swipe file: meal prep plan
the meals my kids actually eat + how I make them every weekend
I want to preface this post with a confession: less than two years ago, my kids basically lived on the cheese-carb combination with a little bit of Indian food (idly, mostly) thrown in there.
They didn’t start eating these meals overnight, nor do they always eat them (Rhaki is still not a fan of kitchari, and Rho loathes dumplings). But the kids generally follow our weekly dinner menu, and will eat most of the meals I prepare each weekend.
Another confession: we worked our way up to this plan. It started with slowly adding 1 new meal to add to the cheese quesadilla/mac and cheese/grilled cheese/Dr. Praeger’s spinach littles and Brazi Bites cheese bread rotation, which grew to our weekly menu.
A little over a year ago, I started to set out a veggie & cheese plate on the table when they got home, while I finished cooking dinner. Come fall, I was preparing a meal or two over the weekend.
Now, my husband takes the lead on most of the kids’ weekend activities while I prep 6-7 meals each weekend. I typically cook 3-4 meals in a 2-hour stretch, with 1-2 meals going straight into the freezer for our future selves.
Here’s how I approach my weekly meal planning and prep:
The four-category framework (how I actually decide what to cook each session) and the full recipe bank (by category)
My typical grocery list (including the meat substitutes I use and like)
How I batch a week’s meals (or two) in one prep session—and how long it really takes
How I modify the meals for my kids
How I use Souper Cubes
