Hello Busy Friends,
I have had a lot of people recently ask
about how I complete my family's meal planning each week. So, I
figured I would dust off the blog, write it out, along with some of
my favorite staple recipes, and hopefully it can help you be more
organized and feeding your family won't feel like such a chore. Note,
I don't think there is any exact way to do this as each family and
schedule is different, but my hope is that you can take a piece of
what I do and it can maybe help you in your unique situation.
I am a huge advocate for family meal
time. Statistics and science show the importance of it in a child's
development. It doesn't have to be dinner, but I would encourage at
least one meal day with your whole family eating together, all
distractions put aside. If you can't do this, at least a couple times
week, I believe that you are too busy and may need to do a schedule
evaluation.
The biggest advantage, to me, about
meal planning is that it helps save money. Our family doesn't eat out
too often, because I know that I have enough meals planned for the
week, at home, and the ingredients for those meals are purchased and
already on hand. It also helps save money when I go to the store,
because I am not wandering around, just picking random items up, but
instead, I know exactly what I am getting and I stick to my list.
Another perk of meal planning, is that it takes away the stress and
guessing game each day of what to cook and eat. I only have to think
about it one day a week and then I am done.
I currently do meal planning once a
week. I have done it two weeks at a time, but, as my husband's pay
schedule changed, so did the days that I go grocery shopping. Let's
Dive In!
Step One:
When I sit down and plan my meals, I
use good ole paper and pen to list a spot for 7 breakfasts, 7
lunches, 7 dinners, and then 3 or 4 snacks. There are a lot of neat
apps and downloadable meal planners you can use, but, I just prefer
this way – its simple and easy. If you have a certain day of the
week that you go grocery shopping (for example Friday), then you will
want to make sure you have enough meals to get you through to that
day
Step Two:
Then, I open my cabinets and freezers
and see what foods I already have to use and try to incorporate those
things into my menu, if possible, so not to waste food and to save
money in shopping.
To make planning easier, typically once
a week we do a Mexican themed meal (nachos, fajitas, tacos, etc.), a
leftover meal, Italian theme (pizza, spaghetti, etc.), breakfast for
dinner, and in the warmer months I typically grill once or twice a
week and in the colder months I plan, at least, a day or two a week
for soup. I also usually plan for one meal to “feed a crowd” in
the case we get together with friends or family.
Some days, I make 1.5 meals. I am
currently eating a low-carb diet and eating limited pasta and breads so
'll make the whole family the same meat and then substitute
vegetables or some other side dish for myself. I have learned that
food is not a battle I like to fight with my kids [or husband – he
doesn't care for cauliflower rice or healthy alternatives :)], so,
this way works for us.
Step Three:
Once I list out the meals we will be
eating, I then go through each one and list the ingredients needed
for each meal. I put duplicate ingredients together, so I know I need
to buy enough of that
item to cover multiple meals. I then open my cabinets and freezers, again, to ensure I do not already have what I need (things like spices, ketchup, dressings, etc.) and cross of things that I have and don't need to buy.
item to cover multiple meals. I then open my cabinets and freezers, again, to ensure I do not already have what I need (things like spices, ketchup, dressings, etc.) and cross of things that I have and don't need to buy.
Then, I add to my grocery
list other essentials that may not be apart of my recipes – milk,
coffee, creamer, toilet paper, other household supplies.
Step Four:
I have been using the Walmart Grocery
App to shop recently, and I love it. 1) I can shop at home while my
kids nap 2) It helps me budget because it tallies your total on the
same page and it is easy to go back and delete things if I go over my
allotted grocery budget 3) I don't have to take all of my kids intothe store, I just drive up and the kind
Walmart employee loads it into my car 4) It's Free!
If you have never used Walmart Grocery before, here is a $10 coupon for you to use!
I also shop at Aldi. If I go into a
store to do my grocery shopping, I will typically rewrite my list in
order of the store (if I know the layout). If not, I write it so that
similar items are all together: for example all refrigerated items,
boxed food items, produce dept., etc.
In shopping, I only buy items on my
list. No Distractions. No impulse buying. The only exception to this
rule is if an item is a REALLY good price and I want to stock up –
such as ground beef, chicken, laundry detergent, etc.
Step Five:
Once I get home, I cut and prep all of
my fruits and vegetables, put them in storage containers, and then
keep them in the refrigerator crisper drawer.
This saves time in
having to cut fruits and veggies each time you want to eat. I also
find that my kids will eat more if they are already prepared and
ready to go. If I have any recipes that require browned meat, I will
go ahead and brown it, now, and then put it in the freezer – a meal
step already done!
Step Six:
I have a dry erase board in my kitchen
were I write out all of our meals. If you don't have this, hang a
piece of paper on the fridge with your meals for the week. I don't
like to specify what I eat each day, because I might have scheduled
pizza on a Monday, but my Friday casserole sounds better to eat. Be
flexible! Deciding what to eat should be stress free because you'll
know that all of the meals listed, you have the ingredients for
already in your house, so you can eat it whenever you want without
having to make a mad dash to the grocery store before cooking.
You can also add a “meal idea”
paper to your fridge. Family members can add to it- helps kids to be
more likely to eat what you make. Whenever you come a cross a yummy
looking recipe – write it on the list and say where you found it (I
use Pinterest a lot!). Whenever you get a craving for something,
write it down. If you are eating someone's else's cooking and it is
delicious, ask for the recipe, and write it down. This will take so
much pressure of you, and sitting down to make a meal plan will only
take minutes.
I think that covers my process. It
seems like a lot, but it's simple and easy to do.
If you ever have
any questions, don't hesitate to ask! :)
Here are some of our favorite recipes:
Crockpot Meals
Casseroles
(These are great to make ahead and then put into the oven to bake when ready)
When I was working fulltime, the night before, I would make the casserole. David got home before me, he would put the casserole in the oven and then it would be ready when I got home.
Sheet Pan Meals
(You can make these ahead too - I love meals I can prep ahead of time. It saves time and stress at meal time)
Miscellaneous Meals and Snacks
No comments:
Post a Comment