Having a baby makes it so much more difficult to spend hours grocery shopping, planning meals, and preparing ingredients. For probably the last year—well before Baby M arrived—Mark and I started planning our weeknight dinners on the weekend so we weren’t scrambling after work trying to put together a meal.

After exhausting most of our freezer stash of dinners, we’ve continued the advanced planning. Apart from saving time and energy, I think it also saves money. I mean, if we go into the grocery with a strict list, we’re less likely to just buy whatever looks good (or satisfies a craving). Now if only we would start using those coupons I keep clipping (and subsequently trashing when they expire)!

In case you need some new ideas or are just curious about what we eat each night, I thought I’d share this week’s meal plan. I’ve done this a few times in the past, but I might make this a regular (bi-weekly or monthly?) occurrence on the blog.

Monday 1-26: sautéed rainbow trout (my favorite type of fish to cook at home—it’s foolproof) with a tomato/basil/mozzarella salad and couscous

Tuesday 1-27: Giada’s white bean chicken chili (substituting collards because our grocery didn’t have chard)

Wednesday 1-28: reheated frozen soup with grilled cheese

Thursday 1-29: Brinner (probably eggs, bacon, and waffles)

Friday 1-30: Nothing planned; pizza or Mexican takeout will probably happen (since pregnancy, I’m always craving one or the other!)

Saturday 1-31: Leftovers or something thrown together from pantry/freezer staples (a grain bowl, pasta, etc.)

Sunday 2-1: Something deliciously unhealthy for the Super Bowl

The great thing about cooking for 2 is that we usually wind up with plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. Not relying on take-out for lunch is another way to save money—plus it’s much healthier!

• Do you plan your meals ahead of time?
• What is your go-to weeknight dinner?