Meal planning is a necessity but it is not a very beloved one in my book. You see, I like variety in what I serve for dinner, so meal planning tends to take me a long time to do. I have looked for ways to make it faster and I have discovered that if you want to simplify your meal planning, well then, just serve the same meals for dinner every week.
While I've known several families who do this on a regular basis, this is something that we reserve only for Lent and here's why...
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- is indeed penitential
- does take the pleasure out of the dinner meal by the second week, see quote by Fulton Sheen!
- does, in fact, make things more simple, which is good for Lent
- let's us focus more on the people around us than on the food we're eating
- makes us look forward to Easter week, when we fill our menu with all of our favorite dinners!
This year's meal plan for Lent
When choosing the Lenten dinners, I try to make them healthy, inexpensive because there's still a lot of us eating here, and simple to make. I enlist the kids in the preparation during this time, too. Each one will pick a night in which to cook and by the end of Lent they have definitely mastered that one meal!
- Monday - Baked chicken with Mozzarella cheese in Spaghetti Sauce with noodles
- Tuesday - Layered Enchilada Bake
- Wednesday - Pulled Pork (throw the pork roast in the crock pot with BBQ sauce!)
- Thursday - Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Breast
- Friday - Bean tacos
- Saturday - Chili Mac
You can get a copy of three of the recipes I'm using by clicking on the file download below.
Side dishes may vary, but will also be simple, and will usually consist of a potato or rice and then a vegetable or salad.
Let's face it, homeschooling takes a lot of time so I've always looked for simple, healthy meals; Lent allows me to really hone in on that. It also allows everyone the opportunity to practice not complaining.
Like Ven. Fulton Sheen said, life is not about pleasure, so for six weeks I take the pleasure out of discovering what's new for dinner; and for a family brimming with emotional eaters, that is one large act of penance!
Let me know if you've ever tried this and then tell me what your family thinks of it!