Monday, February 23

A New Week

Happy Monday! It's the start of a new week and this new blog so I thought I would write about a couple things I do at the beginning of each new week.


An important part of each week is the time I spend meal planning. This usually happens on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. Meal planning is valuable to me for two reasons. First, it helps me take a look at the week and plan what's going on as well as what we are going to eat each day; when I have a plan I don't have to worry about it every afternoon. Meal planning also helps me plan my grocery list for Monday (more on grocery shopping to come) so I don't shop haphazardly and waste money.

A typical week of meals looks like this:

Monday - Crock pot meal or something from the freezer. (I don't get home from step class on Mondays until about 6 p.m. and I usually don't feel like cooking.)

Tuesday - I like to try new recipes, so I usually schedule at least one into each week.

Wednesday - One day a week I like to be sure I have enough leftovers to freeze for another day like Mondays. This might be soup, or a casserole type dish that serves six (more on freezing to come.)

Thursdays - I need a break from cooking by this time of the week and the leftovers have starting piling up in the fridge. Sometimes I try to do something a little different with them so it doesn't feel like the same thing. Salad is also good about this time of week.

Friday - Comfort food day. After a long week it's nice to have something simple and easy like pizza or pasta.

Saturday - Leftovers, food that is quick & easy, or eat out to celebrate saving money on meals at home all week.

Sunday - Often leftovers so we can start the week fresh on Monday or I'll cook something if I feel up to working in the kitchen.

Tips/Thoughts:
  • Towards the end of the week I take a look in the fridge and see what kinds of fresh food I still have left and try to figure out meals that will use them up.
  • A blog I enjoy reading for weekly dinner inspiration is This Week for Dinner. The author posts her menu for the week on Sunday and encourages others to do the same in the comments.
  • Figure out your typical weekly schedule and use that to form a general meal plan.
  • UPDATE: I forgot some of the most important tips for meal planning! "Shop" at home first. Look in your pantry, fridge & freezer to see what you already have on hand and base your meals off those ingredients first. Then, look at your grocery ad (most are now online if you don't get a paper) to see what's on sale to help round out your menus. This will save you money and space in your home!
What are your meal planning tips?
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The other thing I do as part of my weekly chores (more on a weekly cleaning plan later) is change the sheets and clean up the bedroom. You can choose any day you like for this activity, but I find that Monday is easy to remember and it helps get the week off to a fresh start. This is also a great time to dust and vacuum in order to maintain healthy conditions for sleeping.

What chores do you do at the start of each week?

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