I love to organize, but cooking is not my jam. As kids have gotten older and school evenings have become busier, I find it even more challenging. Over the years I have tried many systems to help ease food prep from weekly meal planning before a grocery shop, minimalist meal plan (basically the same thing every week) or meal prepping on the weekend for the week ahead. Here is what has been working best for us over the last year:
Monthly Meal Planning
Doing this weekly made it seem like I was always planning meals, but simplifying down to once a month helps me look at the monthly schedule as a whole.
We take into account what events and activities are happening.
We can be intentional about planning our eating out.
We can incorporate the more involved recipes we love into the weekends. (Plus this usually provides at least a night of leftovers)
I keep a list of family favorites and then add in some takeout/eating out, leftover nights and new recipes.
Theme Nights
We don’t necessarily eat the same things every week, but we stick to these themes to inspire our monthly meal plan.
Monday Pasta Night: spaghetti with meat sauce or meatballs, tortellini or ravioli, lasagna, fettuccine alfredo, or penne with marinara, with a side of garlic bread and either a salad, fruit or roasted vegetables.
Taco Tuesday: soft or hard shell beef tacos, chicken chimichangas, quesadillas, chicken tortilla soup, taco bowls, or loaded nachos
Wednesday: Triple S: soup, salad, sammie - potato soup, chili, chicken noodle or tomato soup. French bread oven sandwich, grilled cheese, italian sub, ham and cheese sliders or even burgers + hot dogs.
Thursday: Easy Peasy: leftovers, freezer meal, breakfast for dinner, baked potatoes, Rotisserie chicken or snacky supper tray
Friday: Pizza night - either takeout, Naan/bagel/english muffin MYO pizza, frozen pizza, calzones or stromboli
Saturday/Sunday: Grille, Bake or Roast dinner with an occasional Eat Out night
Streamlining this process for busy seasons of life can minimize the decision fatigue of meal prepping. Hope this helps!