One simple strategy I have seen many parents use for meal planning is to have a set dish they make for each day of the week. Then, no matter where you are in your day, whether at work, picking up children from school or wiping noses, you always know that if it is Wednesday, for example, you will have burritos for dinner.

Having a plan that stays pretty much the same every week makes grocery shopping simple, too. It’s easy to always have a stash of tortillas in the freezer and to know that Tuesday night you will need to soak your beans. Or, you pull a jar of already cooked ones from the freezer because every other week you make double.

Having a set plan for each day doesn’t automatically mean there is no variation week to week, either. Monday night may be polenta or pasta, but there are a lot of variations within those categories.

Here are some ideas for different days of the week:

1.  Nori Rolls or Hand Rolls
2.  Soup/Stew with a crusty sourdough bread and green salad (try Simple Barley Soup)
3.  Nabe-super yummy, relaxing and great in cold winter weather
4.  Polenta
5.  Stir-Fry Vegetables
6.  Make your own burritos or Baked Burritos
7.  Casserole
8.  Pasta
9.  Baked grain dish (like Baked Quinoa with Lentils and Squash and Baked Lentils and Rice with Root Vegetables
10.  Veggie burgers/Grain and Bean Patties (like White Bean and Carrot Patties or Brown Rice and Pinto Bean Patties)

What are some of your favorite quick and easy mid-week meals?