Meal Planning

Hey everyone!  Hope your week is off to a great start.  I feel really prepared for this busy week thanks to all the planning I did yesterday.  It's amazing how much of a difference that's made!

One of the things I did to plan for the week was meal planning!  Erica usually shares her meal plan for the week on her blog, and I felt inspired to do the same this week.

Sorry, had too much fun with PicMonkey!

Monday-Not gonna lie, I make a really good homemade meat sauce for spaghetti.  I'll share the recipe with y'all tomorrow, don't worry.
Tuesday-Chicken and Dumplin's in the crock pot.  One of my favorites!
Wednesday-Hamburger Helper Lasagna boxed dinner.  I'll most likely throw in some fresh tomatoes, onions, and maybe some spinach for some added nutritional value.
Thursday-I have to do take-out/leftovers because I have a study session after school, then I head to a workshop.  I won't get home until after 7:30, so it's got to be something quick and easy for dinner!
Friday-Joe and I always get Mexican food at a local restaurant on Friday.  It's lots of fun!
Saturday-I found this recipe for Stuffed Italian Peppers from Running in a Skirt.  She also participated in Julie's Crock Pot Challenge, so I look forward to trying out this recipe that she said was tasty!  I'm going to also serve them with some Italian sausage for some protein.
Sunday-I think Joe and I have a day trip planned, so we will probably pick something up on the way home.

Two great things about meal planning:

1. I know that I have all of the ingredients for each of these dishes!  I made my meal plan before going to the store, so I picked up everything that I didn't already have in the kitchen.
2. I don't have to wonder "What's for dinner tonight?" or freak out in the middle of the day because I didn't leave meat out to defrost!  Plus, I can do some prepping the night before to make cooking dinner a lot easier.

Today's workout was Best Body Bootcamp Workout A.  We're in the 5th week, which means we're in the 3rd phase of workouts.  This workout focused on the "pull" muscles of the body (biceps, hamstrings, chest, etc.).  I used heavier weights than usual, and it made me feel strong!  

For example, we did these concentration curls before in round 4 of BBB.  I was barely able to complete all 15 reps with 5 lbs.  Today, I used 8 lb weights for almost all of the reps!

Question for you: Do you plan your meals in advance?  Or, do you usually make your meals with whatever you have in the kitchen?