Hi Friends!
Wow it’s been a hot second since I’ve published a blog post…almost 5 months to be exact!
It’s hard to believe it’s been that much time since I’ve sat down to write, yet here we are and a lot has happened since then. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ve been kept more in the loop, but if not…here’s a quick rundown bullet-point style of what I’ve been up to lately:
- We bought a new house in late spring! We now have a big backyard and live in a neighborhood with tons of kids running around, which has been a blast for Little Miss who turned 3 in June!
- That same little lady starts preschool next week, which we are all so excited about. Probably Mama more than anyone 😉
- My sweet baby boy is turning 1 in a few weeks and I can’t quite believe that we won’t have a baby anymore. We’ve decided our family is now complete and we feel whole with the two awesome kiddos we have, and although I have zero baby fever….there’s definitely something bittersweet about only having a baby in our house for a few weeks longer! I’m mentally preparing myself for having two toddlers, haha!
I realize that quick little update sounds like there’s a lot of fun things happening around here, and while there are, this past year has been a very tough one for me if I’m being totally honest.
I’ve struggled with postpartum depression and dealing with some tough personal struggles that felt overwhelming to handle while also adjusting to life with two kids in tow.
As a result, I retreated from a lot of things I usually really enjoy. Both from lack of time and lack of desire. Blogging unfortunately happened to be one of those things.
I feel myself coming out of the thick of it all though and feel like a more content, more humble, and much more resilient version of myself 🙂 . I’m ready to get back to doing the things I enjoy and that make me happy, and blogging is certainly one of those! I’ve missed you all and getting to share with you (and you sharing with me as well).
I’m planning on jumping back into blogging by sharing new posts once or twice a week, and hope you’ll continue to join me back here in this space we’ve all created together.
With that being said, let’s dive into my first real post in what feels like forever!
Does anyone else feel like the onset of fall and back-to-school makes you want to get your act together more and feel more organized?
I’ve always felt like fall was a fresh start and tend to want to overhaul some of my habits and routines this time of year. One of the biggest changes I’m hoping to make this year is to start actually meal planning again.
Our meal plans the past six months or so have been basically non-existent and we’ve been eating out way too much. Mostly because I haven’t planned ahead and 5 p.m. rolls around and we have nothing to make. I decided I need to get my act together in the kitchen and get back into meal planning like I used to do.
It makes our weeknights so much more enjoyable when we have a plan in place and I know that our family is going to have a somewhat healthy dinner to eat together.
I also struggle a bit with feeling inspired to come up with new dinner ideas and find myself constantly asking other people what they are making for dinner because I’m always looking for new ideas for what I can make for my own family! I figured I definitely can’t be the only one, and thought it would be fun if every Sunday we all share what dinners we are planning on making for the upcoming week – aka our own little Meal Plan Sunday here on Embracing Simple.
I’m going to share what I’m planning on making for dinner this week, and would love for you all to share in the comments below either what you are planning on making this week or some yummy dishes you enjoyed this past week so we can all provide each other with some meal planning inspiration! Sound fun?
I’m by no means a food blogger, a recipe creator, or even someone who eats super healthy all the time. Just a Mom trying to feed her family something decently nutritious and enjoyable to eat for dinner. So just keep that in mind if you see weird combinations of things on here or random sides of steamed veggies, haha!
I’m sure some of these meals might end up being made on a different night than we planned based on what we’re in the mood to eat, but this is my loose meal plan for our dinners this week….
Our meal plan for this week:
Sunday – Pizza spaghetti squash pie
I’m planning on trying this recipe from paleOMG and it gets great reviews!
Monday – Sloppy Joe’s on whole wheat buns + side of steamed broccoli
I’ve been using this recipe for my sloppy joe’s for awhile now and it’s a fan favorite over here…even my 3-year-old devours it. I just use a red pepper instead of green and add a bit of worcestershire sauce and crushed red pepper flakes to it. We also toast the buns which I think adds a nice texture to the sandwich!
Tuesday – Sweet potato tortilla soup (freezer meal) + side of steamed cauliflower
We’ve been loving this recipe for sweet potato soup for awhile in our house. I actually had quite a bit leftover from when I made it two weeks ago and froze it so I’m just going to thaw and heat it up for dinner this night. I like it with some shredded cheddar cheese on top!
Wednesday – Crockpot chicken tikka masala over brown rice + side of steamed carrots
I found this recipe that I’m excited to try out this week. I don’t always love crockpot meals, so I’m hoping this one turns out!
Thursday – Leftovers from the rest of the week
We will just make a hodge podge of a dinner with whatever is leftover from other meals and I’ll fill in the gaps with any random veggies, etc. we might have in the fridge that we want to use up too.
Friday & Saturday – This is kind of a nice week to start meal planning because we have plans for Labor Day weekend and will be eating dinner with family both these nights, so I won’t have to make dinner these nights. Most weeks we will probably get takeout one or both of these nights anyway though 🙂
Now it’s your turn – what are you planning on making for dinners this week?
Did you get your meal planner yet? I offer a free meal planning printable pack for subscribers that includes a weekly meal planner and organized grocery list, so be sure to download it for free below if you haven’t already to help you with your meal planning!
MEAL PLANNING PRINTABLES
Simplify weeknight meals with this free printable pack that includes a meal planner, grocery list, and favorite weeknight meals list!
Additional meal planning posts:
I so identify with this post! We moved not long ago too and I was so busy trying to paint and unpack and get organized that meals went right out the window! I think my kids are pretty tired of eating cereal every night. This post is a great kick in the pants for me to get back to meal planning! I’m stealing that sweet potato tortilla soup recipe!
And prayers for you as you adjust to 2 kids. I had post partum with my first son and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. Thanks for being real!
Aw yes Emily! Definitely try that soup recipe out – it’s really good and pretty healthy too! Thanks for sharing with me, I’m 11 months into this now and am starting to finally feel like my old self again which has been wonderful!
I also had postpartum depression with my first two boys. It’s a tough thing to overcome! I hope you’ll be able to enjoy your kiddos as you move forward. That’s the most important thing . . . being organized can always come later. 🙂
So sorry to hear you struggled with this as well Genesis, and you are so right! I’m finally at a point where I am really enjoying my kiddos and life again and feel like being organized can only help do more of that 🙂
Great to see you back and I am sorry for the postpartum depression!
Meal planning can be a pain sometimes. I have gotten to the point that I go grocery shopping and pick up meat that is on sale. I then will look for recipes on line to match what is in my refrigerator. Most of the meals are quick prep and quick cooking during the work week.
Congrats on the new house too!
Thanks so much Lisa! That’s a great strategy, I think different approaches definitely work for different people. And in different seasons of life! I’m sure what works for me now might not work for me in 10 or 20 years. It’s fun to hear how others handle meal planning. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Christina! Glad you are posting again.
I can relate to falling out of the usual routine, same happened to me. I am happy to share with you I am having a baby boy in early January (!) and am looking forward to joining all the mamas out there for a ‘ride’. Ha.
Would love to see some posts about your daily routine and how you manage. xx
Hi Mariana, it’s great to hear from you! Aw huge congrats to you, little boys are seriously so sweet to their Mamas – you are going to LOVE having one 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion, I am hoping to get back into posting a lot more consistently as the fall progresses so I’ll keep that in mind. Hope your pregnancy is going well and that you feel good!!
Great ideas of planning a meal, thanks for sharing!
Great ideas of planning a meal, thanks for sharing!My headaches sometimes of thinking what to cook. Your ideas are amazing got some tips on you.
Great ideas of planning a meal, thanks for sharing!My headaches sometimes of thinking what to cook. Your ideas are amazing got some tips on you.Also congrats to your new house!
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Adding this to my arsenal for toddler breakfasts, instead of making oats every morning. This do-ahead will have lots more flavor in addition to being a big time saver overall! Had never thought to do baked oats before. Thank you for sharing!Ghormeh Sabzi
I will add it to my arsenal for breakfasts, instead of making oats every morning.
I love zucchini and was glad to have a new way to prepare it. This is a perfect dish to bring to gatherings – I can’t wait! I know it will be a hit! I served it with grilled chicken sausage in a little marinara sauce and they went together wonderfully. Thank you for the great recipe!printed pizza box
thank you, didn’t even realize that I was craving crepes! Haven’t had them in a long time, a wonderful wake up!persian food
They were just picky about the cilantro but I knew this was going to happen so I kept some on the side without it and it worked
Thank you for sharing it. I did it beside a baked salmon side And it was a yummy combo!Hungry Darren
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The meal plan is really nice. I would try to follow it!
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They were just picky about the cilantro but I knew this was going to happen so I kept some on the side, Thank you for increasing my knowledge on it.
Thank you for sharing these important events of your life with us. I enjoyed reading about it. And I also really liked your dishes that you cooked during the week. It seems to me that I could start practicing such nutrition and still not lose anything in terms of taste. I especially liked the tikki massala. It seems to me that the taste of this dish will be delicious and especially oriental. Thanks for the recommendation.