If you end up in the drive thru after a long day because the kids are screaming that they are hungry and you have no idea what to cook, nor have the time to cook, you are not alone.  I used to be the SAME way.  But once I realized how much money we were spending and exactly how unhealthy we were being, I changed my ways.  I also have a young athlete that is working towards his goals, and the drive thru is NOT conducive to his aspirations.  Meal planning is really the only way to go.

The way I decrease MOST of my weekly stress in regard to meals is not having to THINK about them.  They are typically already ready or prepped enough (watch for my next post about meal prepping!) that I have to do minimal work and still have a fresh meal.  For this post, I am going to go through general tips as well as show my actual meal plan for the upcoming week.

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The first thing I do for a successful meal plan is take stock of what is already in the fridge/pantry and then add staple items to my grocery list.  These are the things that we typically have on hand at all times that our family eats.  For us, we ALWAYS have fresh fruit and veggies like grapes, apples, bananas, cucumbers, carrots and celery.  I just always add these things to my grocery list because they are always consumed by my family during the week, usually in the form of snacks, but sometimes also side dishes.

Next, I ask my family any requests for the week- breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  I try to add as many items they request as possible.  My sons requests for the week are: graham crackers, croissants, and he would like Chicken Broccoli Casserole (his favorite) for dinner one night.  Hubby is requesting yogurt, peanut butter, and he would like Sriracha Beef Lettuce Wraps.  Yup, this is all the help I get…. So the rest is up to me.

So, the first thing I do is check out the planner for the week.  I do not want to get caught on a busy sports night having to make a difficult meal.  I am not trying to add stress to my life here.  This week, the man child has strength training two evenings and baseball practice one evening (thank goodness for the offseason) so I plan those meals to be easy/quick to prepare or something I can prepare ahead of time (think crockpot or cold dinners).  Since the Beef Wraps my husband requested are simple, I will plan that for one of the busy nights.   I’m telling you, this one takes maybe 15 minutes to prepare.  DONE.  The Chicken Broccoli Casserole however, takes some time.  So I will plan that for a day I have more time. 

Next up, I check my favorite site for meal planning- PINTEREST.  I do not know what I would do without Pinterest.  I really don’t.  I scroll through recipes I have already pinned or I look for new ones.  Once I find the meals I want to make for the week I add them to my planner.  Now, since I have already taken stock of what I have in the fridge/pantry, I can simply go through each recipe and add the items I don’t already have to my grocery list.

Once dinner plans are done, I focus on breakfast and lunch.  Breakfast in our home is usually super simple.  We all have such different schedules that we don’t ever really share this meal together.  The hubby usually eats cold cereal with milk.  The kid usually eats one of the fresh fruits, and since he requested croissants this week, he will eat that with the fruit for breakfast.  I am sticking with Coffee Protein Smoothies for the week. 

As for lunches, I try to keep it as simple as possible.  The hubby likes a bento box style lunch of different items- this week will be yogurt, boiled egg, apple w/peanut butter, string cheese, and a banana.  As for the kid, he goes to school only two days a week as he is at a private/homeschool hybrid program.  This week he requested turkey sandwich for lunch at school.  I will add the graham crackers he requested along with one of the fresh fruits on hand.  When he is home, I usually make us both lunch.  This week I am going with scrambled eggs and bacon- quick and easy.  On days when he is at school I typically have a lunch similar to my husbands and just kind of graze on already prepped items to save myself time.

The very last thing I do is add a few extra snacks to my list- Babybel cheese and string cheese, mixed nuts, goldfish crackers, and something sweet like cookies or brownie mix.

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So, there you go.  The whole week is planned.  No more thought process involved.  I have added the rest of my dinner plan recipes from Pinterest for the week below. My next post will show you how to PREP these meals so that your time will not be consumed with cooking the whole week.  Stay tuned!

Now that you have a planner ready to keep your time organized, you need a place to keep it, along with other important items.  From bills that need to be paid, school papers that need to be filled out, and important documents that need to be filed- you need a designated place to keep all the “stuff”. 

Now, I need a pretty large space because along with the daily organization, I also part-time homeschool my son.  So not everyone will need such a large area to stay organized.  That being said, my area is large out of necessity.  I chose a spot in my Kitchen, as that is the central place in my house where I spend most of my time.  The kitchen table is where we homeschool as well, so it’s nice to have all our supplies in the same area.  I use the designated kitchen counter space for overall home organization, and I added a bookshelf for our homeschool items.

Now for the items I include in my Family Command Center.  There are some things that I absolutely recommend adding and there are of course items of personal preference that are conducive to YOUR family life. 

The recommended items are as follows:
1.) The PLANNER (my holy grail)
2.) A cup different pens, pencils, sharpies (because we all end up needing a sharpie for SOMETHING, and it always eludes us when it’s most needed)
3.) My laptop
4.) My dry erase monthly calendar (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J31Y05I?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) (I know, maybe a little overkill to add with the planner, but the family is more likely to look at this overview rather than sift through the items in my planner).
5.) File folders with storage (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T6WWRXJ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081KXTTVG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)

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Now, the extras are totally based on your own personal life.  I have a large glass container filled with all our daily vitamins as well as things like medications and bandaids (I have a 10 year old boy, and those bandaids are used frequently).  I also have a kitchen drawer dedicated to everything baseball.  Baseball is life in our home, and it’s nice to not have to search for a needed item at the last minute.  We also have a subscription to Plate Crate (Plate Crate | Plate Crate – The Perfect Baseball Gift – Baseball Subscription), so we have a plethora of baseball gear. One of my drawers holds my Family Binder (more on this in a later post) as well as checks and other banking/budgeting items.  There is a drawer with extra needed items, like pens/markers, business cards, post-its, etc. Then we have a “free for all” drawer.  This drawer holds all the various chargers, and other random items that everyone in the house is likely to be looking for.

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One additional thing I add to my area is a weekly meal plan calendar.  I don’t know about y’all, but everyone in the family CONSTANTLY asks the age old question, “What’s for dinner?”  I got so tired of this question, I made this board.  If anyone even TRIES to ask this question, I have them refer to the board.  The questions have ceased. And again, all this information is in my planner, but the family is oblivious to this item.  The planner is for ME.

Now, I know some of y’all are thinking, “I do not have the kind of space you do and can’t possibly make this work.”  I had the same problem in my previous home and literally used a small bookshelf in my kitchen area and added baskets.  I made it work.  I just added more organization areas as I gained space.  I assure you, this Command Center will help you in your quest to be more organized.  Start small, and add as you go!

I think the very first place to start in your organization is a PLANNER. I know, I know, this can be a four letter word to some people. But I promise, once you get used to using it, it will be your holy grail. I cannot function properly without mine. The less I have to THINK about what I need to do, the better!

The best first step is to just have a pad of paper, or simply use your “notes” app on your phone. I use this as a “brain dump.” Whenever I think of something that needs to be done, I jot it down. This is not the time to decide WHEN to do these tasks, just an acknowledgment and reminder that these items need to be done. Whether you think “Hey, I need to set up a dentist appointment,” or “The air filters need to be changed soon,” just jot it down. Simple enough, right?

Now it’s time to pick a planner! Yay for shopping! Y’all, I have tried them ALL. I mean it. If they make a planner, I’ve tried it. Digital? Check. Monthly calendar? Check. Weekly, daily, whatever… I’ve TRIED it! This one from Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B093SH4LKP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_EPYPY4FX5S5Z7SNQWNGP works the best for me. It has your personal daily section, as well as different sections for different family members (but can also be used for a specific group of tasks, such as “daily workout”, or something of that sort). There are four additional sections, so you can use for up to four additional family members. I also like to use different colors for each family member, so if I want to look for what a specific family member is doing one day, I can simply read only that specific color instead of reading ALL the tasks for the day. Now, since my daughter graduated last year and moved on  🙁  I only use one of the sections for the additional family members (My husband rarely has items to add to the planner, so I just put his in with mine using his specific color). I use the other sections for my daily workout and dinner planning, but use them as you see fit! (There is already a spot for dinner planning, but I find I need more room!)

Now, remember that “brain dump” list you already did? It’s now time to put that to use. Just pick a specific day (Sunday is usually my day) to plan your week. The FIRST thing I do is add any items that have set times, like appointments or kids sports games/practices. This will set you up to realize what “extra” time you’ll have each day. Sometimes, there won’t be any! And that’s ok! But on the days that there aren’t any set schedule appointments, you can start adding in those other “to do” items. For instance, if your children have practice on Tuesday and Thursday, and dentist appointments on Friday, you have time on Monday and Wednesday to work on those other items and you can plan those accordingly for those days.  Guess what! Your planner is ready for the week!!!

Now, to make the planner WORK, you need to have it in a place in your home that you are frequently in. For me, it’s the Kitchen. I have an area set up in my kitchen that is dedicated to keeping me organized. This does not have to be a large space (There will be more about the work space in a separate post). The first thing I do when I wake up is check my planner. And I check off items once they are completed. I like to check them off because once it’s checked, my eyes ignore those items and I focus on the unchecked tasks. And I ALWAYS start by order of importance.
1.) Set time appointments.
2.) Items that take more priority, like grocery store day (I assure you, my family would unravel if I missed that one!)
3.) Extra things that need to be done, but the world won’t end if it has to be put off (like cleaning bathrooms).

At the end of your day, take a look at your planner. If any items did not get completed, look further in the week to see a time you can squeeze it in, and add it. If you’ve checked all your items, CONGRATULATIONS!!

Things don’t always go as planned, that’s life. But, I assure you, this is the ONLY way for me to keep up with our busy busy lives and it takes away SO MUCH stress. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!!