As I reflect on this week’s posts some themes come jumping out around simplifying, making time for what’s important, and shortcuts. I’ve been reading Zen Habits for at least two years and while I’ve enjoyed every post, the messages turned into (serious) action for me around last fall. Life at a startup  with young children who are active in multiple sports and dance leaves little time leftover for the rest of life.

I only wish I had figured that all out sooner.

It’s so true that simplifying life by making simple meals, having a clutter-free home, not over-scheduling any of us and looking for ways to cut out errands (like online payments, grocery shopping once per week) means that we have more time and space to have fun, enjoy our children’s youth and be there when they need us. In fact, my smart friend Asha of Parent Hacks who has a new book coming out next month called Minimalist Parenting with her author-partner Christine Koh, shared this just yesterday:

If a simplified approach to life and parenting sounds interesting to you, I highly recommend considering joining their free MinCamp which starts March 1 when they’ll kick off a series of daily tasks to help us focus on what’s important. I’ve signed up and have been looking forward to this opportunity! Did I mention that it’s free? And you don’t necessarily need the book (though I can’t wait to read it!).

Ok, let’s get to this week’s simple meal plan:

There’s not much better than homemade mac and cheese.

Monday – Macaroni and cheese, with lots of leftovers for school lunch

Tuesday – Deconstructed tostados with spanish rice on the side (beans and rice with some veggies will be great for school lunch tomorrow)

Wednesday – Breakfast for dinner! I’m thinking scrambled eggs with roasted potatoes and fruit

Thursday – Chicken and mushrooms in a garlic white wine sauce (is also a great reason to open a bottle of wine on a Thursday night) from Gina at SkinnyTaste

Friday – Vegetarian black bean burritos from Aimee at Simple Bites

Have a great week!