Friends, I am totally protesting this Summer heat right now. I can barely step outside for a few minutes without my eczema itching like crazy.

I’m making pumpkin-themed snacks next week, I’m about to start wearing my Halloween earrings… I need Fall to get here quick!

And Summer break is officially over. Allison starts junior high next week, and I start my first day of my new job as a lunch lady! I had training all this week, and I absolutely love the ladies I’m working with. This school year is going to be AMAZING.

Fall Foods I’m Swapping Soon

When the weather gets cooler, different fruits and vegetables come into season. All of the grilling out and eating cold salads will soon turn into cozy soups and hot chocolate.

When new produce comes into season, that usually means they’re cheaper at the store. And those are what I focus on during those months.

Here’s what I’ll be eating more of this Fall:

• Butternut squash: It’s a more starchy vegetable, almost like sweet potatoes. I like to cube and roast it, as well as make soup!

• Apples: I already eat them every day, but they’ll be cheaper here soon. And I’ll start using them in muffins, baked oatmeal, and whatever else I can find!

• Sweet potatoes: Similar to the butternut squash. I usually dice and roast them as a side item.

• Pumpkin: Instead of banana baked goods, I’m switching it all out for pumpkin!

• Grapes: I love how cheap they are in Fall! Allison’s a fan of the Autumncrisp grapes, which are green but a lot sweeter.

What are some of your favorite Fall foods?

Leave a comment

My Favorite Things This Week

1.) I started training this week, and I’m so pumped! It was mostly cleaning, and learning where things are in the kitchen. There was no actual cooking, as the kids don’t come back until Tuesday. That’s when the fun begins!

2.) The lunch line is covered with fun stickers. I noticed this one that’s supposed to say “Woo Hoo”, but it somehow got put on backwards and upside down… so it says “Hoo Moo”. I’m just… not gonna change it, lol. It’ll be my new motto.

3.) I’ve been spending the past couple weeks making some freezer meals! This week was Ham and Cheese Calzones, made with homemade pizza dough. They’re really easy, and super filling!

This Week’s Posts/Videos

• $107.47Grocery Haul (Video)

• Two Homemade TV Dinners (Video)

• Crustless Chicken Pot Pie

• Turkey Bacon Ranch Wraps

Subscribe to my paid membership for done-for-you meal plans!

For just $5.00 a month, you get:

-5 dinners, 1 breakfast, and 1 snack recipes, sent every Monday
-Grocery list organized by section
-5 new printable recipes sent on the 1st of every month
-Ad-free recipes on Substack

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I use affiliate links when sharing products and services I love. This means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you purchase through my links. It’s a way to support my business and bring you more recipes and cooking tips.

Happy September, friends!

Every month I send out 5 printable recipes based on one of my 20 Meal Themes. The idea is to print them out and add them to your recipe binder!

This month’s theme is Soup! I know it might still be hot where you live, but I’m preparing for Fall now so that I know I’ll be ready later.

Read more

Many years ago, I was on the lookout for easy freezer meals. This may have been before I had Allison, so at least 13+ years.

I wanted all the cookbooks! So I got some from the library, acquired a couple from my grandma… and then I found a book called “Don’t Panic- Dinner’s in the Freezer”. (Affiliate link)

This cookbook had a ton of recipes. Along with it were instructions on how to cook, how to freeze, and how to cook from frozen.

And here’s what I loved: It also gave you increased ingredient amounts if you wanted to make more.

So it showed ingredients for a single batch, then x3, and I think x5. It was awesome.

One of the recipes in there was for this Chicken Pot Pie mixture. And I played around with it, and quickly fell in love.

Ingredients

• Frozen mixed vegetables

• Onion

• Butter

• Flour

• Salt and pepper

• Parsley

• Milk

• Chicken broth

• Cooked and shredded chicken

Why Crustless?

For some reason, I like pot pie mixture but don’t usually like eating it in pie form. But what I DO love… is biscuits.

Whenever I make this, I’ll either use canned biscuits from the store or make my own. And for some reason it just tastes better that way.

I mean, you can obviously get a pie crust and make it that way… but seriously, try it with biscuits and see how you like it.

First off, grab a copy of “Dinner’s in the Freezer” and try some of the amazing recipes in there. Second… try my version of the pot pie! You will love it!

The primary way I earn an income is through advertisements. Visiting my blog and scrolling past the ads means I can keep content free for most people!

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Cheeseburger wraps are easy to make and actually super easy to turn into a freezer meal for later. And Pumpkin Energy Bites? Well, I’m protesting this Summer heat.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

• Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken

• Tater Tot Casserole

• Meatball Soup

• Cheeseburger Wraps

• Tuna Melts

• Blueberry Baked Oatmeal (Breakfast)

• Pumpkin Energy Bites (Snack)

A few notes about these meals:

Read more

Okay, I first gotta say: I’m absolutely speechless right now.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I accepted a position as a cafeteria substitute in our school system. SO thankful, and my eventual goal was to move up into a permanent position.

This Tuesday, Allison and I volunteered for a kids’ event at church. I was talking to a grandpa who told me his granddaughter went to one of the elementaries in my town. I said Hey, I’m subbing in the cafeterias so maybe I’ll see her sometime!

Tell me why, the very next day, the head of Nutrition Services called me and said a position unexpectedly opened up AT THAT EXACT SAME SCHOOL.

God has had His hand in all of this from the very beginning. I kept praying that if I was meant to be here, to make it super easy to get in. And He has not failed me.

So now I’m a permanent employee, working 5 days a week! My gosh, I’m super pumped. But now I have to plan harder than ever to keep things running at home.

5 Breakfasts I Frequently Rotate

One thing I’m always thinking about is breakfast for the 3 of us. What will we eat, when will I have time to make it, and will it last the whole week?

I don’t have to be at work until 9:45, but John and Allison get up early and need something quick. So breakfast is always a priority!

These 5 breakfasts are recipes I make almost every month. They’re easy to prep in bulk, and save us money by keeping us out of restaurants:

• Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal: I always have brown bananas laying around, so it’s a given I’ll make this at least once a month.

• Omelette Cups: Super high in protein, and I add random vegetables for extra nutrition.

• Breakfast Sandwiches: I’ll either use bagels or English muffins, depending on my mood that week.

• Buttermilk Pancakes: This is quickly becoming a family favorite!

• Blueberry Oat Cups: Similar to the baked oatmeal above, but baked in a muffin tin instead for extra cuteness.

What are some of your favorite meal prep breakfasts?

Leave a comment

My Favorite Things This Week

This week has been really low picture-wise. I think I’m just ready for school to start again!

We went to Cedar Point over the weekend; and although it stormed a bit on Saturday, we were still able to ride a TON… like, Top Thrill 2 twice in a row.

This Week’s Posts/Videos

• $81.59 Grocery Haul (Video)

• Greek Chicken Bowls

Subscribe to my paid membership for done-for-you meal plans!

For just $5.00 a month, you get:

-5 dinners, 1 breakfast, and 1 snack recipes, sent every Monday
-Grocery list organized by section
-5 new printable recipes sent on the 1st of every month
-Ad-free recipes on Substack

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I use affiliate links when sharing products and services I love. This means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you purchase through my links. It’s a way to support my business and bring you more recipes and cooking tips.

A lot of these are done in less than 30 minutes, which is perfect for busy schedules. And a few of these are freezer friendly!

Here’s what’s on the menu:

• Pulled Pork Quesadillas

• Cheeseburger Salad

• Chickpea Curry

• Chicken Tortilla Soup

• Baked Gnocchi

• Banana Pancakes (Breakfast)

• Peanut Butter Energy Bites (Snack)

A few notes about these meals:

Read more

Man, we’re less than 3 weeks away from school starting up. I don’t even know how to feel about it.

Allison starts junior high, which is already a huge transition. And I’ll be going back to work as a substitute cafeteria worker; so while it’s not full-time yet, I’ll be out of the house a lot more.

The past 4 weeks I’ve been incorporating one thing at a time to ease back into a meal planning routine:

• Planning what’s for dinner the night before

• Making a re-usable grocery list

• Making sure the dinners I plan feed us all week long

• Planning a “double and freeze method”

I just finished up week 4, which was finding meals to double and freeze. This is really gonna help on days that I work and am too tired to cook anything extravagant!

It’s not a huge list yet, but it’s enough to get me through a month or so:

• Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

• Ham and Cheese Calzones

• Pizza Casserole

• Enchilada Casserole

• Pulled pork, cooked and shredded

• Chicken breast, cooked and shredded

• Energy Bites

• Omelette Cups

• English Muffins

Some of these are breakfasts, which really help on busy mornings. And others are just meat that I can cook and shred. That’ll help save time when it comes to cooking dinner!

3 Foods I Always Keep at Home

When I do my grocery shopping every week, I always check my pantry first to see if I need to refill anything.

I never have zero items; whenever I take something out, I immediately put it back on the list to restock it.

These 3 items are absolute staples, and really help when I need something quick to make:

• Chicken breast: I always buy a family pack and freeze the chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I can throw a couple in the slow cooker in the morning, and have a protein ready for dinner!

• Rice and beans: Technically that’s two items, but I use both together frequently. These are awesome for burrito bowls or chili!

• Rolled oats: I always have oats around to make baked oatmeal, or energy bites. My parents are kind enough to get me a huge box of them whenever they go to Costco, so I always have a ton!

What are some foods you always keep in your pantry?

Leave a comment

My Favorite Things This Week

1.) I sort of got a head start on freezer cooking, making this Crustless Chicken Pot Pie! This is an automatically-double recipe, so all I had to do was freeze half.

2.) Allison spent the night at a friend’s house on Wednesday, so John and I had a much-needed date night. We went to Texas Roadhouse, and the Beef Tips are AMAZING. Highly recommend!

This Week’s Posts/Videos

• $93.31 Grocery Haul (Video)

• General Tso Chicken From Dollar Tree (Video)

• Banana Blueberry Muffins

Subscribe to my paid membership for done-for-you meal plans!

For just $5.00 a month, you get:

-5 dinners, 1 breakfast, and 1 snack recipes, sent every Monday
-Grocery list organized by section
-5 new printable recipes sent on the 1st of every month
-Ad-free recipes on Substack

Subscribe now

I use affiliate links when sharing products and services I love. This means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you purchase through my links. It’s a way to support my business and bring you more recipes and cooking tips.

I have this habit of buying a ton of bananas every week with the full intention of eating them.

But once I see brown spots, I just… can’t eat it. There’s seriously like a 2-day window in which I’ll eat a banana, so I’m usually left with a ton of brown bananas and no idea how to use them all.

I do try to freeze them on occasion! Frozen bananas are awesome in smoothies; and you can thaw and mash them to bake with.

These Banana Blueberry Muffins have quickly become one of my favorites. I always keep blueberries in the freezer, so these are pretty easy to put together once my bananas turn brown.

And the Greek yogurt makes them a little higher in protein!

Ingredients

• Whole wheat flour

• Baking powder

• Baking soda

• Salt

• Eggs

• Vanilla

• Bananas

• Greek yogurt

• Brown sugar

• Blueberries

How to Freeze Them

Freezing foods is the biggest way I prevent food waste. With just 3 of us in the house, sometimes we don’t go through food before it goes bad.

To freeze muffins, put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure they don’t touch each other. Put them in the freezer for about 3 hours, then put them in a gallon-sized freezer bag.

I’ll get one out a couple hours before I want to eat it, and it’s usually fully thawed by then. They’ll definitely be ready to eat by lunchtime if you put some in your kids’ lunch boxes!

If you’re like me and only eat yellow bananas, keep this recipe handy because you’ll probably be making them… a LOT.

The primary way I earn an income is through advertisements. Visiting my blog and scrolling past the ads means I can keep content free for most people!

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It’s a good combination of easy, one-pan, slow cooker… everything I’d ever want for a busy week.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

• Slow Cooker White Chicken Enchilada Casserole

• Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

• Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies

• Crustless Chicken Pot Pie

• Chicken Sausage Spinach Pasta

• Whole Wheat Pancakes (Breakfast)

• Smores Energy Bites (Snack)

A few notes about these meals:

Read more

Man, this week has been an absolute whirlwind!

I can see that God’s had His hand in all of this, and I’m SO relieved that I finally got an answer after about 3 months of waiting.

The short version: I got a job as a substitute cafeteria worker in our school district!

A permanent position had opened up at Allison’s old elementary back in May, and I was told to check the website in August to apply.

Of course, I checked the site every single day since May so I didn’t miss it.

When it never came up in the first week of August, I made a few phone calls and was asked to come in the next day for an interview.

Turns out the position had been taken from the inside, but I was immediately offered a sub position.

But this means I’ll be one of the first to know if a permanent position opens up!

I’m still trying to process this, but I’m just so incredibly thankful for a chance to keep serving kids (I was on the school PTO for all 7 years of Allison’s elementary), and a chance to provide more for my family.

Okay, circling back to what I’ve been doing the past few weeks! I’ve been incorporating one thing at a time to ease back into a meal planning routine:

• Planning what’s for dinner the night before

• Making a re-usable grocery list

• Making sure the dinners I plan feed us all week long

• Planning a “double and freeze method”

This week was making sure my dinners had extra servings, so we could definitely have leftover nights on Fridays.

It sort of worked. Technically my dinners didn’t make enough leftovers; but I filmed a video making meal prep burritos, so that actually got us through the week!

Planning a “Double and Freeze” Method

So I told you that long story above because it’ll explain my mindset behind this week’s task.

Yes, I’m only working as a sub right now. But thanks to my flexible hours of my online business, I’ll be taking every sub job that comes my way!

To prepare for those days when I come home tired, I want to have dinners readily available to put in the slow cooker or oven. And the best way to do this is to double meals I’m already making.

I don’t know what this will look like yet, which is why I’m dedicating this next week to the actual planning. But I do have recipes that easily double and freeze, to give you an idea of what I’m looking at:

• Crustless Chicken Pot Pie

• 5-Ingredient Beef Enchiladas

• Stuffed Pepper Soup

Have you ever doubled a dinner to freeze? What are some of your favorite recipes?

Leave a comment

My Favorite Things This Week

1.) It’s that time of year: School shopping! Allison’s grown like a weed and is now exactly my height, which means we’re shopping in adult sizes now. sob

But she’s still a kid (nerd) at heart, so when we saw these Sanrio-themed shirts she absolutely had to get them.

2.) It’s been a pretty boring week besides that. I dug out some turkey burger patties to make for dinner, and made my own whole wheat hamburger buns to go with them. They actually turned out pretty well!

This Week’s Posts/Videos

• $103.94 Grocery Haul (Video)

• Meal Prep Burritos (Video)

• Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken

• Foil Packet Kielbasa

Subscribe to my paid membership for done-for-you meal plans!

For just $5.00 a month, you get:

-5 dinners, 1 breakfast, and 1 snack recipes, sent every Monday
-Grocery list organized by section
-5 new printable recipes sent on the 1st of every month
-Ad-free recipes on Substack

Subscribe now

I use affiliate links when sharing products and services I love. This means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you purchase through my links. It’s a way to support my business and bring you more recipes and cooking tips.

I like to keep chicken in my freezer at all times, and that usually happens by getting a family pack of chicken and flash freezing it. We only use 1 chicken breast per meal, so the family pack usually lasts us awhile.

And honestly, I mostly cook chicken by throwing it in the slow cooker with other things. So I’m never really disappointed when I forget to get one out of the freezer the night before.

This French Onion Chicken is one of two recipes I make that use almost the exact same ingredients. The only difference is the seasoning: For this one, I use a packet of onion soup mix. And my Ranch Chicken uses a packet of ranch seasoning.

Ingredients

• Chicken breast

• Cream of chicken soup

• Chicken broth

• Onion soup mix packet

What I Serve With It

I’ll typically make some rice or pasta to serve this on top. And sometimes we’ll eat it with a side salad, or I’ll roast some green beans as an easy side!

Don’t let the fact that the base recipe is only 4 ingredients fool you. It really is delicious, and perfect for just tossing in the slow cooker and letting it do all the work!

The primary way I earn an income is through advertisements. Visiting my blog and scrolling past the ads means I can keep content free for most people!

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Here’s what’s on the menu:

• Stuffed Pepper Soup

• Chicken and Noodles

• Pizza Meatball Bombs

• Black Bean Burgers

• Baked Chicken Parmesan

• Banana Pancakes (Breakfast)

• Morning Glory Muffins (Snack)

A few notes about these meals:

Read more

I’ve been feeling really lazy this week.

I think part of it had to do with the short road trips Allison and I took both Monday and Tuesday, which meant I didn’t get a lot of work done.

And I’m currently in another eczema flareup, so now I get to play detective and figure out what happened this time… while simultaneously trying to break the stress/itch/scratch cycle.

But I still managed to complete my meal planning task for this week!

In case you missed the past few weeks, I’ve been incorporating one thing at a time to ease back into a meal planning routine:

• Planning what’s for dinner the night before

• Making a re-usable grocery list

• Making sure the dinners I plan feed us all week long

• Planning a “double and freeze method”

This week was setting up a re-usable grocery list on Wal Mart’s website, so that all I have to do is click and add my weekly grocery items to my cart.

I’ve got 12 different items on my list, equaling about $43.00. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but I inevitably forget something on that list every week. So having it all ready in one click is a major life-saver!

I’m also still doing well with checking the menu the night before. I actually got out the ground turkey well ahead of time, so it wasn’t frozen when I made meatballs!

Making Sure Meals Feed Us All Week Long

This is the third thing on my list, and is something I struggle with.

We’re a family of 3, and the dinners I cook usually make leftovers for lunch the next day. Sometimes the dinners serve 4, sometimes 6.

And I typically dedicate Fridays as our leftover night, which saves money on groceries. But recently we haven’t had enough leftovers for Friday nights, so I’ve had to scramble to find something. That’s usually a frozen pizza, which I have to pick up that day.

This week, I’m going to make dinners that have more servings. That way when Friday comes around, I know exactly what we’ll have for dinner that night!

Do you typically have a lot of leftovers? Do you have a dedicated leftover night?

Leave a comment

My Favorite Things This Week

1 & 2.) On Monday, Allison and I went to IKEA, which is about an hour away. We haven’t been in forever, and we were so bored. The problem was that IKEA doesn’t open until 11:00 (We’re early risers), so we took a quick lunch break inbetween looking around. The pegboards looked super nice, and something Allison would like on her wall to store her beads and creations!

3.) We also went to Kings Island on Tuesday! We have the meal plan so we get to eat for free. There’s a BBQ place that we frequent, and you can either get an entree with one side, or 3 sides. This time I chose 3 sides: Mac and cheese, baked sweet potato, and coleslaw.

This Week’s Posts/Videos

• $127.57 Grocery Haul (Video)

• Meal Prep Pancakes for Back to School (Video)

Subscribe to my paid membership for done-for-you meal plans!

For just $5.00 a month, you get:

-5 dinners, 1 breakfast, and 1 snack recipes, sent every Monday
-Grocery list organized by section
-5 new printable recipes sent on the 1st of every month
-Ad-free recipes on Substack

Subscribe now

I use affiliate links when sharing products and services I love. This means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you purchase through my links. It’s a way to support my business and bring you more recipes and cooking tips.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

• Slow Cooker Ravioli

• Pasta Bake

• French Onion Chicken

• Caesar Chicken Sandwiches

• Black Bean Soup

• Blueberry Baked Oatmeal (Breakfast)

• Pumpkin Energy Bites (Snack)

A few notes about these meals:

Read more

Happy August, friends!

Every month I send out 5 printable recipes based on one of my 20 Meal Themes. The idea is to print them out and add them to your recipe binder!

This month’s recipes are a Sheet Pan theme! I love meals that are cooked in one pan: It saves me from washing too many dishes!

Read more

Last week I mentioned I wanted to ease back into a routine for when school starts again. More specifically, with meal planning.

I still meal plan on a weekly basis, no problem! But I’ve been a little lazy. As an example: I always plan for a Leftover night on Fridays, but the dinners I make throughout the week haven’t given us enough leftovers to have a dedicated night.

And because of that, I have to wing it. Usually it’s grabbing a frozen pizza from the store… which is fine, but it shows me that I’m not planning tightly enough.

So for the next few weeks, I plan to slowly do the following:

• Planning what’s for dinner the night before

• Making a re-usable grocery list

• Making sure the dinners I plan feed us all week long

• Planning a “double and freeze method”

I think I did pretty good with number 1 this week! I did mess up once, when I forgot to get chicken out the night before. But for the most part, I wasn’t surprised at what was for dinner that night.

Here’s what my white board looks like. I update it on Sunday mornings, and usually by Sunday night Allison gets a hold of it and adds her own creative flair… like “Marry me, chicken?”

Make a Re-Usable Grocery List

We all have items that go onto our list every single week. Eggs, milk, whatever that may be.

But with my ADHD brain, sometimes I forget to add some staples to my grocery list.

Back when I shopped at Aldi, it wasn’t a huge problem because I used Trello for meal planning. And I had a checklist where I could un-check all my weekly items and they would just stay there.

But now I do Wal Mart pickup, and find that now I sometimes forget some weekly staples. Today I just remembered that I can create a List on Wal Mart’s website, where I can add those weekly items. With just one click, I can add all of those things to my cart!

So my plan for this week is to create that re-usable list for Wal Mart, hoping that it’ll help with my forgetfulness!

How do you make your grocery list? Is it on pen and paper, or do you have an app?

Leave a comment

My Favorite Things This Week

1.) We’ve been going to the mall recently, just to walk around and get out of the house. There’s a new store that’s basically a collection of artists selling random trinkets. Stickers, shirts, plushies, etc. I found these Xenogears stickers, which is such a niche game that I never see anyone talk about it. And of course, I had to get them! These are from Timelax Mini Creations.

2.) One of my favorite creative outlets is creating digital products for Etsy. There’s a lot of meal planning items on there, but I’ve also been obsessed with making creations for kids and teachers. These Botanical Bulletin Board Letters are my newest listing!

This Week’s Posts/Videos

• $125.55 Grocery Haul (Video)

• 7 Easy Dinners That Use Shredded Chicken (Video)

• Banana Pudding Overnight Oats

Subscribe to my paid membership for done-for-you meal plans!

For just $5.00 a month, you get:

-5 dinners, 1 breakfast, and 1 snack recipes, sent every Monday
-Grocery list organized by section
-5 new printable recipes sent on the 1st of every month
-Ad-free recipes on Substack

Subscribe now

I use affiliate links when sharing products and services I love. This means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you purchase through my links. It’s a way to support my business and bring you more recipes and cooking tips.

I recently uploaded a Youtube short for Blueberry Overnight Oats, and a few hours later I got a hilarious comment. His first sentence was: “Overnight oats are for peasants”.

He wrote more than that, but I laughed so hard I took a screenshot and will keep it forever.

I think he was making fun of the fact that oats are cheap. But I, for one, love cheap!

So, what are overnight oats? People get confused when I talk about them, but it’s basically cold oatmeal you can prep overnight. It becomes creamy when the oats soak up the liquids, and almost feels like you’re eating dessert.

I have a base recipe that I use every time, no matter what flavor:

• Rolled oats

• Milk

• Greek yogurt

• Chia seeds

And after that, I use whatever flavors I want at the time.

Then I discovered Banana Pudding Overnight Oats, and I got hooked! Yeah, it’s got whipped cream and pudding mix. But that gives it character.

Ingredients

• Rolled oats

• Plain nonfat Greek yogurt

• Milk (I use 2%)

• Chia seeds

• Honey

• Banana pudding mix

• Sliced banana

• Whipped cream

Some Substitutions

Here are couple things you could do instead:

• Not use whipped cream (Although it’s SO much better that way)

• Use a sugar-free pudding mix

• Use maple syrup instead of honey

• Use vanilla Greek yogurt

These are SO easy to make, and are perfect for Summer mornings when you don’t really want to eat anything hot. Make a few for the week and let me know what you think!

The primary way I earn an income is through advertisements. Visiting my blog and scrolling past the ads means I can keep content free for most people!

GET THE FREE RECIPE

Get the full, ad-free recipe by subscribing to my monthly membership! For just $5.00 a month, you get ad-free recipes, a weekly meal plan, and free printable monthly recipes!

Read more

Here’s what’s on the menu:

• Sausage Pepper Sandwiches

• Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

• One Pot Zucchini and Mushroom Pasta

• Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet

• Egg Roll in a Bowl

• Breakfast Sausage Balls (Breakfast)

• Banana Blueberry Muffins (Snack)

A few notes about these meals:

Read more

I have a problem: August starts next week.

It’s not really a problem… but it just means we’re one month away from school starting again. And Allison’s going into junior high, which makes it an even bigger transition and I’m not sure my mom heart is ready for it!

I don’t know about you, but my routine in Summer gets a little lax. We went from waking up at 6:00 AM every day to getting Allison out of bed at 10:00, and just being super casual about cooking and meal planning.

But I guess it’s about time to start rebuilding our routine, a little at a time! I’m hoping to go back to work when school starts again; so for me, it’s more important than ever to ease back in now so I’m not surprised when school hits and I’m left too tired to cook dinner.

If you’re in the same boat, let’s start rebuilding our routine together. Here’s my plan for the next 4 weeks:

• Planning what’s for dinner the night before

• Making a re-usable grocery list

• Making sure the dinners I plan feed us all week long

• Planning a “double and freeze method”

Plan What’s For Dinner The Night Before

To be honest, I do this already to some degree. I have an erasable white board on my fridge, where I write down what’s for dinner every day that week.

But I’m horrible at looking at it the night before. So I usually forget to grab chicken out of the freezer to thaw overnight.

This next week, my goal is to look at that white board every night and get out what I need. That’ll create less pressure when I grab the ingredients the next day and realize I forgot something.

How about you? Leave a comment: Do you have issues figuring out what’s for dinner? What can you do to ease back into that routine?

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My Favorite Things This Week

1.) Allison’s obsessed with Minecraft, and she’s gotten me into it recently as well. I prefer to explore the caves and mine for all the good stuff, while Allison likes decorating and collecting animals. Apparently we make a good team.

2.) I’ve been busy recording recipes so I can create a backlog of posts and videos. I made a tuna noodle casserole this week that was excellent! One pan and super easy!

This Week’s Posts/Videos

• $73.69 Grocery Haul (Video)

• Meal Prep Tips for Beginners (Video)

• Meal Prep Tips for Beginners

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When I say “meal prep”, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

Maybe it’s those posts you see on Instagram, where these bodybuilders post a picture of a whole week’s worth of meals. All 7 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners all neatly laid out in matching glass containers.

Let me be the first to tell you: It does NOT look this way for regular people! And if that picture is the reason you haven’t started, let me help you with that.

I’m not an expert, but I’ve been doing all kinds of meal prep for years now. And I’ve found tips over the years that helped me get better!

Ditch the Instagram Photos

Listen, the definition of meal prep is basically “prep meals and/or ingredients to save time and money later”.

Sometimes that looks like chopping up all the fruits and vegetables you just bought. And sometimes it looks like cooking a breakfast and a snack for the week.

I wrote a blog post called Meal Prep What You Can, and it just reiterates what I said. You do whatever prep works for YOU.

We’re busy people here, some busier than others. And if all you can do this week is wash grapes so you actually eat them, then you win!

Plan First, Prep Later

Meal planning and meal prep are two different skills, and they both take practice. You have to plan before you can prep, so let’s work on that.

For starters, figure out how many meals you actually need for the week:

• 5 dinners (I leave one night for leftovers and another for our Pancake night)

• 1-2 lunches (If you don’t have dinner leftovers)

• 1-2 breakfasts

That’ll look different based on the size of your family, but that’s where I’d start.

Pick a Meal Prep Method that Works For You

There isn’t one “right” way to meal prep, and you’ll probably do any number of these depending on the week.

Full Meal Prep

This is what I talked about above, where you prep full meals to last you the week. If you live alone and are super busy, this may work for you.

Ingredient-Only Meal Prep

This is where you wash and/or chop ingredients needed for the week. This could be things like:

• Washing grapes or berries

• Chopping up broccoli or cauliflower for snacks

• Cutting up a watermelon

It seems small, but this is the stuff I hate doing when I make dinner. If I can shave 5-10 minutes off dinner every night, I’m all for it.

Breakfast and Snacks

This is the one I do most often! My husband John goes to work at 6:00 AM, so he needs something easy and quick to pull out for breakfast every morning.

So every weekend I’ll make a double batch of something. Usually it’s baked oatmeal or an egg casserole; something easy I can stick in the oven that makes a lot of servings.

Honestly, this is the meal prep method I recommend for beginners. Especially if you tend to skip breakfast because you have no time.

Mix-and-Match Prep

I’ve done this one a couple times, and it’s perfect for people who like variety!

This is where you cook a bunch of different ingredients, and eat any combination of them for lunch or dinner.

Here’s what you would typically make:

• Protein: Chicken, ground beef or turkey, a bag of dried beans

• Carb: Rice, quinoa, roasted potatoes

• Vegetables: Roasted zucchini, broccoli, green beans

You would cook any combination of these, and add what you want into a bowl to eat for dinner. Season them however you like; and if you make at least 2 of each of these, you’ll have plenty of combinations to choose from.

Prep in the Right Order

Let’s say you want to make a few things at once. There’s a specific order that I do this, to maximize my time and efficiency! And it has 3 steps:

Baking

This is for the recipes that go in the oven, like baked oatmeal. It takes about 40 minutes to bake, so you want to start this first. And in the meantime, you can do other things!

Cooking

This step is for things that you cook, that you can step away from for 1-2 minutes at a time. That could be pancakes, waffles, or even cooking ground beef on the stovetop.

The idea is that you have to let the food sit there for 1-2 minutes before you have to flip/stir. And those couple of minutes can be used up by this third step.

Chopping

This step is for chopping up vegetables, or washing fruit. It’s something that you can put down real quick to flip a pancake or stir ground beef.

All of these steps involve working in the time pockets, and it’s how I can get my prep done in about an hour. I live and breathe by these 3 steps!

Tools that Make Prep Easier

I don’t use anything fancy, but some of these tools really help me be more efficient.

• A sharp knife and a couple sizes of cutting boards make a huge difference! I use tiny cutting boards for cutting fruit like strawberries; while I use a huge cutting board and a thick knife for lettuce or broccoli.

• Food storage containers! All different sizes. I use them to pack individual meals for lunch, and bigger ones to store muffins or energy bites.

• A food processor is great for shredding carrots and zucchini! So much easier than using a hand grater.

• Gallon-size freezer bags are perfect for freezing foods like soup; and individual foods like muffins. Just be sure to label them with the date and the recipe name!

• Muffin tins! I use them for more than just muffins; I also use them to make eggs that fit sandwiches, and omelette cups.

Download the Free Meal Prep Planner

I can’t let you go without giving you something to print at home. This meal prep planner takes you through an entire prep session!

Just mark the time you have available that day, and write down what you’re prepping. This will give you something physical to hold on to and guide you through the meal prep process. I hope it helps!

DOWNLOAD THE PLANNER

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For just $5.00 a month, you get:

• 5 dinners, 1 breakfast, and 1 snack recipes, sent every Monday

• Grocery list organized by section

• 5 new printable recipes sent on the 1st of every month

• Ad-free recipes on Substack
  

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