Meal Planning For Busy Summer Days
Summer is marching on – school supplies are slowly filling store shelves and there is less than a month left of summer’s laid back routine. This week my family is celebrating my son’s 6th birthday. Other than his birthday dinner choice, this week’s menu focuses on simple meals that can be made quickly or in the slow cooker so that when I’m not working I can spend as much time as possible with the birthday boy.
The 6 weeks since my husband arrived home from Afghanistan have been a blur – a constant juggling of issues and putting out fires. Immediately on his return, he came down with the flu quickly followed by our son and I. Christmas was quiet and accompanied by plenty of fluids, daily slow cooker soups, regular Tylenol and ibuprofen, and keeping exertion to a minimum. I still managed almost daily trips to the barn despite the flu but wasn’t able to ride as we dealt with some unexplained back and hip soreness in Valiant. Just after Christmas, we discovered my treasured F-350 diesel beastie is in need of some expected maintenance (my showing and military moves have packed on well over 100,000 miles) – this time the front steering. The parts were ordered but the work put off when our other vehicle needed a new drive shaft. You know that expression “it never rains, but it pours”? That sum’s up the last couple weeks for me. Lots of work, plenty of distractions, and a mile long to do list.
So this week, I’m going to let my meal prep take care of breakfast and lunch and focus on dinners that are quick to prepare – either in the slow cooker or throwing together at the last minute.
Breakfast
poached eggs with sauteed kale
salsa egg scramble
Lunches
for my husband – salad in a jar, turkey or ham sandwich, yogurt, pretzels + raw veggie bag
Salad In A Jar + spicy chicken
leftovers
Dinners
Spaghetti with home made marinara
Build Your Own Burrito
Slow Cooker Corned Beef + Cabbage
Leftover Corned Beef Sandwiches with from scratch bread
Orange Chicken, roasted broccoli + rice
Weekends are generally more relaxed. We usually eat out at least one day for lunch and finish up leftovers or random ingredients for dinner.
Sunday Meal Prep
Every meal this week includes at least one prep ahead component, letting me focus on getting the family back into a routine that includes eating at home every night without being in a hurry.
Salad-In-A-Jar
Both my husband and I eat a large green salad with lots of vegetables for lunch – I make 10 Salads-In-A-Jar on Sundays to keep my lunch prep to a minimum.
From Scratch Marinara
I make marinara periodically – once every few months – and make several jars at a time that I put up in the pantry. The wonderful thing about from scratch tomato sauce is the amazing freshness and how you can customize the combination of herbs. I finished my last jar a couple weeks ago, so today I’ll have marinara simmering away.
From Scratch Bread
Another simple, but delicious recipe! Knocking this out on Sunday means my family will enjoy delicious from scratch meals even during the busy work week.
Orange Chicken
This is a delicious and easy dish but I make it even more weeknight friendly by chopping the chicken and seasoning with salt and pepper on Sunday before throwing it in the freezer. That makes for a toss-in-the-pan and stir meal prep!
Want more menu inspiration while making your plan for the week? Check out my recipes and weekly menus for easy and healthy ideas.
