See all weekly meal plans here.
I have another week of meals to share with you today! This week started off strong with some fancier (for me) meals, but I’m so glad I switched to some easier dinners by Wednesday because I was pretty much mentally fried by then. I think the number one rule for meal planning is to know yourself and your rhythms. For me, I feel inspired to make more intricate meals on Sunday and Monday. I have some energy left on Tuesday, but by Wednesday and Thursday the days of lessons and sports lessons have worn me out and I’m looking for easier dinners. Friday or Saturday is usually a night out and reloading at the grocery, so I’m ready to go again by Sunday. Do you have a recognizable pattern, too? On to the food…
Sunday
Braised short ribs over mashed cauliflower with kale Caesar salad. I had short ribs in the freezer that I needed to use up, but I probably wouldn’t buy them again. They aren’t my favorite because they are such a fatty cut of meat. The mashed cauliflower was fantastic and the kale salad was super easy. I washed and dried the kale, then poured on bottled Caesar and massaged it until it was tender. I toast up some croutons out of slightly stale sourdough- easy and good!
Monday
Hailey’s request- Greek night! Greek meatballs (I used beef instead of lamb) with our favorite Greek salad and store bought tzatziki. I sauteed some frozen cauliflower rice on the stove for 10 minutes for a warm side to bulk up the meal.
Tuesday
Marinated chicken and noodles. Over pasta for the kids, but I served mine over leftover mashed cauliflower; I love it like this! I made some simple steamed broccoli on the side.
Wednesday
My transition into quicker, easier meals led me to this one. I made rice in the slow cooker, and cooked up lemon dill salmon, which takes less than 15 minutes. I sauteed some baby bok choy and mixed it with leftover steamed broccoli.
Thursday
My favorite of all the effortless meals- spaghetti and meatballs! I put the whole 2 lb bag of Butcher Box meatballs (our fav) in the slow cooker with 1.5 bottles of Rao’s marinara. I let it slow cook for 5 hours, then switch to warm. Add cooked spaghetti and viola! A hearty meal everyone loves.
Friday
We had friends come to visit with three sweet kiddos, so kept dinner really simple. We had hotdogs, mac and cheese, and fruit. I forgot to snap a picture because I forgot how busy it is to feed a crew; but it sure is fun!
Saturday
It was David’s birthday and we spent a full and fun day of basketball games and hanging out with our friends, which meant a simple dinner. We ordered Marco’s Greek salad and pizza. And for dessert, I helped the kids bake one of David’s favorite- Tres Leches! It was RIDICULOUSLY good, a great recipe. Highly recommend.
Breakfast & Lunch
Resources
- Find all previous weekly meal plans here.
- Our meat comes from our cow share we bought in summer and from Butcher Box. I’ve used them for years and trust their quality and consistency.
- Fresh herbs brighten up every meal I have two countertop gardens that I grow them in: see the comparison between the two here.
- See what we spend each month on groceries here.
- Print off your own free weekly meal plan printable from the resource page.
- You can find all my favorite kitchen tools here.