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Simplify dinnertime with a Capsule Pantry

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Meal Planning · June 23, 2020

Ultimate Summer Meal Plan Guide (lots of tricks & tips!)

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Feel like summer is just 3 months of winging it for dinner night after night? Do you have NO summer meal plan strategy? 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 tips and tricks to make your summer meal planning easy breezy. All in a choose-your-own-adventure kinda’ way!

Here’s your Ultimate Summer Meal Planning guide!

It’s all free information 🙂 and you might just wanna save it to Pinterest to come back to later!

1. READ: HOW TO MAKE ONE MEAL PLAN FOR SUMMER

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

2. CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE FOR EASY SUMMER MEAL PLANNING

Do you need help to make summer lunches for your kiddos?

Even though these say they’re back to school, all of these ideas can be used for the summer. Planning summer lunches ahead of time means more time for fun 🙂

​13 Healthy Homemade Snacks (perfect for kids lunch boxes)​

​10 Bento Box Ideas (your picky eaters will actually eat)​

collage of bento boxes with text

​How to plan school lunches quickly with this simple trick​

​

If you need more help with Summer Lunches – there are 9 weeks (yes, 9 entire weeks!) of summer lunches planned out for you in the Busy Mom’s Simple Summer Meals guide. Click the picture to learn more!

Do you need help figuring out easy summer dinners?

Here are some simple summer dinner recipe ideas that will make summer meals easier (and more fun!)

​7 Healthy Summer Crockpot Dinners

​10 Disney Movie Night Dinner Match-ups (make Family Movie Night fun!)​

​13 Easy Homemade Pizza Recipes perfect for Family Fun Night​

​Simple Dinner Ideas (when you have NO IDEA what’s for dinner tonight!)​

​

Do you need help saving money on groceries for the summer?

Read these and start saving money on groceries.

​Super Simple Grocery List for Two Weeks (free template)​

​What is backwards meal planning​

​Are you Spending Too Much on Groceries? (+ free Grocery Budget Worksheet​)

​

Don’t know where to start with meal planning?

Here are some good posts to read if you’re a beginner, or if you feel overwhelmed with meal planning.

​50 Amazing Theme Night Meal Planning Ideas (+ ultimate list printable)​

​Super Simple Meal Planning for Beginner​ (+ free printables!)

​How to Use Trello for Meal Planning (steal my Trello board​

​

Do you want to meal plan like a minimalist?

Marie Kondo-ize your kitchen and your meals (this concept is getting super popular!). Learn how to create a Capsule Pantry (like a Capsule Wardrobe!) and mix and match your ingredients to have dinner super simple every night.

​

How to Meal Plan 4 Times a Year (Capsule Pantry)​

​The Capsule Pantry: A Faster Easier Way to Meal Plan​

​How to Organize Your Pantry in 15 Minutes​

Organize your pantry in 15 minutes thumbnail​

Do you want freezer meals to help you make easy summer dinners?

Freezer meals are awesome for the summer because they’ll allow you to make your meals ahead of time, and then pop them in the crockpot on those hot days!

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

​21 Clever Freezer Storage Containers & Meal Prep Tools (updated)​

​10 Easy + Healthy Freezer Meals (that your kids will devour)​

​

Other Summer Meal Plan Resources:

  • the podcast episode I was on where Cara and I talk about how to create an easy summer meal plan
  • 30 Whole30 Spring + Summer Recipes from Natalie at Tastes Lovely
  • I love reading these Summer Fridays from Jessica over at How Sweet Eats

Phew, that was jam-packed for sure! Make sure you bookmark this site and save it to Pinterest to refer back to! I hope you have a lovely summer with your kiddos making fun memories 🙂

If you need more help with Summer Lunches – there are 9 weeks (yes, 9 entire weeks!) of summer lunches planned out for you in the Busy Mom’s Simple Summer Meals guide. Click the picture to learn more!

In: Meal Planning

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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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