We recently posted a blog, Survival Mode Meals. It’s a compilation of go-to meals for when you don’t have time to think and plan your meals. I’ve made a couple of those meals in the past week (this one was the BEST), and I was so happy to have those as a resource and to also try new things!

When school days and after school activities get rolling, it helps me to have a schedule of meals of what to cook (or purchase) every night of the week. Having a meal schedule also helps the picky eaters know what they’re going to have every day. It’s me. I’m one of those picky eaters. This all means we generally eat the same things every week, which, I can admit, gets a little bit boring. But it helps with planning the grocery trip(s), writing the meal calendar, and my peace of mind. Having to think about and plan what to cook can be overwhelming and even anxiety producing for some.

So, yes. We have an actual meal calendar. It’s a dry erase magnet calendar on the fridge (Here’s ours). On the list, I write what I plan to cook that week and sometimes ask for input from the family. The little one, who only likes what he likes and lives life better when there’s a schedule of all things, is the main contributor. He doesn’t like his food to touch, he doesn’t like certain textures, and he doesn’t like too much of this on that. You might think this meal plan is really for him. And you might be right. 

Full transparency: I’m apprehensive about sharing our meal schedule. It makes me feel slightly guilty that it’s not always meals made from scratch with the freshest ingredients. But these meals fill our bellies, they don't take up more time than we have, and they (90% of the time) give us the macronutrients we need. 

I recently read, “How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing” by KC Davis,  a Licensed Therapist. In Chapter 39, she talks specifically about meal planning when you're depressed, overwhelmed, anxious or just having trouble with executive function. She said,

“All calories are good calories when you’re having a hard time. There are no good or bad foods. There are no right or wrong foods. There are no foods that are absolutely healthy or unhealthy. Healthy is a holistic state of being that requires more than just knowing about the amount and types of nutrients in the food you are eating. Being kind to yourself while eating ice cream is healthier than hating yourself when eating a salad.”

She goes on to say, 

“Meal planning is not a thing (only) people who have it all together do. Meal planning exists to make it easier for you to eat and buy groceries. That is the function.”

So, that being said, below is our–mediocre, yet functional–weekly meal schedule:

Sunday

• Dad’s Grilled Burgers (Not a brand. My husband, their dad, grills them)

 Served with regular fries, sweet potato fries, veggie tots, or roasted broccoli

Monday

• Chicken Sausage, Veggies and Rice 

 Usually Zatarain’s Cilantro Lime or Caribbean Rice

Tuesday

• Taco Tuesday! 

      (It’s ALWAYS an Old El Paso or Taco Bell Taco Kit)

Wednesday

• Stouffer’s Chicken Alfredo or Lasagna 

       Served with a vegetable

Thursday

• Pork or Turkey Tenderloin, green beans, mashed potatoes (or rice! See Monday.)

      We buy a pre-seasoned pork tenderloin from the grocery store or a turkey tenderloin we season ourselves

Friday

• Fast Food Friday: Pizza, Burgers, Chick-Fil-A, Restaurant Big Salads ( for parents), etc

 My 10-year-old named it this because I don’t usually cook on Friday…or Saturday. 

Saturday

• More takeout (See Friday)               

Sometimes we swap out some of the above for: 

• Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken Thighs (Here’s the amazing recipe I love!)
• Sloppy Joes; Made with Ground Turkey, Chicken, Beef and served with veggies, fries or fruit
• Meatballs and Spaghetti; Easy meatballs (These! Not precooked meatballs) cooked in the oven or crockpot
• Rotisserie/Fried Chicken Meal; Publix Deli...if you know you know 

I celebrate these things about our schedule:

• There’s always fruit in our home, and our kids eat more fruit than I ever did as a child. 
• We emphasize the importance of water above any other drinks. Again, as a kid I didn’t drink water. I drank Kool-Aid, which I guess is water? But not.
• We have healthy (and maybe not so healthy) grab and go snacks in our pantry, which allows them to make choices on how to feed themselves–Popcorn, applesauce, etc
• No one is afraid to make suggestions on the menu and even voice their opinions on what they like and don’t like (Not gonna lie, this can be exasperating, but I want them to feel free to say how they feel…even if it’s about my cooking. See next bullet point).
• They have both the ability and the ingredients to make their own meals if they don’t like what I cook.

Need more recipe/meal inspiration? The blog Together As Family has a great list of The Best Back to School Dinners.   

Still need more inspiration? Pinterest! Yes, it's still around, and it’s not just for creating the wedding of your dreams. I use it whenever I want to cook something different or when I can’t remember a favorite recipe.   

Photo: A Woman Making a Meal Plan by Yaroslav Shuraev from Pexels