Meal Plan Madness: Week #1

       If there's one thing I love other than my boys, it's planning and organizing. So what do you know, I'm always trying out new ways to meal plan looking for something that really works for us. I tried planning for two weeks at a time, and even a month, but we always seemed to be running out of food or unable to make adjustments and in the long run we felt like it was harder to stick to budget that way. I tried planning out every meal and snack, and I tried just making a running list of what we had the ingredients to make. I tried it in a box with a fox wearing socks.

       You get the picture. In the end, it seems to be working for us to only plan one week at a time, and to list out EVERYTHING we plan on eating. In the hopes that it may help someone new to, or struggling with, meal planning, I'll try to post our plan each week! I'll try to post grocery shopping break downs as well, but somethings we already have in our cabinets/ freezer, or leftover from a previous week, so they won't be 100% accurate for everyone.

       When I make these plans, I take into account which shifts Mike is working, when I'm in class, when we'll be short on time, and the fact that I'm still technically eating for two and always ravenous. I try to give us one lighter morning snack based around fruit, and one more protein-dense afternoon snack, before giving in to something sweet after dinner. We do a lot of batch cooking around here, which means a lot of repetition (and a lot of time saved). Neither of us minds one bit, but I know some people may like a bit more variety than we bother with.

       And please keep in mind: I'm not a medical professional, and I don't know what may be optimum for your or your family's health. This is just what seems to work for us!

       All explanations and disclaimers aside, here is Week 1! Recipes are linked where applicable. (Use common sense for substitutions when needed- ex. soy yogurt vs greek yogurt, maple syrup vs honey, etc. You know what to do!)

	Breakfast	Snack #1	Lunch	Snack #2	Dinner	Dessert
Thurs (off/ class: GROCERY SHOPPING DAY)	Tea Muesli Toast Orange slices	---	(Pick up something at grocery store)	Hummus w/veggies & crackers	Burgers Salad	Cookies
Fri (night shift)	Tea Muesli Toast Watermelon	Dates	Burgers Chips	Banana Nuts Chocolate	Sriracha baked tofu Rice Salad	Cookies
Sat (night shift)	Tea Muesli Toast Watermelon	Apple & PB dip Rice cake	Scrambled tofu Roast potatoes	Banana Nuts Chocolate	Sriracha baked tofu Rice Salad	Cookies
Sun (off)	Tea Muesli Toast Watermelon	Dates	PB&J Orange slices Popcorn	Hummus w/veggies & crackers	Scrambled tofu Roast potatoes	Cookies
Mon (night shift)	Tea Muesli Toast Orange slices	Apple & PB dip Rice cake	Taco seasoned beans in salad or wrap	Banana Nuts Chocolate	Stir fry Rice	Marzipan Grapes
Tues (?)	Tea Muesli Toast Watermelon	Apple & PB dip Rice cake	PB&J Orange slices Popcorn	Hummus w/veggies & crackers	Stir fry Rice	Marzipan Grapes
Wed (off/ class)	Tea Muesli Toast Orange slices	Dates	Taco seasoned beans in salad or wrap	Hummus w/veggies & crackers Protein bar Apple	Stir fry Rice	Marzipan Grapes