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Simplify dinnertime with a Capsule Pantry

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Capsule Pantry, Meal Planning · June 18, 2020

Make just one meal plan for summer (yes, the entire summer!)

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Do you hate cooking in the summer as much as I do? Then you’re in the right place because I’m going to show you how to make ONE meal plan for summer (yes, the ENTIRE summer!). And then I’m going to give you proven summer meal planning ideas and the top 10 foods you should be eating for easy summer meals.

Let’s dive in.

(This post probably contains affiliate links. My full disclosure policy is quite boring, but you can read it here if you’d like!)

Make sure you read my Ultimate Summer Meal Plan guide – it’s like a choose-your-own-adventure full of summer meal planning tips and tricks!

HOW TO CREATE JUST ONE MEAL PLAN FOR SUMMER

We’re going to make a quick Capsule Pantry for the summer so you can make ONE meal plan and not have to think about it all summer!

(PS – if you don’t want to bother creating an entire meal plan for the summer, and you’d rather have just a quick list of dinners AND lunches, you can grab this Busy Mom’s Guide to Simple Summer Meals!)

What is a Summer Capsule Pantry?

Well, it’s just like a capsule wardrobe, except for your kitchen! A capsule wardrobe is defined as: a small collection of clothes that can be put together in different ways and includes everything you would normally need to wear.

So I would define a capsule pantry as: a small collection of foods and ingredients that can be put together in different ways and includes everything you would want to eat (and still have lots of variety!).

So just like a capsule wardrobe, your capsule pantry has core ingredients (protein, grains, produce, etc.) and accessories (seasonal vegetables, a special treat, something new you want to try, etc.) and basics that won’t “count” (like spices, oil, broth, and water).

Let’s make your summer meal plan:

You’ll need a piece of paper and pencil, your general schedule, and a printable meal planner. Draw a line down the middle of your paper, creating a left and right side.

1 gather recipes

  • Family favorites
  • Easy recipes that you don’t consider “recipes” – think spaghetti, burgers, grilled chicken and veggies, tacos or fajitas
  • Some dinners you’ve made in the past few weeks

Write the meal ideas all out on the left side of a piece of paper and the ingredients on the right side.

When you come across a recipe or meal that uses an ingredient you already wrote down, just put a hash mark next to the ingredient.

Here’s an example of the start of my capsule pantry list:

>> You can find an updated Capsule Pantry recipe list in the Freebie Library!

2 build your foundation

Now we figure out what your foundation items will be.

The ingredients that repeat and have at least a few hash marks next to them are your foundations.

Usually these are 3 or 4 proteins or main ingredients. Then your staples: grains, canned items, produce, etc.

This is when some of the meal ideas you wrote down get the cut. If it doesn’t use any repeating ingredients or it’s something that isn’t in season right now, take it out. You can always put that recipe in next season’s capsule!

3 add “accessories”

The accessories are your flavor or something that makes the dish unique. A lot of times this will be certain herbs or spices (remember, they don’t count in this so you can have as many as you want!).

But also, accessories can be for those Ingredients that don’t necessarily repeat but they’re for a recipe you just LOVE (kinda like that one dress you feel great in!)

Seasonal produce fits in this category as well as specialty ingredients that are high in flavor (hoisin sauce, salsa verde, curry sauce, etc.).

Now you should have a master ingredient list of 30-40 items. Guess what? This is now your grocery list – and the only ingredients you’ll be buying for dinners ALL SUMMER LONG!

4 make your master summer dinner list (aka summer capsule pantry meal plan!)

Now that you have a starting list of dinner ideas and a full ingredient list, we’re simply going to find more recipes that use those same ingredients so you can have a complete list of family summer dinners.

  1. Let’s stick with the number 35 (5 weeks x 7 days makes it easy to repeat).
  2. You can write them in a list or use a grid (I like using a grid because it’s easy to just copy from day to day to a weekly meal planner.
  3. Consult your summer schedule for any evenings you are repeatedly not home, need a quick dinner (crockpot!), or anything else that affects your weekly dinner routine. Like if your daughter has swim lessons every Tuesday night or you get home late from work on Thursdays (let’s think repeating events for the whole summer though, not single appointments).
  4. You could even add themes here like Meatless Monday or Crockpot Tuesday – but only if it’ll make planning easier – not harder! There are so many different theme night ideas you could do!
  5. If you don’t have 35 dinners on your list yet, find some new recipes that use those same ingredients you listed in your summer capsule pantry list. I love every summer crockpot dinner I’ve tried from this cookbook – they can be frozen ahead of time too!

Your final 35 recipes is your Master summer dinner list. You’re going to rotate this throughout the summer to make your actual meal plan.

It should look something like this when you’re done (except the leftovers day – don’t put that in yours because this isn’t the actual meal plan, it’s just a master list of your families’ summer dinners.

(this is also in the Freebie Library – this exact one, and a blank copy!)

5 copy to your summer weekly meal plan

Yay, the hard part is done! Now what? Time to put the plan on paper! You could do any of these things to help finalize your brand-spankin’-new meal plan:

1. Copy the recipes from the first week of your master list to a weekly meal plan and put on the fridge.

2. Laminate (or put in a page protector) the master list and write the dates of the month over it.

3. Take a picture so you have a record of your new plan.

Re-write the ingredients into an organized master grocery list so you always have a set grocery list!

Don’t forget to add breakfast, lunch, and snacks to your grocery list. They may not be part of your dinner meal plan but if you repeatedly eat the same things, they can go on the master grocery list and make your life easier.

Summer meal planning ideas and tips

  1. Don’t use the oven – LIKE EVER! To make your life easier, make sure your summer dinner ideas are 1 of 3 things: no-cook, crockpot, or grilling!
  2. Make double dinners so you don’t have to cook as often
  3. Take one portion from every dinner and freeze it – when you’re in a pinch, everyone can grab something they like and just heat it up
  4. Batch cook on one or two days per week. You could easily make a crockpot meal, grilled dinner, and some sandwiches on one day and you’ve just made dinner for 3…and you didn’t spend all day cooking.

 

Summer fruit and hat

Top 10 summer foods

I always make sure I buy seasonal produce (it’s fresher and cheaper!) and stick to light summer meals that are made with shrimp, fish, or chicken. And fruit goes great with meat and fish so definitely include it in your new summer meal plan!

  1. Tomatoes
  2. Corn
  3. Spinach
  4. Zucchini
  5. Shrimp
  6. Fish
  7. Chicken breasts
  8. Watermelon
  9. Peaches
  10. Cherries & Berries

More summer meal plan ideas:

7 Summer Crockpot Recipes (that are actually healthy!)

10 Fresh Taco Tuesday Menu Ideas (that aren’t actually tacos!)

How to make freezer meals in a snap with these 4 simple steps

31 Summer (Freezer to) Crockpot Meals 

The Busy Mom’s Guide to Simple Summer Meals (Lunch + dinner ideas to feed your kids all summer long!)

More Capsule Pantry Meal Plan info:

The Capsule Pantry: A Faster Easier Way to Meal Plan

How to Meal Plan 4 Times a Year!

Make sure you read my Ultimate Summer Meal Plan guide – it’s like a choose-your-own-adventure full of summer meal planning tips and tricks!

Grab the Busy Mom’s Guide to Simple Summer Meals now!

 

BUY SIMPLE SUMMER MEALS NOW!

In: Capsule Pantry, Meal Planning · Tagged: summer

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I could tell you so many things about this girl... I could tell you so many things about this girl... 
...my BFF Cara @apurposedrivenmom 
...but I want to focus on how she KILLS it at going after her goals. And loves teaching other busy mamas to do the same. 
She helped me map out an action plan for my goals on Saturday and wow, guys. Just wow. 
So I asked her if she would help my audience with their goal setting for the new year...
...and she agreed! 
Join both of us this Thursday (LIVE!) for “How to Take MASSIVE ACTION on your Goals (without burnout or overwhelm)”.
Sound like something you want to chat about with us?!? Link is in my bio (just click this picture of Cara and I!).
Who else hates throwing away lots of un-eaten prod Who else hates throwing away lots of un-eaten produce at the end of the week as much as I do? 
Focus on an ingredient-based meal plan instead of the other way around. That's what the 2021 Annual Meal Planning Calendar does. Here's this week's meal plan...
🍕🌮 🍔 
‣‣‣Monday: Dinner Blueprint # 51 (A4+B1+C3)
Homemade Pizza Dough & Pizza Sauce (two recipes)
‣‣‣Tuesday: Dinner Blueprint # 33 (A3+B1+C1)
Blackened Tilapia Tacos
‣‣‣Wednesday: Dinner Blueprint # 10 (A1+B3+C2)
Crispy Lemon Chicken & Veggies
‣‣‣Thursday: Dinner Blueprint # 5 (A1+B2+C1)
Santa Fe Double Chicken
‣‣‣Friday: Dinner Blueprint # 40 (A3+B2+C4)
Baked Fish Sticks (+ leftover veggies or salad)
‣‣‣Saturday: Dinner Blueprint # 13 (A1+B4+C1)
Santa Fe Double Chicken Soup (just add a carton of chicken broth to leftovers to make soup)
‣‣‣Sunday: Dinner Blueprint # 3 (A1+B1+C3)
Chicken Parmesan w/Pasta
🍕 
If you're following along on the 2021 Annual Meal Planning Calendar, these are the same Dinner Blueprint #’s for each day. You can use the blueprint to come up with your own dinner idea, or use the linked example recipe.
🌮 
If you don’t own the 2021 Annual Meal Planning Calendar, you can purchase it by clicking my link in bio or if you're seeing this on Facebook, click here:
https://mpb.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1065589/?action=signup
🍉🥬Tell me... what fruit or veggie do you always end up throwing away? (watermelon and fresh spinach here!)
I don't know about you, but I can waste time like I don't know about you, but I can waste time like a CHAMP. Like re-drying the same load of laundry 3 times or scrolling IG like a zombie in bed.
Anyone else?
But I don't like it. 
And I definitely try to be more intentional on the things that give me more time back than what I spent on it. 
Meal planning is one of those things. Spend ONE hour a month meal planning, and you'll gain so many more hours each day (and *bonus* - it's during that dreaded pre-dinner time when the kids are maniacs!)

P.S. Please stop weekly meal planning. That doesn't actually save you time. (you can watch the ✨free training✨ in my link in bio if you want to know how often I suggest!)
Tell me...what would you do with an extra 30 mins each day?
New Month...new meal plan! Take an hour and make a New Month...new meal plan!
Take an hour and make an easy, monthly meal plan that focuses on the ingredients you eat and love - not one that tells you what to make (and then you have to go grocery shopping to get everything!) 
That's a backwards-based meal plan, friend.
Here's a sneak peek at my method:
Make a quick grid of 3 rows and 4 columns.
3 rows: A, B, C
A - main ingredient
B - side dish
C - flavor profile
4 columns: 1, 2, 3,4
Assign each space an ingredient and then mix and match... 
Here is each "formula of the day" for the rest of the week (since Jan 1st lands mid-week). Straight outta the January meal plan from the 2021 Annual Meal Planning Calendar... 
🍕🌮 🍔 
‣‣‣Friday: Dinner Blueprint # 36 (A3+B1+C4)
Parmesan Crusted Tilapia w/butter pasta
‣‣‣Saturday: Dinner Blueprint # 14 (A1+B4+C2)
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
‣‣‣Sunday: Dinner Blueprint # 23 (A2+B2+C4)
Italian Stuffed Peppers
🍕 
If you're following along on the 2021 Annual Meal Planning Calendar, these are the same Dinner Blueprint #’s for each day. You can use the blueprint to come up with your own dinner idea, or use the linked example recipe.
🌮 
If you don’t own the 2021 Annual Meal Planning Calendar, you can purchase it by clicking my link in bio or if you're seeing this on Facebook, click here:
https://mpb.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1065589/?action=signup
🍔 Tell me... what's on your meal plan this week?
The 9-gazillion chicken recipes on Pinterest overw The 9-gazillion chicken recipes on Pinterest overwhelms me.
You too?
One of the many reasons I love chicken is because it's just so versatile. I mean, it cooks quick and there's sooooo many options out there. Just search "chicken recipes" and you'll come up with tens of thousands. 
(I'm looking at you again, Pinterest...). 
These are way too many options for me, so I created a simple mix and match method to come up with new dinner ideas.
✔️ limited ingredients means I'm not overwhelmed 
✔️ starts with flavors my family already loves to eat
✔️ less options means I can get dinner on the table quicker instead of staring into the fridge hoping dinner will just jump out at me!
Here's a few of these ideas on my meal plan (right outta my Annual Meal Planning calendar...).
What's your family's favorite chicken recipe?
My cup is so full! I just finished working on rele My cup is so full! I just finished working on releasing my new podcast and I’m sooooo excited to share it with you. What I’m even more ecstatic about is for you to learn how to focus on the most important things (for YOUR family!).
The latest episode is jam-packed with the exact steps you can use right away to meal plan only 4 times per year. Click the link in my profile @mealplanningblueprints and click the Podcast button to listen on iTunes. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Hey beautiful new faces! If you were here in pers Hey beautiful new faces!  If you were here in person I'd sit and chat with you at the kitchen counter and offer you a cup of coffee (peppermint mocha or caramel vanilla cream?). 
☕️
But since we can't do that, I thought I'd introduce myself...
I'm a NYer that just moved to NC. I say "ya know" a lot and sometimes get teased for my accent - especially for "dawg" and "cawfee". 🤷🏻‍♀️😂 
3 things I love: 
💛 I love being a mama. Swipe to see my two cuties - one big, one little. I've always done this parenting thing solo, and I believe single parenting can be a blessing and have so many perks! 
💚 I love being minimal-ish but I can't have enough fun colored pens and pretty notebooks. Oh, and books. Wayyyy too many books.
💙 I love finding simple and efficient ways to do things. I need all the time I can possibly get so I'm always looking for ways to make my life easier! (truth: sometimes I spend more time looking for new ways to do something than doing it in the first place 😂).
And that's my approach to meal planning too. 
I sign off my emails with "keepin' meal planning simple" - I believe less is more because I don't have time for complicated meal plans or even sitting down every Sunday to do it (and I know you don't either!).⁣
✨
You might find some unconventional ideas here.⁣
You might find some refreshing honesty or tough love.⁣
But it's all to help you create a simple, minimal, intentional life you love 💚⁣
✨⁣
So, welcome! If we were sharing some coffee in my kitchen, what are 3 things you'd tell me about you?
Throw back to the time I forgot an ingredient for Throw back to the time I forgot an ingredient for dinner and needed to go the store AGAIN and I didn’t realize just how sick he was until that moment he fell asleep in a Walmart shopping cart.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And this picture totally gives me #momguilt for taking my sick baby to the store, and it reminds me of how my weeks used to be...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
​⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Day 1 - grocery shop. But boy was that tiring, so I gave the kiddo a sandwich for dinner (or ordered pizza 😉).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Day 2 - go to make Dinner 1 on the meal plan, but I forgot an ingredient. Shoot. Served mac & cheese and an applesauce packet, I snacked on crackers and a cheese stick. Plan on going to the grocery store tomorrow to get missing ingredient so I can make Dinner 1.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Day 3 - forgot to go to the grocery store, but I defrosted spaghetti sauce and made spaghetti. “It’s okay, I’ll pull it together tomorrow”. *Wrote “stop at the store” on a post-it note.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Day 4 - Remembered to go to the grocery store (yay!). Made the Dinner 1. Everyone hated it and didn’t eat it so I just about threw a yogurt and a banana across the table and called it “dinner”.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Day 5 - Done with trying to meal plan. Exhausted.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And just like that, I’m frustrated and blame meal planning as the problem. And gave up.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Can you relate?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’d bet my PSL that you identify with some part of that - and whatever “IT” is, it just keeps repeating itself over and over.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Maybe it’s not forgetting an ingredient…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Maybe it’s a crazy busy schedule that changes...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Maybe it’s just being exhausted at the end of the day…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Maybe it’s looking a full fridge and pantry and just having NO idea what to make…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’ve been there too and I know you’re expecting me to say that a solid meal plan is the answer. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But a meal plan is NOT the answer... (cont’d in comments)
Simplicity is the name of the game. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I don't extreme coupon.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I don't buy every ingredient on the planet.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I don't meal plan every week.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I do use coupons intentionally.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I do make sure we try new foods and have variety.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I do utilize a Capsule Pantry.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And most importantly...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I do give myself grace if the plan doesn't work out.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Keep it simple. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#mealplanningmadeeasy #mealplans #mealplanner #menuplanning #menuboard #monthlymealplanning #mealprepsunday #dinnerideas #healthydinnerideas #newmomlife #workingmomlife #dinnerathome #dinnertonight #mealplanningtips #mealplanningblueprints #organizedpantry #capsulepantry #minimalistkitchen #livewithless #konmari #zerowastefood #simpleliving #simpledinner #minimalistlifestyle #slowliving #habitandhome #ohheymama #livesimple #seeksimplicity #honestmotherhood
These two. Who made me a mother. So grateful! Happ These two. Who made me a mother. So grateful!
Happy Mother’s Day!
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