Welcome to my 2 week meal plan!
Last week I introduced a new twist to the two week meal plan which was freezer meals. Instead of taking a full day to prep lots of freezer meals you just simply double recipes several nights a week and you end up with a freezer stocked full of ready made meals! THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT the best way to fill your freezer. It’s not as daunting but just as helpful when you need any easy meal to grab and go! This week we will continue to double meals and add NINE more meals to your freezer!
The Best way to Stock your Freezer
I personally ended up having 2 extra meals that could be portioned into 3 full meals instead of 2 so I have nine meals already in my freezer right now. I wanted to stock my freezer for the start of our homeschool year as well as the busy holiday season fast approaching. Its also top of my priorities to save money right now so having an easy freezer meal to heat up vs. going out to eat or picking up fast food is a big win for my budget!
One Last Change to The Meal Plan
One final change I made this week was days. I changed the days of the weeks to: Meal 1, Meal 2 etc. If you follow me on instagram you know I always cook my meals out of order! The biggest reason for this is my husbands ever shifting schedule. It’s hard to predict and I save certain meals for when he’s home at night vs. when he is gone. Because he is on call his day can change at the flip of a hat! So I need a meal plan that is as flexible as our family needs. By doing it this way I don’t feel tied down to a certain order but can still enjoy all the yummy recipes on the plan!
If this is your first time stopping by that is all the updates for the week but below you will see the full details of my weekly plan
2 Week Meal Plan
When it comes to raising a family, staying on budget, and putting dinner on the table each night it can be a real challenge! I have found that the easiest way for me to make sure that dinner happens consistently is through meal planning. I am not a chef who creates new recipes so the recipes that are featured in this two week plan are by other bloggers and chefs and are not my original recipes.
How This It Works
To keep things simple I have created a system of theme nights for this meal plan. Here is what it looks like:
- Sunday: Sandwiches
- Monday: Italian Night
- Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner or meatless
- Wednesday: Whatever Wednesday
- Thursday: Mexican
- Friday: Pizza night
- Saturday: Leftovers
Diet Details
There are no dietary restrictions or styles included in this meal plan. It will include a variety of types of recipes that vary. I have picked recipes that my family of kids ages 11-9months enjoy. Therefore, there will be a mixture of recipes we love that are tried and true, Seasonal, Holiday, quick and easy meals for busy nights, and recipes that kids will enjoy as well as adults.
Tips for Budgeting
I purchase all of our groceries online using Walmart delivery and Costco delivery. At this season of our life this is what works and is the most practical for our large family. However, I do understand that there are certain markups and fees associated with these options but for me the cost it worth the convince. That being said our family is working within a budget of $1200 for 8 people. I like that while I shop online it is easy to see the total before I check out. I can then make budget conscious decisions without the pressure of being in the store before I finalize my order. For this reason I like online grocery shopping.
I also try to buy bulk items on sale such as meats, cheese, pasta etc.
Additionally I like to shop for meals based on what I have on hand. These recipes can be altered or changed to fit what you may already have on hand. Beef can be substituted for chicken, pasta can be substituted for rice etc. Now, this meal plan is complete two week plan but is meant to be a starting point as you fine tune it of your family.
This Weeks Meal Plan
I am sharing this meal plan in a 2 week format with lunch and breakfast suggestions (these do not change) Via google docs. this is for a couple reasons. I like that a google docs can be carried with you anywhere you go. If you are in a meeting and need to quickly see what your dinner options are you can pull it up on your phone and quickly access the linked recipes. Next, It is also easy to save google docs to use in the future if you ever want to rotate these plans.
Lastly If you follow me on Instagram you will see me cooking these recipes along side you weekly in my stories! I truly do use these recipes for my family.
As I mentioned before this is a unique meal plan as it includes 7 meals that you can double and freeze for next time! giving you 7 bonus meals!
