Menu Plan Monday: Week of Sept 14, 2015

This week, I thought I'd share a little bit about how I craft my weekly menu plan, which starts first and foremost with my calendar. When deciding what to make for dinner each night, I take into account how busy the day is scheduled to be, and what our evening will look like (both boys frequently have late afternoon practices that run into early evening, and I sometimes have evening meetings or girls' nights).

I used to plan to prep dinner once the kids got home from school, so that I would have more time for all of the things I want to/need to do during the day. But I realized the first week of this school year that they do better if I give them my full attention after school. So I've been working really hard to get dinner prepped during the day, while the kids are at school, and it's been working fairly well. It does mean some dinners have to be reheated, but for the most part, I am able to plan meals that can be prepared ahead and assembled quickly before eating, or prepped and then baked (i.e., ignored), or fully prepped and left to sit or cook (e.g., in the fridge or slow cooker).

I try to vary our meals by incorporating one pasta dish, one Japanese dish, a meatless dish, and different proteins throughout the week. We also usually eat out once or twice a week, whether it's dinner as a family at a restaurant or dinner with friends or extended family. Pinterest is my favorite way to curate recipes, as you might have guessed if you've ever perused the Chief Family Officer Pinterest boards. I've organized the boards to help with planning meals by category.

With all that in mind, here's my plan for this week:

Monday:
Dinner - Chicken Enchiladas, salad {there's no school, but if there was, I'd prep everything ahead of time and pop the enchiladas into the oven an hour or so before dinnertime}

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Blueberry Muffins
Dinner - Udon with Miso Broth {subbing udon noodles for the soba called for in the recipe}

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Yogurt with Fruit & Granola
Dinner - Shredded Beef Sandwiches {gotta love the slow cooker!}, tater tots {I have a bag in the freezer I want to use up - I bought it at Trader Joe's after my kid said he loved them at a friend's house, and of course, he hasn't been inclined to eat them since!}, carrot sticks

Thursday:
Breakfast - Cinnamon Raisin Toast
Dinner - Turkey Burgers, some kind of roasted veggie

Friday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Dinner - Grilled Salmon Salad, Cheesy Toast {like Sizzler's, if I can pull it off!}

Saturday Dinner: Dinner out

Sunday Dinner: Breakfast {French toast, sausage, fruit}

See more weekly menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie.