Back-to-School Meal Planning

by heavenstobetty, posted in Homeschool, Recipes

My wonderful husband has long been requesting that I make a family meal plan again like I used to. Meal planning makes grocery shopping easier, saves money by reducing food waste, and eliminates the need for anyone to ask the question: “What’s for dinner?”

Then, a recent visit from my friend L.T. led to a discussion about how I used to use the kids pocket calendar for our family meal plan.

kid’s pocket calendar
Write each supper on a card slightly longer than the date cards and place them in the pockets behind the date cards.

Finally, my friend and fellow blogger, L.R. from Returning to Paradise mentioned an idea that I think is really great. She thought of 20 easy suppers to rotate through during the school year for her meal planning.

I try to notice when I get similar sounding information from different sources. I try to pay attention to those times and do whatever the repeated “thing” is. Twenty easy suppers seems potentially do-able so here goes nothin’…

  1. Spaghetti, salad, French bread
  2. Bean and rice burritos
  3. Homemade double-decker tacos
  4. Sweet potato and black bean enchilada casserole
  5. Baked potatoes, chili and broccoli
  6. Chili, cornbread and broccoli (😂 pretty similar to #5, I know)
  7. VegeBurgers
  8. Haystacks
  9. Italian lentil casserole
  10. Soup and bread
  11. Lasagna (never mind that I’ve only made lasagna like twice in my life, it seems like a good idea 🤣)
  12. Cheesy pasta and broccoli
  13. Shredded chicken & slaw sandwiches
  14. Brenda’s vegetarian meatballs, cous cous and salad
  15. Sweet potatoes, quinoa and black beans
  16. Naan, hummus, and salad
  17. Caprese salad (orzo pasta, pesto, spinach, olives, tomatoes, feta)
  18. Pizza – Papa Murphy’s Take ‘n Bake (😂 does this one count?)
  19. Baked penne casserole
  20. … hmm… 20…. well… I got pretty close anyways…

👩‍🍳 👨‍🍳 Do you have a favorite quick & easy supper that’s not on my list? I would love your help with this meal planning project!

15 thoughts on “Back-to-School Meal Planning”

  1. We use meat from Costco as a base for meals with salad or green beans, noodles or corn on the cob, and then add salmon(with teriaki sauce added), panko breaded tilapia, or the panko breaded chicken strips. We also get a chicken pot pie from our local bakery; it’s so good! We have very little food waste as we are careful when buying and work to eat up what needs to be before it goes bad. That is a huge money saver. Good luck with your meal planning!

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  2. My 5 favorite meals
    Mashed potatoes asparagus tender bits (salmon)
    Taco Salad
    Green beans corn on the cob eggplant parmesan
    stir fry and rice
    grilled cheese and tomato soup
    Or anything on the menu at Olive Garden

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      2. I want to try and come up with a version of Shepherd’s pie using lentils instead of lamb. I like mashed potatoes a lot! I don’t make them often enough! I’m having fun meal planning, thanks again for the great idea 💡

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      1. Tacos, hamburgers, baked chicken, chili dogs, meatballs, sausage, chicken fajitas, and lots of vegetables. I have to stay away from carbs because they trigger my migraine so it limits our menu some.

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      2. Those are great easy supper ideas.
        I suffered from migraines for years but they were due to high blood pressure. They were debilitating. I’m so sorry you have to deal with them 😝

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      3. Yes, they are NO fun. The more I keep my system in homeostasis -blood sugar, temperature, sleep, stress, everything-wise – the fewer migraines I have. Hard to do but worth the effort. Have fun with your menu!

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