Happy Saturday, Purse readers! We’re back with another edition of Meal Plan, and this one is chock-full of great meal ideas, time management tips, and wisdom from 23 years of meal planning for kids.
Though much of this story is free for all, we put the paywall on her (delicious) recipes and weekly menu. It takes a lot of work from our writers to put these together, so we compensate them for their time.
Interested in submitting your own? You can do so here! And don’t forget to check out our first edition:
Alicia Adamczyk
Today, an executive assistant and mother of three in suburban Illinois discusses her love for old cookbooks and extra-large sheet pans. Let’s go!
Age: 52
Location: Darien, IL
Household size: Five, but only three during the school year, which includes my husband and me. Our kids are 23 (recent college grad who doesn’t live at home anymore but visits once a month or so), 20 (away at college during the school year), and 18 (senior in high school).
Professions: My husband is a partner in a small/medium-size law firm and I am a former attorney but now work as the executive assistant to the superintendent of a large school district and serve as the school board secretary. We both work full time at the office, which includes fairly frequent work on weekends (at home) for him and one to two evening school board meetings per month for me.
Household income: $212,000
Monthly grocery spend: $800 per month
Where do you shop for groceries?
Aldi, local grocery chain Pete's Market, Costco every four to six weeks, and occasionally Trader Joe's or Hmart. We have a ton of variety available in the Chicago suburbs.
How did you start meal planning? Did it change over time?
When I had my first baby and was also providing in-home daycare for a couple other babies, time to shop and cook was so limited. Before I went back to work full-time when my youngest was in kindergarten, I had a blog that shared my cooking, DIY, and various home tasks. I included a weekly meal plan feature, which cemented the habit.
Though I stopped posting, I go back to the recipe index fairly often. Moving through the years—from young kids to kids with activities to working full time to high schoolers and an almost empty nest—meal planning still feels essential to getting through the week peacefully. Sometimes I shift meals around, but I always appreciate having a plan to execute without thinking too much. In the early years, planning involved a lot of thinking about what the kids would actually eat. Now I am enjoying the freedom of planning more adventurous meals, though when the kids are home I try to include their favorites.
What meals are you prepping this week or do you prepare in a typical week?
In a typical week, we prepare six dinners (the seventh night is either leftovers or we might be going out), and at least one weekend breakfast. Everyone is on their own for weekday breakfasts, but some weeks I will make a batch of protein muffins or egg bites to grab. We stock cereal, yogurt, fruit, eggs, bagels, smoothie ingredients, etc. We also pack our lunches for work and school. We stock sandwich and salad ingredients, and also pack a lot of dinner leftovers.
Our 18-year-old has a busy sports and music schedule, and he is often at practice or rehearsal at dinner time. We save him a plate and he eats at weird times. (I try to ignore his fast food drive-thru habit and midnight microwave mug cakes.)
What groceries did you need to buy this week and how much did they cost?
- Aldi: $160.52. Includes bacon ($4.79), chicken thighs ($9.91), edamame ($2.49), half & half ($2.49), assorted string cheese ($3.09), plain Greek yogurt ($2.79), four-pack of rice pudding ($2.59), 5 pounds of jasmine rice ($6.39), cold smoked salmon ($3.89), deli sliced roast beef ($3.09), deli sliced turkey ($3.09), deli sliced cheese ($1.49), Colby jack cheese ($2.79), imported Brie ($4.29), Feta crumbles ($1.89), angel hair pasta ($1.95), protein pasta ($1.95), organic salsa ($2.49), refried beans ($0.89), corn starch ($1.55), grass-fed beef sticks ($12.99), 12-ounce chia seeds ($3.69), bananas ($0.99), organic baby spinach ($2.59), Honeycrisp apples ($3.59), raspberries ($2.49), blueberries ($4.69), blackberries ($1.99), tomatoes ($1.95), broccoli crowns ($2.79), organic romaine hearts ($3.99), organic avocados ($3.89), sourdough ($3.49), multigrain bread ($3.99), wavy potato chips ($1.79), LesserEvil popcorn ($3.19), pretzel twists ($3.69), Cheez-Its ($3.38), everything bagel ($1.99), Belle Vie 12 pack ($4.39).
- Pete’s Market: $14.29. Includes chile crisp ($9.99), extra firm tofu ($3.29), and a white onion ($0.76).
Total: $174.81
This included more than was on my written list (mostly items that my son packs in his lunch: meat sticks, Cheez-Its, rice pudding cups, chips) and a few pantry items that we were running low on (rice, chia seeds, bagels, protein pasta) and treats (smoked salmon).
Did you use other foods you already have in your pantry? If so, which ones?
Yes: Parmesan, pork tenderloin (bought a few weeks ago at Costco), two filet mignons from the freezer, and carrots.
Did you utilize sales or coupons?
I looked at the weekly ads first but wasn’t inspired by the sale items at Pete’s this week. Aldi doesn’t do coupons, and this week I did the bulk of my shopping there.
What do you use to meal plan? (Specific apps, websites, cookbooks, your own recipes, organizational systems, etc.)
We are a family that enjoys cooking, so we have a large cookbook collection, cooking magazine archive (Gourmet, Cooks’ Illustrated, Cooks’ Country), and binders of favorite recipes. We also subscribe to The New York Times Cooking app, and I have some favorite websites, including Smitten Kitchen, Pinch of Yum, and Our Best Bites.
I also love all my cookbooks by Melissa Clark, but especially Dinner in One. It’s full of one-pot (or sheet pan or skillet) recipes, most of which take around 30 minutes and are full of flavor. She also includes lots of variations to accommodate your pantry and preferences.
My daughter gave me a cute meal planning notebook and grocery list pad that I’ve been using recently, but I used to just use a sheet of notebook paper folded in half: one side for the menu, one side for the corresponding grocery list. We hang it on the bulletin board after grocery shopping.
Can you walk us through how and when you prep?
Typically on Saturday morning after breakfast, I take a look at what’s in our fridge/freezer/pantry, and what’s for sale at my usual stores. Then I keep those ingredients in mind as I look for recipes.
I also consult our family Google calendar to see if there are any special events we need to cook for, or nights that we’re busy and need something quick. Then one of us takes the list and does the grocery run. My husband makes the plan about 25% of the time and shops about 50%.
Do you have specific dietary restrictions/considerations?
Not really. I successfully lost 20 pounds by eating in a calorie deficit in the past six months (and finally getting into an exercise habit), so lately I have leaned toward veggie-forward recipes and those that already have nutritional information listed to make it easier to track calories (NYT app especially). I don’t track macros, but I try to keep protein and fiber in mind as I select recipes.
How do you store your food?
We have a pantry and a single refrigerator/freezer in our kitchen. We don’t stockpile too much, though we always have enough that we could scrounge up some kind of meal on the fly if we don’t have a plan (a variety of pastas/grains/beans, tuna, Rao’s marinara, frozen vegetables, and baking ingredients).
My high schooler complains that we are an ingredient household, but we do buy easy stuff for him and his friends to snack on (chicken nuggets, ramen, mac and cheese, PB&J, chips and dip, avocado toast, frozen pizza). We don’t buy soda unless we’re having a party, but we keep flavored seltzer on hand, and it seems to satisfy them.
Most leftovers get eaten throughout the week, but if I anticipate that they won’t (a big pot of soup, for example), I will immediately freeze the extra in individual portions (love those silicone soup cubes). I even started freezing leftover rice in a ziploc bag so I can pull it out for fried rice.
Would you like to share any other hacks or cost-cutting advice?
Nothing ground-breaking: Check your freezer and pantry first for ingredients to use up, check the weekly sale ads for good deals, check your calendar for the week, THEN make a meal plan and detailed grocery list.
Be honest with yourself about the amount of time and effort you’re willing to spend each day cooking. Don’t pick too many new recipes in the same week; the first time you make it always takes longer than you think.
My favorite cooking hack lately is an extra large sheet pan (21x15). You can actually fit a whole sheet pan meal on it without crowding the food, so it cooks faster and browns better.
How do you split the cooking with your spouse?
Both my husband and I like to cook, and we come from families where home cooking was the norm. I am usually the weeknight cook, as I work nearby and get home first. I find it relaxing, but I don’t spend more than 30 to 45 minutes preparing dinner on weeknights. On weekends, my husband tends to take on bigger cooking projects: a big Sunday dinner, or meal prepping something for the coming week.
This week’s menu
This week we’ll be making:
- Green angel hair with garlic butter (Smitten Kitchen)
- Pork tenderloin (sprinkled with seasoned salt and pepper and roasted at 425 degrees until temp is about 150) and Liz’s roasted broccoli salad (Pinch of Yum)
- Soy-glazed chicken (Smitten Kitchen) with rice and carrots
- Chile Crisp Tofu with snap peas (Sam Sifton/Melissa Clark, NYT)
Apple Salad Recipe
I think the original version of this in my family was a Waldorf Salad, which included Miracle Whip and celery (shudder). When I was a kid, my parents swapped out the Miracle Whip with yogurt and skipped the celery, and they usually served the apple salad as a dessert. We used to include maraschino cherries, but I don’t anymore.
Ingredients (serves 3-4)
- Two large apples, diced
- ½ cup of chopped walnuts
- ½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
- Handful of grapes, cut in half
- ¾ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp honey
- Squeeze of lemon juice
Instructions
Mix everything together in a bowl!
This week’s meals
Saturday
- Breakfast: My husband made cottage cheese pancakes with berries and bacon.
- Lunch: We each scrounged our own leftovers or sandwiches; I had leftover soba noodles with peanut sauce and pickled celery.
- Dinner: I made the chile crisp tofu with snap peas and rice. It was a little too spicy for us with Trader Joe’s chile crisp; next time I’ll use the mild Mr. Bing version.
Sunday
- Breakfast: Choose your own adventure! I had an everything bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon and some fruit.
- Lunch: I had a wrap with turkey, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, and some pretzels and apples.
- Dinner: Early in the evening I made a half-batch of penne with vodka sauce and garlic bread for my son and his friend; we then dropped them off at a concert in Chicago and met our older son for dinner.
Monday
- Breakfast: Oatmeal with chia seeds, two chopped dates, cinnamon and milk.
- Lunch: I packed a sandwich/fruit/yogurt/chips for my son, and the last of the soba noodles and chile crisp tofu for me.
- Dinner: I had a school board meeting at 7 p.m., so I raced home after work to walk the dog and make Smitten Kitchen’s green angel hair with garlic butter and a simple tomato salad.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Heritage Flakes cereal with blueberries and milk.
- Lunch: A pizza party in the office. I put some money in my son’s lunch account so he could buy lunch in the cafeteria.
- Dinner: I made soy-glazed chicken with rice and carrots—this is a family favorite and is so quick.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: Oatmeal again for breakfast.
- Lunch: Leftover green angel hair for lunch. Husband and son had sandwiches.
- Dinner: A two-sheet-pan meal: pork tenderloin with seasoned salt and pepper, and Liz’s Roasted Broccoli Salad.
Thursday
- Breakfast: Plain Greek yogurt with berries and granola.
- Lunch: Multi-grain sourdough with avocado and a scrambled egg and fruit for lunch.
- Dinner: I spread some refried beans and cheese on tostadas, baked until the cheese melted, and added salsa/tomato/avocado on top. I also made an apple salad, which is a simpler descendent of a Waldorf salad.
Friday
- Breakfast: I had a bagel with smoked salmon, and then drove to my daughter’s college campus for her sorority mom’s weekend.
- Lunch: McDonald’s on the road.
- Dinner: Sushi out with my girl. (The guys at home went out for dinner, too, and saved their steak frites for Saturday night.)
Thank you so much! Please comment with kindness!
This post includes affiliate links. The Purse may receive compensation if you click the link and make a purchase. It comes at no cost to you.
