Meal Plan Monday - The Late Edition

Meal planning is difficult at my house. My husband works nights depending on what we have going on during the day, as well as when his shift starts, sometimes we have time for dinner and sometimes we don't. It's often tough to gauge how many nights I should plan for us to eat together. I just try and stick to the basics

Breakfasts - Cereal, muffins, baked oatmeal, cinnamon toast, yogurt and fruit

Lunch - Deli meat sandwiches, mac 'n cheese, homemade pepperoni pizza, grilled cheese, tuna sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, chicken nuggets, leftovers

Dinner - Sugar Chicken in the crockpot, sloppy joes, spaghetti, oven fried chicken, egg salad sandwiches

Side dishes - Strawberries, oranges, bananas, applesauce, fingerling potatoes from farmer's market, green beans from farmer's market, rice

Grocery list - Yogurt, strawberries, applesauce, bananas, bread crumbs (out of stale bread), hamburger buns, cereal, lemonade, salami, turkey (for sandwiches). I will also add in anything I can get free or really cheap after coupons (Skippy PB).

Things like organic strawberries and bananas I get every single week regardless of price because I know my 2-year-old will eat them, which is important to me.

Our Silly Sunday!

Being that my husband and I are in the restaurant business, we don't often get weekends off, like most 9-5ers. Infact, we consider it a treat if Mike gets two days off in a row! So, whenever we have either a Saturday or Sunday off together, we like to look for some fun, family-friendly events, that are free or on the cheap.

This year, Lansing is celebrating it's 150th birthday and celebrating in various ways throughout the year. Today we took part in the fun with free children's events down by the Capitol building. For exactly $0.00, Alex enjoyed bouncing in a bounce house, riding a merry-go-round, playing with bubbles, and listening to stories and live music. We also got free balloons (including a monkey animal balloon), free cake and ice cream, and a free re-usable bag containing a coloring book, crayons and bubbles!

It was such a great time and definitely surpassed my expectations! I love free family events around town :)

Check out your town or city's website and learn all about the free activities you and your family can take part in. I would also suggest checking your local library for fun activities, as well as any local community centers.