Mastering Meal Planning: an End to Making the Same Food Every Week

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I didn’t cook my very first meal until my wedding. After 7 years of marriage, I’ve definitely improved myself (Peter agrees). One thing that I’ve struggled with recently is not making the same meals every week. I’m sure I’m not alone. Are you tired of cooking the same thing week after week? Look no further! This post is written to help you with mastering meal planning where you never have to wonder what to cook again and will stop feeling like you make the same thing over and over again.

Obviously, this list is something that works for me, and what works for me may not always work for you. This is adaptable. I’ve added several different categories and obviously, you can pick the ones that work for you, or add different categories of your own.

Mexican/Mexican American

Typically, I tend to do Mexican food on Mondays. Honestly, I don’t have a reason for this. Usually Sundays our family eats pasta or soup (some sort of easy casserole you can throw together or something thrown in the crockpot before church), so I don’t want to eat either of those on Mondays.

I think why I pick Mexican on Mondays is either because of the repeating “m’s” (Mexican Monday) or because I don’t want to think hard about what to cook for supper and tacos are a simple easy fix when I’m recovering from the busy weekend we’ve had. Here are some family favorites we utilize:

• Veggie Tacos
• Steak Quesadillas
• Chicken BBQ Tacos
• Shrimp, Chicken, and Mexican Rice
• Doritos Chicken Casserole
• Chicken Fajitas

Italian

Usually I’m making a casserole on Tuesdays. By now, I’ve used up my Sunday leftovers in lunches for Peter for work and need something that is going to last a few more lunch meals. Additionally, after not cooking (or doing easy cooking) on Monday, I’m ready to focus some time making a delicious meal I know the whole family will enjoy. Since Tuesdays we rarely have places to go (minus T-ball season, of course), you can find me in the kitchen at 5 pm making something like:

• Spaghetti
• Baked Ziti
• Chicken Parmesan Pasta
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
• Pizza Casserole
• Cajun Chicken Pasta

Quick Go-To’s

Wednesdays are by far our busiest days of the week. Ordinarily we have church Wednesday night, we have some sort of club during the day, and I’m tapped out by the time suppertime rolls around. I usually have two pizzas on my weekly shopping list for Wednesday. Sometimes when I get tired of the pizza routine or we’ve already had pizza that week or I know we’re going to that weekend, I make something else on the list.

Also, BLTs are a summer Wednesday night staple once the garden is producing fresh tomatoes. Obviously some of the items on this list are a part of other lists elsewhere on this post; if I’m making them Wednesday, I wouldn’t have made them on the other days.

• Frozen Pizza
• Calzones
• BLT sandwiches
• Baked Chicken Legs
• Frozen Chicken Nuggets and Jell-O
• Spaghetti
• Tacos

Chicken, Beef, or Pork

By Thursday night, I’m over different cuisines. I usually make something that has nothing to do with a casserole. Because Thursdays are another slower evening, so I can dedicate more time to making a side dish to go with something on this list. Yes, we do eat steak, ribs, and roasts regularly in our household. You can read more about how affordable it is for us by buying half a beef at a time here.

• Grilled Chicken Bruschetta
• Baked Chicken Legs
• Chicken and Dumplings
• Crockpot BBQ Chicken
• Creamy Ranch Chicken and Rice
• Hamburgers and Mac N Cheese
• Porkchops
• Steak
• BBQ Ribs
• French Onion Chuck Roast

Soups or Sandwiches

Typically, in the winter time, I make soup A LOT. It can get out of hand on those days in a row of cold temperatures where I just want something comforting. On the flip side, in the summertime, my go-to is those yummy sandwiches with fresh veggies and ripe fruit salads on the side, and I could make them each day of the week. Having a day of the week dedicated to a soup or sandwich (or both, shoot there’s nothing like a grilled cheese panini and Tomato Soup) keeps my urges in check and brings variety back into our lives.

• Potato Soup
• Chili
• Lasagna Soup
• Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
• Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Sausage and Tortellini Soup
• Homemade Tomato Soup
• Pizza Sliders
• Hot Italian Sub Sliders
• Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches
• Sloppy Joes
• Tuna Salad Sandwiches

Breakfast for Supper

Actually, I don’t have breakfast for supper as a part of my 5 categories because I don’t typically make this Monday through Friday. Saturdays are when we find ourselves away from the house, socializing with friends the most often. Every now and then, I’ve exhausted all of the previous 5 options, we have nothing to do on a Saturday night, and I do not feel like cooking.

Usually, this is when I opt for breakfast for supper. I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. Eating breakfast for supper always puts the kiddos and Peter in a happy mood–it’s like that out of the ordinary, doesn’t happen all the time type mood. These are my go-tos:

• Biscuits and Gravy
• Pancakes or Waffles
• Spinach, Egg, and Mushroom Quiche
• Monte Cristo Sliders
• Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella Bake

Obviously, this list is not all inclusive. There are “categories” that I don’t make a lot of, but that doesn’t mean you don’t. One of my close friends has different Chinese recipes she uses frequently in her routine. The idea isn’t so much to stick with what I have here, but to use this as a way to build off of it and turn your own meal planning into a routine you can work with. Ideally, no longer will you be wondering what you’re going to cook for supper!