In accordance with my 2023 goals to be helpful and stay consistent, I’m kicking things off with the posts that are most requested- weekly meal plans!

I’ve been dedicated to meal planning for years and years. Not having to ask myself what’s for dinner every night and having a plan brings me peace of mind. It also allows me to feed my family in an efficient way (little to no food waste). And finally, meal planning let’s us eat healthy while saving money.

But truly, the number one reason I do it is the reduced mental load. Being the person to decide what everyone eats for every meal of the day is a lot of work. Ya feel me? It’s work I take a lot of pride in and am honored to do, but it’s a lot. Taking the time to sit down and decide it all at once for the week is so freeing!

This year I’m going to share my weekly meal plans on Sundays- no jazzing them up. You’ll see how it shifts in different seasons and that it’s not always fancy. Meal planning isn’t about elaborate meals, it’s just about having a plan, even if it’s slow cooker meatballs (which you’ll find often on my plans). I hope it’s helpful and combines nicely with my monthly grocery spending posts, showing what we spend and what you eat.

Ok, let’s kick things off! This past week still felt like winter break. We weren’t back to homeschooling fully or our activities and commitments, so I had plenty of time to make the meals that sounded good.

Sunday

Happy new years! I slow cooked a bone-in pork butt with just salt and pepper all day. I seared it in my Instant Dutch Oven (see full review here), then switched it to slow cook- no liquid needed. I made collard greens with onion, bacon, garlic, red pepper flakes, broth, salt and pepper. I added black eyed peas from a can to some onion and garlic and bacon as well.

Monday

Knowing it would be a full day of cleaning up and grocery shopping, I went with easy. Nature’s Ranch frozen meatballs were on sale at Whole Foods, so I got two bags of those and put them in the slow cooker with a big jar of Rao’s. Served over spaghetti and palmini with herbs and red pepper flakes.

Tuesday

I made lemon dill salmon and served it with white rice made in my rice cooker with just rinsed rice, salt, and broth. I put the green beans on a baking sheet, sprayed them with avocado oil, sprinkled them with salt and garlic powder, and roasted them for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Wednesday

Burger bowls– a family favorite! It was the night before H got braces and she requested burgers. I roasted Japanese sweet potatoes, cut into rounds, and broccoli. My bowl has romaine, red onion, tomatoes, avocado, burger, dill pickle kraut, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. David had a bowl like me and the kids ate theirs on buns.

Thursday

I brought dinner to two friends that just had babies this day, plus wanted enough soup for H to have it for dinner with her new braces. I went with my go-to favorite- Chungah’s Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup and tripled the recipe. The dill and lemon make this so good.

H had the leftover soup, Kaitlyn had a peanut butter and honey sandwich with red peppers, and I had enough chicken left over to make David and I buffalo chicken salads. Romaine, celery, red pepper, red onion, avocado, chicken, goat cheese, herbs, buffalo sauce, and Primal Kitchen’s ranch (I’m obsessed with it).

Friday

Usually Fridays are super easy dinner nights, but I knew H would still have sore teeth, so I made her a soft meal that also happens to one of her favorites- shepherd’s pie. David and Kaitlyn peeled the potatoes which helped speed it along. It was worth it. I never regret making this dish!

Saturday

After K’s evening basketball game, we went out looking for easy and satisfying- Mexican! David and I split the chicken fajitas for two. Hit the spot.

Breakfast and Lunch

Breakfasts this week consisted mostly of potato and veggies hashes with an egg on top. I also had bananas and cottage cheese and a bagel with an egg. Breakfast and lunch vary so much (lunches this week were largely leftovers or odds and ends), but if it’s helpful to share those, too, I will!

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.