Weekly Meal Plan + Workout Plan
Monday January 3rd – Sunday January 9th
Life Updates
Well, 2022 is here and when we wake up on Monday morning, we will already be 3 days in. Life always keeps rolling on, as we all know, but I feel like our New Year is starting out on a very busy, but very strong foot.
Jacob got Saturday off work because of the holiday so having him at home for the whole weekend was so. Freaking. Awesome. Come to think of it, he hasn’t had a Saturday off where we didn’t have a holiday or something crazy going on in probably 5 years. I didn’t know what to do with myself yesterday.
I’ve really been able to take it easy this weekend and get mentally prepared for the week (and the whole ass year honestly). Doing these weekly meal plan + workout plans is a solid goal I am setting for myself because I know there is a whole group of us women and moms out there who just need a plan.
*This blog post contains affiliate links & I may make a small commission from your purchase at no additional cost to you.
Seriously. Just show me the plan and I will stick to it. So, planning and executing will be my theme of 2022. My life runs so, so, so much smoother when I have a freaking template of what is supposed to be happening. It’s also nice having a little checklist of things you know you want to accomplish each day so you can go to bed feeling proud that you stuck to your plan.
And my plan does not have to be your plan. My plan works for MY life. I have a 7th grade stepson who is starting his first season of Junior High basketball games this week, a 2nd grader who is celebrating his 8th birthday in a week who also has basketball one evening a week, and their 4.5 year old youngest brother who gives me major Tasmanian Devil vibes. And once again, my husband works like 60 hours a week and I wish I was exaggerating so WE BUSY. You just gotta do what you gotta do folks.
I need a couple of easy meals per week, I need a leftover night, and a lot of weeks we have a free for all night where everyone must be self-sufficient (which usually results in cereal for dinner). One last thing I try and take into consideration when planning my meals is finding recipes or meals that will use up all of an ingredient that will expire: veggies, herbs, cheeses (expensive!), these are things that end up getting thrown away because you only use a quarter of it. Let’s all make a resolution for less food waste in 2022, and I will do my part by helping us all plan weekly menu’s that minimize waste.
So anyways, let’s get into the meal plan. This month I’m going to be cooking my way through Half Baked Harvest cookbook (more on this soon) so if you want to follow along all month, go ahead and order on Amazon through my link here ($18). You should follow her on IG here too, she has over 3 million followers for a damn good reason.
Some nights are going to be marked with an *. These are basketball nights or any other nights when I need something quick or a slow cooker meal that I can prepare earlier in the day. So, if there is an asterisk by the meal, just know it can fit into your schedule on a busy night. Or, just call in a pizza.
Meal Plan
Monday January 3rd: Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki & Couscous
Couscous is technically a pasta so it’s no wonder why I love it. But, it’s delicious. It’s the base of my Tabbouleh which pairs perfectly with this meal, or you can just cook it according to the directions and toss in some fresh cilantro and lemon juice at the end. This and this are my favorite brands.
HBH has her own recipe for this meal in the cookbook on page 134 including directions for feta fries. Yum, but my family would never.
Tuesday January 4th*: Slow Cooker Butter Chicken with basmati (HBH Pg. 133)
Wednesday January 5th: Healthy Chipotle Turkey Sweet Potato Skins (HBH Pg. 150)
Thursday January 6th*: Hula Pork Sliders (HBH Pg. 145)
Friday January 7th: Cuban Mojo Pulled Pork Tacos (HBH Pg. 146) – Reusing last nights pork!
Saturday January 8th: Easy Coq Au Vin with Brown Butter Egg Noodles (HBH Pg. 139)
Make it in the morning! Let it cook completely, then you can reheat it for dinner!
Sunday January 9th: Miso Beef & Ramen Stir Fry (HBH Pg. 209)
Try my stir fry recipe here!
Workout Plan:
In an effort to keep my legs and lungs in good cardiovascular standing after last month, I’m going to continue the effort with running – except tapering the total mileage back and focusing on mechanics. I’m going to get in 4 runs a week, with one being a longer run and one being a HIIT or Interval run. That leaves me 2 days of running freedom, plus one more day of cardio on the bike (because I miss it!)
In addition to focusing on running tactics to build speed and endurance, I’m adding in 3 mandatory strength days (upper body, lower body, full body) + 4 core strength days. Core strength is vital to a strong running foundation, it helps protect your back and spine during intense exercise which I need, and who doesn’t love a flat stomach amirite. Plus, core strength can take as little as 5 minutes and can be added to any workout day. Lastly, one rest day must be included every single week. It can be an active rest day with walking, hiking, or yoga… But, please. Let your freaking muscles recover so they can rebuild stronger than they were a week ago.
You probably know I’m a Peloton loyalist and I take 100% of my fitness classes of my Peloton Tread and Bike. One of my favorite new(ish) features on Peloton devices, including the app, is stacking classes. This makes it super easy to plan and schedule your entire workout and then you simply click “continue stack” to move onto the next class.
My favorite way to stack classes: 10 minute warmup walk, 20 minute HIIT run, 10 min core, 10 minute cool down run, 5 minute stretch
Monday January 3rd:
Arms – Abs – HIIT Run
Tuesday January 4th:
Legs – Bike -Abs
Wednesday January 5th:
Run – YOGA
Thursday January 6th:
Run - Abs
Friday January 7th:
Full Body Strength - Abs
Saturday January 8th:
Rest Day - YOGA
Sunday January 9th:
Long Run Day (4+ miles) - Long Stretch & Cooldown
Last Week Highlight Reel:
I posted these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars last week and they are absolutely amazing. Jacob and I ate half the pan and then my cousin came over for dinner the next night and we all finished the pan off. To die for.
We also made One Pan Friday Night Pasta from Half Baked Harvest (Pg. 94) and her Cheese Maker’s Mac & Cheese which are great to add to the same weeks meal plan because they both use the oddball Havarti cheese.
Comments