Our Summer Meal Rotation
(one way I eliminate decision fatigue)
Summer Dinner Rotation 🍽️
Each season I make a list of dinners we like (and bonus if they can be made basically on autopilot, and prepped ahead of time) and we rotate through that list every month(ish) for a season.
I choose a loose theme for each day of the week and plug in meals that fit each category and off we go.
Do I stick rigidly to this plan? Nope. But having a basic system in place helps free up brain space for other (more fun) things.
In summer we're often eating away from home: on adventures, at the park, during soccer games/practice. So I plan ahead for that. Many of these meals are at least somewhat portable if we decide to head to the mountains or the lake or the pool.
This may sound completely unenjoyable to you, and that’s fine! I find it really helpful in this season of our lives (bigger kids, busy schedules, two working parents) to have the decisions made ahead of time.
Here’s our rotation for this summer!
Monday: SUMMER FAVES
Frito Salad
Baked Potato Bar (Instant Pot)
Snacky dinner (fill up a tray with all the odds and ends from the pantry/fridge)
Tuesday: TACOS (always and forever)
Street Tacos
Hard Tacos or Tostadas
Burritos
Sheet Pan Fajitas
Wednesday: SANDWICHES
Ham or Pastrami with grilled onions/peppers (we call this hammy or pastrammy sammies)
Chicken Salad or Egg Salad on croissants
Hot Dogs
BLTs
Thursday: RICE/PASTA
Curry
Butter Chicken
Chicken/Beans+ Rice bowls
chicken alfredo or spaghetti+ meatballs
Friday: HOMEMADE PIZZA (always and forever)
Sausage Stromboli
Calzones
Pizza (sausage + pepper; cheese; pepperoni; chicken with alfredo sauce)
Saturday: LEFTOVERS / Or frozen foods that the kids make while Jason and I go on a date
Sunday: GRILL
Marinated Chicken
Shawarma
Tinfoil Dinners
Burgers
I’m all about simplifying the everyday tasks in our lives so we can make more time to do the things we love to do!
On YouTube:
In My Art Journal:
Around Here
Reading:
This week I finished reading Solito by Javier Zamola . Immigration is a hot topic and I’m not going to get into the politics of it all. But this memoir of a nine year old boy’s journey to the States is harrowing and stressful and beautifully told. I loved it just for the glimpse into another person’s story. (And isn’t that what reading is all about?)
Dabbling in:
I had a big deadline this week, which often means my brain does not want me to work on the work I actually need to be doing. Instead I can’t stop thinking about other projects I want to start. As a way to “trick” myself into doing my actual work, I like to allow myself to brainstorm and watch youtube videos about the not-right-now projects I can’t stop thinking about.
This week I’ve been dreaming about sewing a half-square triangle quilt. I’ve got the layout all set in my head for when it’s time to start working!
In the House/Yard:
We’ve got tiny cosmos and poppy seedlings coming up!
In the Shop:
Here’s to making time for the things we love to do!
Heidi
