meal planning – The (Not-So) Newlywed Lefebvres

Friends, it has been a long week alone! And tonight, although Craig was scheduled to return home, it looks like the airlines had other ~~planes~~ (Ha! A true Freudian slip!) plans for him. Alas, I have an exciting night of cooking ahead of me anyway, and if I can’t be with my husband tonight, I am actually a little thrilled to be getting back into meal planning and preparing meals ahead of time!;-)

So today, I thought I would share with you the recipes I am making tonight for next week, and a freebie: A Meal Plan Printable & Grocery List!

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Obviously, I’m a big fan of Danielle at Let’s Dish! For this coming week, every meal came from her food blog, so if you see anything that looks yummy to you – and how could it not?!?! – check it out for yourself!

Now, perhaps you’re wondering how I eat any of this if you know anything about my dietary restrictions, and the truth is, that I won’t be eating the pizza or sandwiches, but the quinoa cakes, salmon and chicken should be DELICIOUS with a few minor modifications. 🙂

What are your thoughts on meal planning and cooking in advance for the week ahead? If you’d like to try it (and experience the lessening of pressure from not having to THINK about what’s for dinner or the last minute rush to the grocery store), check out my free printable:

Let me know what you think, and how this system works for you! And by the way, what’s your favorite recipe? You never know, we may add it to our next meal plan!

Have a great weekend!

SO…..I know, I know…Today is supposed to be “What’s Up Wednesday” and we are supposed to have pictures and updates and all kinds of fun and excitement, but the truth is…well, we are having some technical difficulties – camera-wise. I totally forgot to put the memory card in the camera for Easter…and now all our pictures are literally trapped inside the device, just waiting to get out! But fear not, an a/v cord is on the way! We are keeping our fingers crossed for its arrival in the mail tomorrow!

In the meantime, we will (hopefully) treat this Friday as Wednesday, and today will be Food For Thought Friday – which composes a few different things:

1. Meal Planning

If you aren’t already doing this, you should be. Meal planning not only can save you a great deal of money on food, but it is a total de-stresser for your week! Click here for a free printable meal planning worksheet. Here’s mine for the week (well, the week which for us begins tomorrow when Craig is back home for dinner!):

I love these lists that include the meal chart and the grocery list together! When you are able to plan your meals for a week and walk into the grocery store with a firm list of what you need to make those meals happen, you save big money and time, too! I was in and out of Ingles yesterday in 15 minutes. AND our budget for groceries for the week is $100 – I made it out at $92! Winning!

2. What is your “Life Verse”?

I’m a total sucker for ‘quizzes’ and I discovered the one above perusing Facebook today – specifically Pastor Alan’s page. Maybe he likes quizzes too 🙂

This quiz is quick and gives you a Bible verse at the end – your “life verse” – and there is nothing wrong with one more Bible verse for the day! Click here for the “What is Your Life Verse?” quiz. I got Romans 8:28 (and so did a lot of other people…but I re-did the quiz again with different answers and received a different verse, so it isn’t rigged. 🙂 ):

I’d say that’s a pretty awesome verse to be handed mid-day. 🙂

3. Learning (For Free!)

There’s a really interesting website I just discovered where you can take online courses, in a variety of areas, and receive a certificate of completion…and even better, many of the courses are FREE! Here’s a link to check it out yourself – UDEMY. Here are some of the free courses available:

And those are all FREE COURSES! How great is that?

Well, folks, enjoy your Friday for Wednesday! 🙂 Let us know which courses you pick, which recipes you choose for your meal plans, and most importantly, which Bible verse you “got” on your Life Verse Quiz!

Have a great night!