I recently came across this idea somewhere (I’m sure it wasn’t my own), and I’m in love!:
To make meal preparation easier during the weekdays at home, I have a rotating
lunch schedule: the same food every day of the week, so that if I know what day it
is, I also know what we’re having for lunch! I’ve been doing this for about a month now,
and let me tell you, it’s been so helpful and relaxing to get to lunch time and not
have to figure out what we’re having! I can prepare ahead of time to have groceries
on hand and even set things out on the countertop in the morning before I start school
with my girls, and it’s way less stressful!
Here’s our particular schedule:
Mondays: Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup, fruit
Tuesdays: Peanut Butter and Jelly with Apple slices and string cheese
Wednesdays: Quesadillas with refried beans or leftover chicken, fruit (SPEAK IN SPANISH DAY!)
Thursdays: Tuna or Chicken Salad Sandwiches with fruit
Fridays: Homemade Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese with peas and fruit
(I usually try to have us eat fruit with lunch and vegetables with dinner as a general
rule, which has helped me to know that we’re getting at least some of each in our day.
The speak in Spanish day is just for fun..it’s a way to loosen up and to introduce a little
Spanish to our young girls...I think I’ll start playing salsa music over lunch, too!)
And, I’ve even done this with breakfast, too, to simplify our mornings:
Mondays: Oatmeal with frozen blueberries (and nuts for the adults)
Tuesdays: Eggs with Toast (and peanut butter)
Wednesdays: Oatmeal with frozen fruit or bananas (and nuts for the adults)
Thursdays: Eggs with Toast (and peanut butter)
Fridays: Oatmeal with blueberries (and nuts for the adults)
(We’re doing school on Mondays,Wednesdays, and Fridays, so having the same
thing every day that we do school makes it easier.)
Do you have any regular meal ideas or things to help simplify or streamline your
daily schedule? Share!
5 comments:
We started doing a lunch rotation like that last fall. We generally do Mac and Cheese Mondays, Tomato Soup (and Grilled Cheese) Tuesdays, Sandwich or Salad Wednesdays, Pizza Thursdays, and "Finger Food" Fridays (stuff like cheese and crackers, hard boiled eggs, fresh veggies, etc).
It was supposed to have an alliteration for every day ("Wandering" for Wednesday because sandwiches are easy to take places and "Throw it in the Oven Thursdays" was supposed to be the alliteration there. Surprise, Surprise those alliterations never caught on. ;-) Finger Food Friday is the kids' favorite and they look forward to it every week.
I've been thinking about doing a breakfast rotation too, but I love to make baked goods for breakfast and it is hard to predict exactly which mornings (or night before) I will have time to bake.
I like the alliteration flair to the roatation! Creative as always, Kirsten! Thanks!
Cute idea for the meal rotations...I think I may have to borrow that idea...Finger food friday...LOVE IT!
I was just thinking of doing something like this. I was thinking of having a 2-week rotation but I could see how having the same thing each day of the week would be easier. I hope I switch to something--I can see how it would save you a lot of mental/emotional energy. (Pulling hair out--what are we going to EAT and when do I need to start preparing it?????) I'm also thinking of starting a month or two month rotation of dinner meals, based on season. Elaine from Stonebrook used to do that. Sounds like another sanity saver. Do you have your mac n cheese recipe on this blog? Have a good one!
Hi Jackie!
I hope your meal planning helps you as well!
Mac & Cheese: I don't have the recipe on the blog, but I could post it...I'll try getting to that as soon as I have a free moment. (ha!) Seriously, though, I will put it on my list of things to do.
I hope your family is well!
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