Welcome to the very first installment of our Sunday Success Series! This has been on my mind for some-time now and I’m so thrilled to finally roll it out, offering a behind-the-scenes look into our lives as a working family with two little ones, navigating the delicate dance of entrepreneurship and parenthood.
Each week the Sunday Success Series will feature the meal prep/planning that my husband, Kylee and I, do for the week. As well as the other habits and non-negotiables we’ve developed over the last decade! My hope with this series is that you are able to find your own inspiration for a successful week but also know you aren't alone in the struggles of juggling it all!
In the Kitchen: Meal Planning and Prep
Today, let's dive into the heart of our home—the kitchen. If you’ve been around for a while, you know that Kylee and I love to meal prep! We’ve been doing it for a decade now and let me tell you, it’s been a lot of trial and error, but something that we enjoy doing and have down to a science.
It's totally a non-negotiable for us nowadays. We save hours each week for our family by planning/prepping. We spend Sundays together in the kitchen prepping meals which then frees up weeknights for other priorities like family-time, projects for the biz, or just downtime for ourselves.
Each Sunday Success Series I’ll share the recipes we have picked out. Majority of these recipes will redirect you to the original source (FYI, we love finding recipes on TikTok and Instagram).
Quick Tip: We pick 2 recipes for lunches each week to rotate through. One recipe is for Monday/Wednesday/Friday, the other is for Tuesday/Thursday. Similar concept for dinners, depending on the calendar and events we have going on.
I've compiled our week’s worth of recipes below. We found a lot of our meals between a couple of sources...which saved some time digging around for what sounded good for the week!
Check out these links for inspiration:
Breakfast Crunch Wraps
Egg Roll in a Bowl Ramen
High Protein Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Crispy Buffalo Chicken Pockets
Sloppy Joe Sliders and Broccoli Slaw (no outside link, see notes below*)
Crunchy Roasted Turkey Wraps
*Notes for the Sloppy Joe Sliders:
Not a fancy recipe by any means! It's quick, easy, and the kids will for sure eat it.
1. Make your favorite Sloppy Joe mixture
2. Cut King's Hawaiian Rolls in half.
3. Place the bottoms of the rolls on a sheet pan or baking dish.
4. Add a layer of your favorite cheese (we use Colby Jack or Cheddar). Then layer the Sloppy Joe mixture on top. Add frispy fried onions if you want!
5. We melt 1-2 TBSP of butter and brush over the tops of the rolls.
6. Bake at 350 for 10ish minutes to melt the cheese and get the rolls golden brown.
7. We love to eat Broccoli Slaw as a side (buy the premade mix, add your favorite dressing, make it easy!).
Feel free to explore these recipes and adapt them to your family's tastes. Don't hesitate to share your twists on these dishes in the comments; We’re always up for culinary inspiration!
December's Calendar: A Blueprint for Balance
December, a month teeming with festivities, can be a whirlwind. Balancing the demands of a growing business and the joyous chaos of the holiday season requires careful planning so we don’t lose our minds over here.
At the end of each month, I sit down with the calendar and plan out the upcoming month. This month I ended up planning over this past weekend when we got home from our latest Market. But I always make sure I have the calendar noted for:
- Kylee’s work schedule and if he is doing any traveling
- Simply Stated’s schedule (product manufacturing, Markets/Events, meetings, and other projects that need done)
- Kids’ schedule. Right now this is school activities for Callen, basketball practices and games, and where Carson needs to go with daycare.
- Any other personal appointments, meetings, family-outings, holidays, etc.
Planning for a full-month ahead may seem overwhelming, and honestly it can be at first. Over time though, this has helped tremendously in balancing the act of family-entrepreneurship.
Kylee and I know where we need to split up with kids, if we need to modify our meals for something quick and easy (or buying less groceries if we aren’t going to home much), and when we can get our workouts in. Or if something has to change last minute, we can easily adjust on the fly without overcommitting ourselves.
Do you plan a week at a time or the full month? What’s your favorite calendar system? Share your December plans and strategies in the comments.
I’d love for the Sunday Success Series to provide a space where we can build a community to support each other in creating successful lives…with less stress for us mamas!
Join me every week for a new installment of the Sunday Success Series. We'll explore routines, self-care rituals, productivity hacks, and so much more. I can't wait to connect with you on this journey toward a balanced and successful life.
Here's to a month of achievements, delicious meals, and joyful moments!
Xo,
Chrissy