Meh.
Such is life.
It's true. I do like new things. Goodness could you imagine doing and being and eating and living THE SAME always? How boring! So yes- I like to stir shit up and then I learn from it and take what I want and incorporate those lessons into our daily lives. Not too bad if you ask me!
Recently I found this super cute weekly schedule for meal planning over on the Pinterest. Not to be confused with actual menu planning- this one is different in that it assigns a different day of the week to a different category. Think Taco Tuesdays y'all....get it? Good!
While it was super cute- it just wasn't realistic for our lives. So I've slowly been transitioning it to work for my house and I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with the outcome! Here's my adapted version of the weekly meal schedule, you're welcome!
Meatless Monday
Well....no brainer here because every day is meatless in my house. But this day, without a question has become ANIMAL FREE. I've kicked it up a notch like old Emeril and BAM- no more animal products on our dinner plates on Mondays.
Meals Include: veggie pastas, family size salads, soups, chili, lentil and quinoa, stir fry- the sky is the limit here!
Taco Tuesday
Y'all. Tuesdays were MADE for tacos- who am I to mess with perfection? However, it's really become more "Mexican Food Tuesday" and clearly our vegetarian, Americanized version of what Mexican food really is comes no where near the real deal.
But I try.
Meals Include: black bean soups, veggie enchiladas, mexi lasagna, tacos, bean burritos, fajitas, tortilla soup
Wild Card Wednesday
I've given myself A DAY to do whatever the hell I want. Wednesdays are also the days where I'm home working just one job and the kiddo is gone all day at homeschool classes with friends. So this means I've got more time to be in the kitchen. As a result- it's usually the day I get my baking done in addition to dinner. Sometimes I even prep a few other meals or make things like dips and veggie trays to snack on later.
Some nights I give my boys a special treat and make something with meat in it. Remember, I did say WILD right?!? Other times, you'll get a counter top full of leftovers or a frozen meal. I've also been known to throw down the SNACK NIGHT like a BOSS. But most Wednesdays I end up doing something NEW and FUN that we haven't ever had before.
Meals Include: white castle burgers, jack fruit BBQ sandwiches, Betty Crocker meat & bean chili, truffle mac n cheese, snack night with tiny pickles & olives, veggie Big Mac "burgers", homemade onion rings & other appetizers, fondue, cauliflower fried rice
Throwback Thursday
My people need one day per week that they RECOGNIZE and know they like otherwise, CHAOS WOULD REIGN. And it just so happens that our trusty favorites fit in nicely on Thursdays.
I try my best to rotate this based upon what I've already made earlier in the week. Meaning if I did make REAL meat burgers on Wednesday- then I go meat free on Thursdays. Coincidentally, this day also works great for leftovers if making dinner simply doesn't fit your schedule. Throwback right?
Meals Include: lasagna, spaghetti, meatballs & rice, cheese enchiladas & beans, meatloaf & mashed potatoes, no chicken & dumpling soup
Fancy Friday
My Fridays are typically my one day off per week- well, that's not true, but I'm usually only working ONE job instead of two or three. So Fridays are the days I do my grocery shopping and on Fridays, I try to make something a little bit fancier.
Depending on what your personal schedule is like- Fridays also lend themselves nicely to Free Day Fridays or Fend For Yourself Fridays, where you do whatever you want or pile all the leftovers on your kitchen counter so your people can choose for themselves what to eat for dinner. I know many people reserve this day for going out to dinner too.
Truth be told- I flip flop back and forth between a fancy dinner and leftovers because I have legit run out of steam some days. Do what works for you.
One word on Fancy Friday- it doesn't necessarily have to be super fancy food. In our house, we just aren't fancy. You're shocked right? But fancy can mean other things too- tablecloth and linen napkins, candles, mood music etc. Any meal can be made fancy with a little table dressings mmkay...
Meals Include: fancy fish, veggie pot pies, steak with fancy veggies like Brussel sprout gratin, complicated pasta dishes, homemade rolls, cauliflower stuffed shells, truffle oil lentil soup, crab cakes
Souper Saturday
YES HONEY! Nothing like a big ole pot of soup to nourish your soul. I make at least one soup per week and usually try to do it on Saturdays, or prep it on Friday to make on Saturday. I work all weekend long and a big pot of soup means my boys have leftovers for Sunday lunch while I'm at work. It's also easy to make in the evenings after I've worked all day or something I can make earlier in the day if I'm working later in the evening.
Basically- it's "souper" flexible and easy. Time willing, I will also pop some bread in the oven or bake up some biscuits. Some days we have a salad with it or might crumble up some tortilla chips and plop a scoop of sour cream on top. Yay soup!
Meals Include: vegan split pea, minestrone, no chicken tortilla, lentil, baked potato, chili, no chicken & dumplings, lasagna soup, potato & leek, kale soup.
Slow Cooker Sunday or Sandwich Sunday
Sunday is entirely dependent on what has occurred earlier in the week. Since I try to not repeat the same type of dish twice in a row- what I throw into the slow cooker will depend on what the weekly menu plan was earlier in the week. Or- I LEGIT may have just given up and you get leftover soup or something easy.
We don't really eat lots of sandwiches but "Easy Sunday" just doesn't have the same ring to it. In my mind- sandwiches are one of the easiest "meals" you'll ever make. Same thing goes for anything you pop in the slow cooker. Sunday is for relaxing and even though I'm almost always working all day, I still try to relax when I get home and not spend the rest of the day in the kitchen. So it works.
Meals Include: any slow cooker meal, sandwiches, grilled cheese & soup, french dips, leftovers
Alright. There you have it. We are officially a few weeks into this fun meal planning schedule and so far so good. I have written down a cute color coded cheat sheet that sits on the side of my fridge (I hate lots of clutter on the front y'all) along with my weekly meals and grocery list. It is SUPER easy for the kiddo to now see what's for dinner without asking me a million times over. It's also pretty helpful in my planning because I usually have a general idea of what needs to be made each day along with my time constraints and work schedule. And of course it helps me keep to a well rounded meal schedule along with aiding me in feeding my family a well balanced plant based diet.
It's easier than you think- I promise.
Tip: Did you notice the amount of times I said LEFTOVERS? I purposely make more just so we can have leftovers. I rely on these damn leftovers y'all. We eat them for lunches and I've been known to stretch them out further and even re-invent them for dinner time.
LEFTOVERS ARE LIFE.
Psst- if you try it, I wanna know! Leave your comments below!
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