I love the results! Makes my week so much easier, especially now that I’m a full time working mom. Also, I make a sweet potato hash with egg as well that is so incredibly delicious!!
Natasha says
We are in week 2 of cleaner eating and its a bit tough but going really well. I love browsing through your recipes and getting inpiration. Your meals always look so delicious. Would love to try your sweet potato breakfast.
Jessie M says
LOVE MEAL PLANNING! And reading about how others make it work for their family as well. It’s just me I’m feeding, and sometimes the BF, but for both my health & my wallet I make sure I bring my lunch to work every day. That plus my workout schedule has me eating lots of food during the work day, usually breakfast, lunch & two snacks.
Recently I’ve been making big ol’ pots of soup with recipes I know will freeze well. I freeze a portion or two so I don’t have to eat the same bowl of soup 5 lunches in a row. It’s easy to pull something out of the freezer & it thaws by lunch.
Requirements for me are, simple ingredients, potential to freeze well (or make smaller portion to test size) and a thumbs up if I can make it in the crockpot! I’ve been making chicken breast with hot sauce in the crockpot on Sundays & using the shredded meat in pretty much everything. Salads, a bagel sandwich for breakfast, add into a simple soup for more protein.
I love Tuesday’s, it’s when our new weekly store ads come in the mail. Meal plan weirdo, right here. Haha
Brittany Dixon says
HIgh five fellow meal planning weirdo- love it! 🙂 And thanks for the reminder of crockpot chicken- I need to make a batch soon!
Nicole says
I love your meal planning posts! I can’t wait to have the sweet potatoes with a fried egg, such a simple meal but so delicious! Strange question, but can you tell me where you got your plates-I love them! Thanks!
Brittany Dixon says
They are from Williams Sonoma circa 2009 (I registered for them when we got married ;))
Julie says
I feel so much more relaxed (mentally) once I’ve figured out what I’m cooking for the week! I’m an accountant (nerd alert!) so I’ve actually put together a spreadsheet listing our favorite dinners (w/ alphabetized tabs listing ingredients), & I enter the dates when I make each item so I can easily see what I haven’t made in awhile. Before I created my spreadsheet, it felt like I was always repeating the same thing & forgeting other favorites. Now I can quickly pull up my spreadsheet while I’m at work & jot down the items I need to pick up at the store on my lunch hour. I do try to do this on Mon. so I have an idea of what my plan is for the week in case I need to double check the pantry at home. Oftentimes I will make choices based on leftovers I need to use up that week. (We frequently grill on Sun. nights so if I have a bunch of chicken left over, I will pick a casserole that calls for cooked chicken later that week.) I also keep in mind how much time I may have to cook on a given night & what temperature I will need the oven to be for the main course (if I’m using the oven) as to whether that corresponds w/ the temp needed for the side I’ve chosen (learned that lesson the hard way). I’m also a big fan of the pre-chopped veggies. I know they’re more expensive, but on a busy weeknight, it’s worth it to me. I usually make plenty when I cook so I typically will incorporate a couple nights during the week for leftovers. We eat out at least once or twice a week, too (usually on the wknd).
Brittany Dixon says
David would dig your excel sheet system! He is an engineer by degree and has a deep love for spreadsheets haha 😉
I feel you on pre-chopped veggies too. I try to always prep my own but sometimes pick up a bag of prechopped because it is such a time saver, especially when making meals for the girls!
Edie says
Oh yay, your meAl planning posts (w/pictures) are some of my favorite posts! That is actuly how I found your amazing blog about a year ago.
I was just revisiting some of your old fall meal plans in the archives this past weekend to get inspiration for my family’s meals this week.
You brown sugar bourbon salmon recipe (originally from your mom, see I read the entire post ?) is a weekly staple in our house. It is the first preparation of salmon that my husband would even consider eating. I think he had a bad salmon cake or something as a kid. Now he requests “Brittany’s salmon” when I am making the meal plan on Sunday. Another plus, my 5 yr old and 1 yr old gobble it up too!
I really want to try your paelo sausage bake and goat cheese polenta w/roasted tomatoes. Did you add sautéd spinach on top too?
Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into your blog and scopes. Your positivity and cheerful nature is contagious, and this SAHM appreciates you. Keep up the awesome work, and keep being yourself!
Disclaimer:I am typing this while nursing my son down for nap and he is grabbing at the phone and flailing around like a fish….so sorry for the typos ?
Brittany Dixon says
You always make me smile with your kindness Edie- thank you! 🙂
I did add sauteed spinach to the polenta bowl- delicious! And I’m thrilled your fam likes the salmon so much. It’s a favorite around here too!
Molly says
I love these posts! I’m now inspired to get back to meal planning… your sausage and veggie bake has been bookmarked since you first posted it. Now it’s on the menu for later this week; can’t wait to try it! 🙂
Jen@jpabstfitness says
I absolutely adore your blog, but for some reason it is taking forever to load and scroll through a post. I thought it was my computer, but it’s just your site that it happens on :(. Just wanted to let you know just in case anyone it was happening to others.
That being said, I now have a mean craving for a BBQ pulled pork sandwich!!!
Susan says
I am having the same trouble with the site, too, but thought it was my computer!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh wow thank you so much for letting me know!! I sent the issue to my tech guy and he is on it. Please let me know if it gets better over the next couple of days. I hate slow loading sites so I want to fix this ASAP. Thanks!
shari says
Glad I found your blog! I just signed up for Dr Sears Wellness Institute for health coaching. So excited about it. I’m super passionate about teaching others a healthier way of life when it comes to food. People are always asking what I shop for and what my menu looks like. When it comes kind of easy, you forget that there are people that really do struggle with it. I’m spending some time reading through your blog. 🙂
Liz says
I follow a few “weekly menu plan” websites but actually rarely use their recipes! I have a list of meals that have been successful that I pick through for the week that lives on my phone, where I’ll type up our grocery list. A “successful” meal to us means I can put it together in under 30 minutes & the components are “deconstructed” enough for our toddler who prefers her food plain or easily adaptable to be so as to not to get her hands “yucky”
Elizabeth says
I meal plan; I do it each week & make my grocery list.
I have started to hate the meal plan. There I said it. I want to break the rules. Even if I have a great plan & assortment of things to eat, I want to do something different. When life starts to feel too structured I start to rebel : )
Amy @ Elephant Eats says
Man, I’d totally pay you to meal plan for me too! Meal planning is my least favorite thing ever…i think it’s cuz I just don’t know where to look for the recipes. Also, i want a meal that’s very quick since I work full-time and don’t get home til almost 7. I used to love grocery shopping but now I just don’t have time to do it, which also throws a wrench in the meal planning. Do you like/mind having to cook every day? I feel like if i spend all that time cooking, I want the meal to last several days (luckily my husband and i are big fans of leftovers!).
Brittany Dixon says
I will say that overall I do enjoy cooking, but more so I really enjoy eating (ha) and so the cooking is a means to an end. I really try to keep 1 or 2 (max) meals a week that are on the more complicated/more elaborate side. Other than that I look for meals I can prep ahead of time or during nap. On the weeks I don’t feel like cooking I use my crockpot like it’s going out of style 😉
Sandra says
It looks like a very tasty week of meals. Nice handwriting btw. Did you make that wing sauce or buy it? We prefer using the myhealthymealplan.com for our meals for our family of 4. Our kids like it and all our meals come with nutrional facts. The recipes are simple and get the job done. Thanks for your hard work.
Brittany Dixon says
I bought the wing sauce! It’s from WIng Time (http://www.panoramafoods.com/wingtime/) and I get it at Whole Foods. It’s delicious!
Clean Devotee @ Paul's Cleaning Melbourne says
I love your meal plan posts! And this one looks particularly well. I’m adding the Brown Sugar and Bourbon Glazed Salmon straight to next week’s plan. This is a lovely helper to ease the housekeeping tasks.
Paula says
I really appreciate your meal plan posts! I do try to keep a different weekly plan going, but it can be difficult to keep coming up with new ideas. Definitely going to try the Paleo Sausage Bake 🙂