As y’all probably well know, on Sundays, I dedicate a huge block of time to sitting down to meal plan, grocery shop, and meal prep. It may sound crazy to some, but it helps me out SO MUCH to spend a few hours on Sunday to set myself up for a week of success!
With small children underfoot and a schedule that is all over the place, if I don’t set myself up for the week on Sundays, my healthy nutrition plan tends to crumble faster than an Oats n’ Honey granola bar all over your lap. And in case you’ve somehow never eaten one of these spontaneously-combustible snacks throughout your life, just know one thing: that’s crazy fast.
Here is why I meal plan:
- Because if I don’t, I will either skip meals and/or eat junk instead because it’s easy and available for the grabbing, or I will make my meals throughout the week but then feel like I’m CONSTANTLY cooking and cleaning the kitchen. And if you’re a parent of young children, you are already always cleaning the kitchen anyway. This leads to some serious kitchen burnout for me.
- I can consciously ensure that I’m getting all the nutrients in a given week for my body and brain to do what I want it to do through exercise, work (brain power!), and my mood, among other things.
- It’s more cost effective in the long run. It may seem like an investment up front, but I honestly think that’s because it’s easier to view as one large grocery receipt vs. several different credit transactions at various restaurants throughout the week. Not to mention, if you are constantly consuming fast food and calorie-, salt-, and/or fat-heavy meals, it can be detrimental to your health over time. And our health is one of the most precious things we have!
- It’s a family affair. I do my own meal planning (and for the kids), but my hubs will make his own and meal prep for himself too. It gives me an opportunity to ask my 3 year old to join me in picking out recipes, he might help me throw some muffins together, and if he comes to the store with me, I talk to him about all the different foods we pick out and it gives us an opportunity to bond over, what else? FOOD!
A couple things before we get started…
Though my plans have been mostly plant-based lately, I’m incorporating meat again this week. I’ll explain my reasons why in a separate post, but just know that I’m not holding back this week 🙂
I’ve been using Misfits Market lately to get a bunch of my weekly produce! There are all kinds of goodies (and it’s all organic!) from fresh fruits and veggies to quinoa to snacks to dairy alternatives. I even got some chocolate chips in my box this week. I will make a separate post about my experience with Misfits so far as well, but it’s been mostly a positive experience for a household that consumes A LOT of fresh produce on a weekly basis! The items are about 40% off store prices for organic goods, and I can get things that would typically add up at the grocery store because they are priced by weight, for less with Misfits. Things like broccoli and squashes I always like to get in my box for this reason!
If you’d like to try a box of your own, use code COOKWME-CL1YSMJNIKM to get $10 off your first box!
While I upload printable grocery lists, I still would expect that lots of the ingredients are staples in your pantry or fridge! But for instance, I got plenty of things from Misfits and used my bounty to make my meal plan around. This week I planned to use: cantaloupe, watermelon, kiwi, broccoli, broccolini, avocados, arugula, red onions, grape tomatoes, and bell peppers — all of these are listed in my meal plan. I got several other things that Sammy and/or the kids will eat too, like mangos, English cucumber, mushrooms, lemons and the chocolate chips. Yum!
One more thing: This meal plan is meant to be used as inspiration for your meals and not necessarily an exact plan for you. I say this because I follow the Portion Fix nutrition program which calculates a calorie bracket/weekly portion plan for me based on my weight, activity level and goals, and it may not be the same calorie bracket for you and your goals.
For more information on the nutrition program I’ve been following for several years now, watch this short video!
Ultimate Portion Fix:
We actually have two totally different nutrition programs so if this one seems tedious or too structured for you (I get it!!), our second program 2B Mindset could be right for you! I keep both programs in mind when I develop my meal plans.
2B Mindset:
If you are interested in learning more, asking questions, and/or you want to see what either of these programs can do for you mentally and physically, shoot me some quick info and I’ll reach out ASAP to take a look at your goals and make a plan for how to get you to them! It has totally changed the game for me and the way I view food and I am certified to walk you down the path with me, too.
Just fill out this interest form here and we’ll go from there:
Now back to the plan…
To ensure I’m still switching it up each day, I typically rotate between eating the same things Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Tuesday and Thursday. I would get bored and probably wouldn’t be feeling appetized if I ate the same thing all 5 days. This is where batch cooking comes in handy. I will make servings for 3-4+ meals and eat off of it for lunches, eat again for dinner two days later, or I may make some extra if it’s kid-friendly. Every dinner is planned so that I can feed my family at least twice.
And, my ONE meal each week that I don’t want to cook is Friday night. Pre-kids and COVID we might have taken a date night. Now it looks mostly like pizza or mediterranean takeout but whatever it is, ya girl is OVER IT on Friday nights and this is my chance to catch a break. So that slot will always be left blank on my meal plans! So please do whatever works for you and your family 🙂
Weekly Meal Plan:
RECIPES
Mon / Weds / Fri:
Breakfast — I chopped up some unpeeled sweet potato (the skin has a lot of nutrients too!), tossed it with a little melted butter, and sprinkled some pumpkin pie spice on top, then baked at 425 degrees for 17 minutes. Then I sauteed some broccoli and zucchini with a little garlic salt, pepper and onion powder and used my containers to portion these out (1 yellow and 1 green) alongside a cooked turkey sausage.
Lunch — Burrito Bowl — I actually made some taco meat using lean beef + seasoning (chili powder, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, cilantro) and will layer this will the salad ingredients and one carb serving of the cilantro lime rice/beans. This is a great mix and match bowl that is super high in protein for a well-rounded lunch!
Snack 1 — Chopped cantaloupe / watermelon / kiwi
Snack 2 — Superfoods to the rescue!
Dinner — Pork and Broccolini stir fry (I’ll throw in some cauliflower rice!)
Tues / Thurs
Breakfast — 2 eggs, toast w/PB, and some sautéed kale/peppers
Lunch — Arugula, Watermelon & feta salad w/cottage cheese on the side for some protein
Snack — Horchata shake!
Dinner — We LOVE this golden chicken soup filled with all the feel-good ingredients that will make you never want to go back to your typical chicken soup!
Printable Grocery List
If you have any questions at all, please let me know!
And PS — we share healthy meal plans each week in our private Facebook fitness group! These are just one small part of the fun goodies we deliver to the ladies in the group on a weekly basis and there is no shortage of resources to help you succeed – PROMISE. If you’d like to join the group or to inquire about starting your own fitness adventure, start here and let’s DO THIS THING!
Hope this is all helpful to you! Please let me know what else you would like to see and I will make sure to share away!
