Meal Planning Mondays|Cooking for the Week on Sundays and Fridays

Posted on February 2, 2015 Updated on January 26, 2015

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I’m VERY limited on time these days, so cooking dinner is usually a daily predicament, as I’m sure it is for many people. I have been wanting to blog (journal really) on this topic for the last 2 years since my son started solid foods. I’ll call this little segment: Meal Planning Mondays.

Here’s the thing: I hate cooking. So do a lot of people. But I also want my children to have home-cooked meals most of the time. I also have VERY little time for cooking. I get home from work and picking up the children between 6 and 7 (depending on how much my mom wants to chat when I pick up my baby daughter from her house). So this week I came up with a simple plan that I’ve been playing with for a while.

Sundays: Pick a meal. On Sundays I cook two meals, no matter how time consuming. My husband often grills on the weekend so I make sure he has what he needs to grill enough meat for the week on those days. We choose to eat one of the meals that day. This week I cooked fried rice and chili. Fried rice is always choice number one for both my husband and I, which is great because chili is better after it marinated in the fridge for a couple of days in my opinion.  I always cook a bit of extra when I make these two meals so that I can freeze some for later. We eat side salads as well.

Mondays: Leftovers. Mondays are busy so cooking is never an option these days. Eat what was leftover from the two meals cooked yesterday. For lunch I have fruit, nuts, a salad and chicken (if hubby grilled). I bring another piece of fruit and a protein bar or yogurt for a snack later that day.

Tuesdays: Sandwiches. Simple and delicious. I love turkey sandwiches and if I have time, I’ll fry up some bacon to add to my husband’s sandwich (Men love bacon. Go figure). But for me and my son, all we need is turkey, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mustard on warm, toasted whole grain bread. Add some fruit on the side and it’s ready to go!

Wednesdays: Frozen meals. Homemade, and they usually consist of beef stew, chili, or fried rice with a side salad. If there isn’t quite enough of one dish, I’ll whip out the cutting board to chop some extra veggies and add croutons to make the salad more filling.

Thursdays: Fish/chicken and veggies. Nothing fancy. I just season and sautee the fish or chicken breast with onions and a large side of vegetables: usually broccoli, peas, or green beans. Plus on these days there is a chance that my husband will bring home takeout from wherever he has lunch (or dinner) with his buddies that day.

Fridays: Leftovers. Yeah, yeah, boring but time is my main focus. Fridays are hair wash days for me, so cooking is low priority. The exciting part? If there aren’t enough leftovers, I order Italian or Chinese!

Saturdays: Scavenger day. Leftovers, snacks, salads, sandwiches, fruits that are about to turn. You name it, we eat it. What can I say? Oh yeah: “I HATE cooking!” But at least it’s still healthy and it saves money because we eat everything we have.

And there you have it! I cook twice a week, and still manage to provide my family with healthy dinners most of the time.

How do you save time in the kitchen?