Meal planning is something I try to do every week. I find it to be a sort of calming thing for me to do. If I am set up for the week to have a successful week with our meals, I know we won’t spend additional money on take out. In this post I am sharing the four recipes I have on my meal plan this week! We usually get takeout at least once during the week days. This coming weekend we have a party on Saturday and on Sunday I will be meal planning again and will also purchase something to make for dinner that evening!
Before I get into the four recipes I am planning on making, I wanted to share a few of my favorite tips for meal planning!
TIPS FOR MEAL PLANNING
TIP 1 – Take a look at what you have! Did you over buy veggies last week? Are there some frozen in your freezer? Have some chicken to defrost? I usually ask myself these things before I get started. I like to use up what I have before I purchase more groceries.
TIP 2 – Use a meal planner. This is the one I use! I love this one because it has recipes and a space where you can write down everything you plan on making each day. There also is a perforated tab that you can write your groceries on and remove it to bring with you to the grocery store.
TIP 3 – Give yourself some wiggle room. We usually plan to eat out at least one night a week either if we go out or get takeout. With this we can get the food we are craving. If you are anything like me you may not want what you planned to eat at the beginning of the week at the end of the week.
MY MEAL PLAN 5.16-5.20
Tonight I am planning on making this lemon garlic butter chicken. It is a favorite of mine and super simple to make. With the smaller chunks of chicken it cooks quickly. I have some brussels sprouts I need to use up. The lemon is refreshing too!
Shrimp is also a go to for us almost weekly! It is so easy to cook and only takes a few minutes. Broccoli is one of Cameron’s go-to foods which if you follow me on Instagram, you know there aren’t many. I think you will also love this honey garlic shrimp recipe.
Each week, I try to make a sheet pan recipe. This sheet pan salmon and asparagus recipe takes me about 20 minutes to make. I love being able to throw them on the sheet pan and into the oven without having to do much prep! It is a great recipe for a busy night and on Wednesday we have T-ball!
Thursday is our busiest night of the week. Cameron has both soccer and golf practice so we run out the door almost as soon as he gets home from school. This one pot spaghetti with meatsauce is also a great recipe to make and eat two nights in a row. My favorite thing to do is to make it with penne and use the left overs to make a baked ziti for the following night or to freeze and use the following week!
I hope you enjoyed these tips and recipes! Let me know if you make any in the comments below.