Tag: #SpoonieMeals

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Survival and Sanity Wk 29-30

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You ever have one of those weeks where time evaporates, laundry multiplies on its own, and your partner disappears for seven days like they’re on a side quest you definitely didn’t authorize? Yeah. That was my week. Which means today’s meal plan is brought to you by: Survival Mode But Make It Edible™.

This is a reserve-based, spoon-friendly, chronic-illness-approved, “I have three brain cells and two are fighting” kind of schedule. Six meals involve actual cooking (mostly crockpot because we respect our energy). The other nights? Reserves. Frozen. Pantry. Leftovers. Whatever doesn’t require you to stand upright for more than four minutes.

If that’s your vibe too, welcome home.

THIS WEEK’S MENU

Cooked Meals:

  1. Tuesday Crockpot Salsa Chicken Bowls
  2. Thursday Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Pork Roast + Potatoes
  3. Sunday Crockpot Honey Teriyaki Chicken (No weird sauces, promise)
  4. Tuesday Lemon Herb Chicken & Rice (No Creamy Stuff!)
  5. Thursday Crockpot Tuscan Chicken & Potatoes (Light, Brothy Version) (Not creamy — just herbs, garlic, broth, and sunshine.)
  6. Sunday Sheet Pan Italian Chicken & Veggies

Reserve Nights (1–2):

  • Frozen pizza, frozen enchiladas, freezer soup, freezer breakfast burritos, rotisserie chicken + bag salad… whatever you have in the stash.

And boom — another week fed, fueled, and officially handled, even if we handled it while lying horizontally with one sock on and exactly zero energy left. Reserve-based meal planning is basically the cheat code for spoonie life: cook when you can, stash when you can’t, survive the rest of the time on whatever doesn’t require opening the oven.

If you make any of these recipes, tell me which one your family inhaled first. Mine always pick the salsa chicken because apparently we’re a Taco Tuesday household… regardless of the actual day. Til next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other!

Recipes 29&30
Shopping list Wk 29&30

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Survival & Sanity Weeks 23 & 24

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Cooking every day in the summer heat? Hard pass. This two-week menu is built around my reserve system: you cook three times a week, then remix the leftovers into totally new meals so nobody gets bored (or starves when you’re out of spoons). Think tacos that turn into nachos, sausage that morphs into pasta or sandwiches, and crockpot chicken that somehow ends up on nachos, wraps, and even pizza.

Because honestly—our lives are chaotic enough. Dinner should not be.

Sunday (Cook): Crockpot Tacos (big batch ground beef or turkey)

  • Serve: traditional tacos
  • Reserve ideas: taco rice bowls, taco pasta, nachos, quesadillas, taco salad.

Monday (Reserve): Taco Rice or Taco Pasta (stretch w/ noodles or rice)

Tuesday (Cook): Sausage–Potato–Pearl Onion Skillet

  • Serve: as hearty skillet dinner.
  • Reserve ideas: leftover skillet → breakfast hash (with eggs), or quick reheat over toast.

Wednesday (Reserve): Sausage & Peppers (use extra sausage cooked Tuesday, stretch w/ tomatoes + peppers)

  • Serve: on bread (subs/hoagies) or tossed into pasta.

Thursday (Cook): BBQ Meatballs (crockpot w/ grape jelly + BBQ sauce)

  • Serve: over egg noodles.
  • Reserve ideas: meatball subs, meatball quesadillas, meatball + rice bowls.

Friday (Reserve): Leftovers (meatballs or tacos—dealer’s choice).

Saturday (Reserve): Light day: eggs, sandwiches, snack board, or finish stragglers from the week.

Sunday (Cook): Crockpot Sloppy Joes:

  • 2 lbs ground beef (or half beef, half ground sausage if you like it richer)
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped (or 1–2 pearl onions, minced, if you want to use your fresh ones)
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped (optional but good for bulk & flavor)
  • 2 cans sloppy joe sauce, or you can make your own if you are feeling ambitious

🌞

Monday (Reserve): sloppy joe left overs, or tangy over buttered noodles so yum!

Tuesday (Cook): Crockpot Salsa Chicken (shred a big batch)

  • Serve: w/ pasta side.
  • Reserve ideas: chicken wraps, chicken rice bowls, chicken nachos, salsa pizza (premade crust).

Wednesday (Reserve): Leftovers or “pantry day” → sausages, eggs, or odds & ends.

Thursday (Cook): Ground Beef Dinner (easy mid-week)

  • Option A: Homemade Hamburger Helper (one pot)
  • Option B: Beef + Rice skillet (seasoned like dirty rice or taco-style).
  • Reserves: beef wraps, stuffed peppers, or mixed into scrambled eggs.

Friday (Reserve): Leftovers (ground beef meal or BBQ chicken).

✅ All cook days = make enough to stretch at least 1–2 more meals.
✅ Fresh tomatoes & pearl onions featured in Week 1 Tuesday + Wednesday.
✅ BBQ + crockpot dishes carry flavor without oven time.
✅ Balanced “heavy / lighter” flow so you don’t feel bogged down.
This is everything you need for 1 meal every day which is about all I manage. If you manage more, try some fresh fruit and cereal. If you manage THAT then clearly you don’t need me I should be learning from you LOL. Til next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other.

Wk 23& 24 Groceries
Wk 23 & 24 recipes
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Survival and Sanity Week 21 & 22

JoLeave a comment

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!

Recipes
Groceries
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🧠 Survival and Sanity Reserve based meal plan: Weeks 11–12

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Reserve-Based Meal Planning for When Life is Too Damn Much

It’s hot. You’re tired. The idea of cooking three meals a day is laughable. That’s why this plan exists — to give you food that actually works when your spoons are low and your executive function has left the chat.

This is Weeks 11–12 of my reserve-based system. We cook three times a week, stretch leftovers like magic, and leave room for takeout without guilt. Because healing takes energy — and not all of that energy should be spent in the kitchen.

🍗 This Round’s Sunday Stars:

  • Week 1: Maple Garlic Glazed Chicken
  • Week 2: Crockpot Ranch Chicken & Rice
  • (because if my crockpot could earn a paycheck, it would absolutely be the breadwinner)

🗓️ THE PLAN:

WEEK 1

  • Sunday: Maple Garlic Glazed Chicken – Proof that you can be sweet and salty and still wildly lovable.
  • Monday: Leftovers
  • Tuesday: Chicken Tacos (fajita-style) – Because “chicken tacos” are easier to say than “accidentally delicious fajitas.”
  • Wednesday: Leftovers
  • Thursday: Bacon Tomato Pasta – The holy trinity: bacon, tomatoes, and carbs. Amen.
  • Friday: Reserves
  • Saturday: Leftovers or takeout

WEEK 2

  • Sunday: Crockpot Ranch Chicken and Rice – This one says “I care” but also “I’ve been horizontal most of the day.”
  • Monday: Leftovers
  • Tuesday: Pesto Chicken Flatbreads –We eat flatbread now. We’re fancy like that.
  • Wednesday: Leftovers
  • Thursday: Bacon Fried Rice – It’s “clean out the fridge” night but with a glow-up.
  • Friday: Reserves
  • Saturday: Leftovers or takeout

🧊 Reserve Meals to Keep You Sane:

  • Taco Pizzas
  • Chicken Flatbreads
  • Peanut Butter & Bacon Sandwiches
  • Eggs
  • Quesadillas with Whatever’s Left I am BRAND NEW to bacon quesadillas, where have they been all my life? I’m disappointed in myself that my stoner ass didnt put this combo together years ago.
    Ok guys, scroll down and click to get the recipes and grocery list and until next time gang, take care of yourselves, and each other.


Groceries
recipes