Five other women and myself get together in my home every Thursday morning for a discipleship group meeting. We hold each other accountable for Bible reading, prayer, evangelism, and scripture memory. We confess our sins to one another. We pray for one another. We encourage each other in our faith. And we discuss a lesson my husband (our pastor) has written about a key topic in the Christian life. Last week several ladies mentioned they needed prayer that they would have joy and better time management in the discipline of serving their families and prioritizing their homes. One friend mentioned it would be helpful if we gave her ideas for meals to cook for her family. This post is just that. I meal plan each week, so why not share it?
Here's our (dinner) meal plan for the week:
Monday - order pizza (Happy Halloween!)
Tuesday - Grilled Chicken (with garlic and herb marinade), baked sweet potatoes, and Strawberry Spinach Salad with Homemade Dressing
Wednesday - left-overs (minus the sweet potatoes) (church night)
Thursday - Chicken Bundles, rice, green beans, and pineapple (double recipe to take to a friend who just had a baby)
*Pumpkin Muffins for discipleship group
Friday - left-overs (enjoy two family meals at home from all the hard work you put in to making dinner last night)
Saturday - spaghetti, broccoli
*Sausage Balls for breakfast
Sunday - Beef Tips and Rice, green beans, and rolls (double recipe for out of town friends coming over for lunch after church)
I normally wouldn't make green beans and rice as the side for two meals in the same week, but that's just how it happened this week since I'm making these meals to also share with other families and these are common sides. And some people in other countries eat rice every day with every meal, so we should be just fine. My goal is to share our meal plan for the week on Sundays so others can have ideas for the upcoming week.
I love sharing a meal with my family around the table at home. There is something so special about the family gathering together to eat a meal, laugh, talk, and in our case make a lot of messes. With four children ages 1-8 years old, dinner time rarely goes by without a spill, reminder that we don't dance and sing at the table, and encouragement to finish eating before the timer goes off. :) (Eventually we have to move on) There have been numerous studies showing the benefits of sharing family mealtime at home! A few of the benefits are less stress, eating healthier, better grades, less substance abuse, and it's a more frugal option than eating out.
"The
routine of family meals can generate
feelings of closeness and comfort.
Even when mealtimes feel hectic or
disorganized, take comfort in the fact
that the simple act of regular
mealtimes may be providing your child with stability."
-Journal of Marriage and Family
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