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🍁 Two-Week Fall Comfort Menu + Reserve Snapshot Wk 27 & 28

Fall is for fuzzy socks, warm dinners, and absolutely not overcomplicating your grocery list. This round of my two-week reserve-based meal plan is all about cozy, comforting food that doesn’t require you to play kitchen martyr. We’re talking about meals that fill the house with that “mmm, someone’s cooking something amazing” smell — without requiring you to stand too long or juggle twelve pans.

Like always, the plan mixes a few cooked meals with reserve-based options — things you can pull together fast from your pantry or freezer when energy or spoons are running low. The goal: flexibility without frustration. You deserve to eat well, even on the days that don’t go as planned.

So grab your list, sip your coffee, and let’s make sure the next two weeks taste like comfort and sanity.


🥘 Cook Meals

  1. Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie — Creamy, cozy, and low-effort. Add frozen veggies, shredded chicken, broth, and biscuit topping.
  2. Sheet Pan Sausage & Potatoes — Chop, toss, roast. One pan, minimal cleanup, maximum yum.
  3. Beef Tips with Gravy + Mashed Potatoes — Comfort classic. Slow simmer or use the crockpot if you want to make it even easier.
  4. Tuscan Chicken with Spinach and Garlic Butter Rice — Quick skillet dinner that feels fancy without being fussy.
  5. Loaded Baked Potato Night — Bake or microwave potatoes, then set out toppings like cheese, butter, and green onions for a build-your-own vibe.
  6. Simple Spaghetti or Noodle Bowl Night — Customize with what you have on hand — sauce, veggies, or even leftover meat.

🥫 Reserve Meals

  1. Breakfast for Dinner — Eggs, toast, or breakfast sandwiches. Always hits the spot.
  2. Soup Starter Night — Toss frozen veggies, broth, and leftover meat or rice in a pot and call it done.
  3. Wraps or Sandwich Night — Turkey, ham, or whatever deli meat is handy.
  4. Ramen Remix — Doctor up instant ramen with egg, spinach, or leftover veggies.
  5. Snack Board Dinner — Cheese, crackers, fruit, pickles, whatever looks good on a plate.
  6. Emergency Frozen Meal — Whether it’s pizza, burritos, or something store-bought — no guilt, no dishes.

Til next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other.

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Survival & Sanity Week 25 & 26

Listen, meal planning is basically the Olympics of adulting. And if you’re running low on spoons, have kids who think chicken nuggets are a food group, or just don’t want to set your house on fire trying to “whip something up” after 5 p.m., you need a plan that’s simple, flexible, and doesn’t judge you for eating tacos three times a week if you want to.

So here it is: two weeks of real-life dinners that use reserves, leftovers, and a little bit of bacon for moral support. You don’t need to spend an hour chopping. You don’t need five obscure spices you’ll never use again. You just need this list and a fridge that sort of cooperates.


Week One

Monday – Crockpot Tacos
Let the crockpot do the heavy lifting. Dump in meat, seasoning, maybe some tomatoes, and boom—taco night without the skillet babysitting.

Tuesday – Leftovers or Reserves
Translation: fridge roulette or that frozen pizza you “forgot” about.

Wednesday – Leftovers or Reserves
Yes, again. You deserve it.

Thursday – Leftovers or Reserves
See above.

Friday – Salsa Chicken
Chicken, salsa, crockpot. It shreds itself. If only the laundry did.

Saturday – Leftovers or Reserves
The theme is intentional.

Sunday – One-Pan Chicken Fajita Bake
Chop, toss, bake. Minimal effort, maximum flavor. No stovetop juggling act.


Week Two

Monday – Sheet Pan Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies
Cut, toss, roast. Bonus: your house smells amazing, like you’ve been cooking for hours instead of 20 minutes.

Tuesday – Leftovers or Reserves
Champion-level laziness, rebranded as efficiency.

Wednesday – Bacon & Veggie Fried Rice
Bacon makes everything better. Toss it with rice and veggies, and suddenly leftovers feel fancy.

Thursday – Leftovers or Reserves
Nothing like a break day to make Friday’s meal feel even easier.

Friday – Crockpot Creamy Ranch Chicken
Chicken, ranch packet, cream cheese, done. If your crockpot had a fan club, this would be the poster child.

Saturday – Leftovers or Reserves
Consider it a chef’s night off.

Sunday – (Optional Swap Night)
Tired of chicken? Grab something from reserves or takeout without the guilt. The system’s built to bend.


Why This Works

  • Built-in leftovers mean you don’t waste food or energy.
  • Reserve-friendly lets you swap in pantry/freezer staples on the hard days.
  • Minimal chopping, maximum flavor because you’ve got better things to do than wrestle with 15 ingredients.

This isn’t about perfect dinners. It’s about feeding yourself and your people without burning all your spoons in the process. And honestly? That’s more impressive than any five-course meal.


👉 Want the full recipes and grocery list? Scroll down . Dinner crisis = solved. Take care of yourselves, and each other!

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Survival and Sanity Week 21 & 22

Two Weeks of Sanity-Saving Dinners: The Reserve-Based Meal Plan That Keeps Me Sane (and Fed)”


If you’ve ever stared into your fridge at 6:47 p.m., wondering if coffee counts as dinner… hi, hello, welcome. Pull up a chair.

I’ve been there. Actually, I live there — in that fun little corner of “I want to eat real food, but executive dysfunction, fatigue, and a body that hates me say otherwise.” That’s why I started reserve-based meal planning. It’s not fancy. It’s not Instagram-perfect. But you know what? It works.

Here’s the deal: I only cook three times a week — Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday — and I build in enough “reserve meals” to handle the days in between without me having to think, chop, or remember what day it is.

This new 2-week plan is heavy on chicken and kielbasa, with some ground beef tossed in because my teen would eat ramen for every meal (and often does) if I let her. Everything is simple, budget-friendly, and spoonie-approved.


How It Works

  • Cook Days: Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday. Big batches, double recipes, whatever it takes.
  • Reserve Days: Meals that are already made or almost zero-effort to throw together.
  • Zero-Guilt Days: When you order pizza instead. It happens. Own it.

This Week’s Plan

  • Week 1 Cook Days:
    • Garlic Butter Kielbasa & Veggie Skewers (no pineapple, because no thank you but by all means, its an optional add on)
    • Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake (lighter sauce, extra cheesy flavor)
    • Taco Night (make extra meat for another meal)
  • Week 2 Cook Days:
    • One-Pan Honey Garlic Chicken & Veggies
    • Kielbasa & Potato Skillet
    • Ground Beef Chili Mac (leftovers = instant win)
    • Simple Reserve Options (Single-Dish / Minimal Prep)
    • Chicken strips / nuggets (frozen) – microwave or oven
    • Grilled or pre-cooked sausages / kielbasa slices – heat in skillet or microwave
    • Mac & cheese – boxed or microwaveable
    • Quesadillas – just tortillas + shredded cheese, optional leftover meat
    • Pasta with jarred sauce – just boil noodles and pour sauce
    • Frozen veggies – steamable in bag
    • Instant rice / microwaveable rice packets – pair with protein
    • Frozen pizzas or flatbreads – heat & eat
    • Eggs – fried, scrambled, or boiled for super-quick meals
    • Snack plates – cheese, crackers, fruit, raw veggies

Everything — recipes, grocery list, and instructions — is laid out below so you can print, save, or just pull it up on your phone while you stand in the middle of the grocery aisle wondering if you already have paprika at home. (You don’t. Buy more.) Til next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other!