Meal Guide Week 1
A Letter of Introduction to Meal Planning:
Hi everyone,
Welcome to my first week of meal guides! I hope that these are helpful to you and take the stress out of preparing for your week and inspire you to enjoy time in the kitchen. Our lives are all so busy and one of my favorite parts of the day is sitting down to dinner with William and enjoying a good meal and conversation. I hope these allow you to do the same thing!
A few notes before you jump in:
o These meals are based on feeding two people with leftovers. If you have a larger family, just multiply the recipe as needed. Leftovers for all these meals save really well and can be packed for lunch the next day or eaten another night in the week.
o When you look at the grocery list, you’ll notice I’ve populated everything that you’ll need in the recipe, even the basics and optional stuff. Before you go to the store, check to see what you already have at home so you’re not buying stuff twice. Spices can be expensive when you’re buying them all at once but know that they last a long time.
o The grocery list also has blank spaces to add what else your family will need during the week, like for lunches, snacks, etc.
o The sides in these plans are almost always interchangeable. For example, if you don’t like green beans or carrots, swap those for different veggies. If you don’t want a salad on the side with the pizzas, don’t have one or sub in something else. Make this work for you and your family!
o This list includes three meals—I find that’s the sweet spot in meal planning because stuff always comes up, one person will get busy and not be home for dinner, or you want to eat out, etc. I usually plan three home cooked meals and pick up a frozen pizza or frozen PF Chang’s Asian chicken and a bag of frozen, steam-in-bag broccoli to have in case we do eat at home an extra night. Do what works for you!
My DMs are always open if you have any questions. I’ve found that planning ahead is what keeps me on track during the week, and I hope this helps you be able to do so, too.
