Meal planning….
When someone says the words “meal planning” to me, my response is, “UGH”. I am not big on planning ahead for anything, let alone what we will be eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the next five days. However, when I know my kids’ schedules are about to pick up, I KNOW the way to take some stress off my plate is plan out our meals for the week. The more you do it, the easier it gets! I have been off track all summer but I am ready to get back to planning and taking the guess work out of our meals.
When I think of meal planning, I often just think about dinner. As my kids have grown a little bit older, I have found that THEY LIKE to know what their meal options are for breakfast and lunch. When they do, this leads to less meltdowns and arguments over what is being put on their plate.
For breakfast, I like to pick three different items to rotate through for the week. One of those items is always a grab and go that I can easily pair with fruit. I will make a batch of muffins or hard-boiled eggs to reach for when little feet are dragging.
When it comes to lunch, I tell my kids to pick two days they will be purchasing their lunch at school. Once they do that, they know they have a couple of options to choose from when they are bringing their lunch.
For dinner, I ask everyone for one dinner suggestion for the week. This leaves me with only two meal ideas to come up with! Also, if we know we are eating on the go one night, I am sure to write that down as well.
Check out the FREE Meal Planning Printable HERE!
Tips for this print out:
1. Save them! A friend once showed me how she saves her weekly meals so that when we is in a slump, she can simply look back and recreate a previous hit!
2. Let the family participate in their choices. It takes a load off of your plate and gives them a sense of control.
3. The breakfast and lunch boxes are there to lay out the options for the week. This way you aren't short order cooking at the crack of dawn while trying to get everyone out the door.
4. In the lunch section, you can mark whether or not a child/family member is purchasing lunch out that day. This way you have a better idea of the meal prep that will be going into the following day.
5. Be flexible! Things change. Schedules change. Wrenches get thrown into plans. Don't sweat it if you don't follow your plan to the tee.
Enjoy! Remember, the more you do this, the easier it will get.
This cake has transformed over the years but can always be relied on for a simple, fast, and delicious cold treat! My favorite part about this cake is the fact that you can create your own flavors based on your favorite ice cream, candy, and cookies. Also, the size of it is easy to adjust based on the size of the crowd you are feeding.
We reach for this easy ice cream cake recipe for birthdays! It is just our family of four when it comes to “day of” celebrations and I can create the perfect size just for us.
Let’s get to the “how-to” portion of this blog entry. There is nothing I hate more than having to scroll through a long explanation to get to the recipe I am looking for!
How to create an Ice Cream Dump Cake…
You will need:
Ice Cream Sandwiches
Your favorite ice cream
Hot Fudge, Caramel, or favorite gooey topping
Favorite Whipped Topping
About a cup and a half of your favorite cookie crushed into small pieces
Your favorite candy to top everything off
How to:
Layer 1: Lay out your first layer of ice cream sandwiches.
Layer 2: Spread softened ice cream over the ice cream sandwiches.
Layer 3: Spread whipped topping over the ice cream.
Layer 4: Top whipped topping with crushed cookie and gooey topping.
Next, do it all over again starting with the ice cream sandwiches. As you spread the whipped topping make sure you cover the entire cake. After you have sprinkled the cookie and gooey topping over the top. Start to drop your favorite small candies over top of the cake. This can also be sprinkles or nuts.
This is also a super fun dessert to make with your kiddos!
Enjoy! If you make this, come back to comment with the flavors you used!
