a balanced summer strategy

this week's meal plan & grocery list + my thoughts on "getting back on track"

I did a Q&A on Instagram this week and noticed I got a lot of questions related to “getting back on track” after traveling or vacation time. It’s definitely the time of year where everyone seems to be running around attending events, catching up with family and friends, and trying to get the most out of summer fun. Which is amazing! While I also love a jam-packed summer, I know it’s important for me to keep up with my routines and make time for planning, prepping, and making nourishing meals. When I do that, I always notice myself having more energy throughout the day.

That being said, I also want to validate that staying on top of those routines and making time for meal planning is not easy, especially when life gets busy. None of us are perfect, and I hope that you can fully enjoy your summertime fun without stressing about your meals and habits. Life is about balance and a few days or weeks off of your healthiest habits aren’t going to make any kind of significant difference.

When you are ready to jump back into your routines, like planning out your meals for the week, grocery shopping, and maybe even doing some prep, I’m here and ready to share a plan with you (like this week’s meal plan!). What works best for me is this:

• Set aside 20-30 minutes to make your grocery list — Start by taking inventory of what you have in your pantry, fridge, and freezer and identify any proteins or produce items that can be used up, then pick out your dinners with that in mind for the following week (I like to do this on Fridays!).

• Choose 1-2 easy breakfast & lunch ideas to make for the week — Especially during summer, look for quick, no-cook or low-cook recipes that pack in protein without a lot of time in the kitchen. Then add the groceries you’ll need to your list!

• Get your shopping done — My usual routine is to get my groceries on Saturday or Sunday after I’ve made my list on Friday, so I have some time to get organized and do some meal prep on Sunday afternoons.

• Follow your plan during the week — To the best of your ability, try to stick to what you planned out for your dinners during the week. That way, you won’t be left with food waste from unused ingredients and you won’t have to deal with the decision fatigue of figuring out what’s for dinner!

Even just by doing the above, you’re setting yourself up for success and most likely saving tons of time, energy, and money. Yay!!!

Another thing I love is finding local, seasonal produce to incorporate during summer (you guys know this already) and we just got our latest CSA box yesterday and got peppers, eggplant, summer squash, onions, and more! We have so much beautiful summer produce now, and I’m definitely going to be adding some of those to the sheet pan veggies from this week’s meal plan. For local people—I’ve gotten some Qs about where we get ours, we go to Crimson & Clover Farm!

Anyways, keep scrolling for this week’s meal plan!

Below you’ll find the full grocery list (including a PDF download) and the recipes for this week’s meal plan. If you want to meal prep breakfast as well, scroll a little further to see what I’m recommending for this week, and what you can add to your list 🫶

If you missed it, I shared my grocery shopping template & plant tracker last month in this newsletter, so make sure you use that as well if you find it helpful! I’d love to hear any questions, thoughts, or comments you have through our Substack chat! 🥰