This action alone has saved me SO much mental effortвЂ“14 meals a week that I donвЂ™t have to think about anymore. The kids are always welcome to make a PB&J sandwich for themselves.

If someone doesnвЂ™t like the dayвЂ™s option for breakfast, they can always have cold cereal or toast with fruit. I brainstormed a handful of doable breakfasts and lunches, alternated hot and cold options, and wrote them into my meal planning sheet. I decided it would cut down on my decision fatigue (which is a real problem for me) if I could plan one week of breakfast and lunch and then put it on repeat for every week thereafter. However, when we started staying home all the time, it was exhausting to make those menu decisions on the fly while I was dealing with schooling, cleaning, and everything else. Until recently, IвЂ™ve always flown by the seat of my pants for breakfast and lunch, never planning ahead of time. HereвЂ™s what IвЂ™ve done to make our meals simple, and still delicious: Step 1: Put breakfast and lunch on repeat What I need are simple, kid-friendly meals that I donвЂ™t have to think about. However, with all the added responsibilities of directing the schooling of all my kids, I honestly donвЂ™t have a lot of energy left over to think of cute ways to turn a sandwich into a butterfly. So, IвЂ™ve been making a deliberate effort to make sure everyone is well fed (notice IвЂ™m including myself in the hangry club). Like many of you, right now weвЂ™re all home all the time, and when we get hungryвЂ¦letвЂ™s just say things go awry. However, lately IвЂ™ve been simplifying my method even more to make mealtime doable during these crazy times weвЂ™re in. I have been a firm believer in meal planning for years. When you buy something through a link on my site, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you. Note: This post contains affiliate links. HereвЂ™s how I keep things simple and delicious!

Meal planning is a life-saver, but sometimes it can feel like an overwhelming chore.

Printable menu calendar