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What’s for dinner?
That is the million dollar question in my house. Well, take a look at meal planning.
After working a 8-10 hour day, coming home to hungry husband, kids, and dogs is not the highlight of your day. You are now stuck in job #2. Now you scramble to get things defrosted, peeled, chopped, seasoned, and cooked for a delicious dinner on the table. The best part of this whole chaotic idea is sitting at the table with my family spending quality time together. I got 2 words= Meal Planning
Well I’m here to tell you that dinner time doesn’t have to be a “HOT MESS”. With some strategic meal planning and prepping ahead of time, dinner time will be enjoyable again. Meal planning ahead will save time, money and your sanity. Really, who wants to continue that stress? Meal planning can help you and your family start eating a healthier lifestyle.
Here are 10 things to make meal planning fun and easy
- Schedule a weeks worth of meals. Get a calendar and write meals everyday for the week. Hey, if your ambitious, try to schedule a months worth of meals. I like to use the monthly calendars and just write dinner meals. You could use paper or go digital. You could do breakfast and lunch if you want. My family has inconsistent schedules, so dinner is the one meal that works for me.
- Make a master list as you go, so you have ideas for next month. Get some variations in there, so your family will not get tired of the same thing over and over.
- Make a grocery list. Make sure you have all the ingredients you need for all the meals you scheduled in the week or for the month. You don’t want to be in the middle of dinner and realized Oh NO I don’t have chicken. There goes your plan and not to mention your stress level.
- Dedicate some time to prep things that can be done ahead of time. For example, you can peel, chop veggies and store them in containers in the fridge for use during the week. You could also do some make ahead meals such as casseroles. Casseroles are very easy to put together and store them in the fridge. Pop them in the oven and viola you have dinner.
- Get the kids involved. That’s if they are old enough. I’m a firm believer in teaching kids how to cook. Make it a teaching session incorporating science and math into the cooking session. Again, try to make it fun. Memories in the kitchen will last a lifetime.
- Make a list of meals that you have planned and let the family pick when they want to have it
- Shop sales and/or buy in bulk to save money. You can stock up on certain things that you know you are gong to use in the near future. Bulk meat can be a good idea to saving time and money. Meat freezes well. Take a bulk package of ground hamburger for example, you can put together some hamburger patties, salisbury steaks, chili, meatloaf, etc. The idea, is that you can prep these examples raw and freeze them. Then defrost them and cook them on the night planned.
- Keep inventory of your pantry, freezer, and fridge. I use my own printable as inventory sheets so I know what I have on hand and what I need to use up before it goes bad. You don’t need to get all fancy. A plain piece of paper could work for inventory sheets and your meal calendar.
- Get the spouse involved
- Don’t be afraid to try new dishes. It can be a nice add to your rotation. However, don’t stress out about new dishes. Keep it simple. Try a new dish once a week or twice a month
At the end of the day, You have to design your meal planning to what works for you and your family. Start simple by just planning out a week at a time and grow from there. Write everything down. Baby steps is the building blocks to be successful at meal planning. Knowing what’s in your pantry, fridge and freezer at all times will help you in the long run to save money and not forget about that head of lettuce you bought 2 weeks ago and is now pushed to the back of the fridge. Oops. We have all done it time and time again. I will be the first to admit it.
The whole point is to make it less stress, so if meal planning is stressing you out then you are probably over thinking it. If you need more meals ideas then hit up google. There are millions of delicious recipes out there. I usually dedicate the weekends to try new dishes out. I feel like I’m more in a time crunch during the week and in no mood to start trying out a new dish.
Meal planning should also be flexible. You can always shift things around if you need to. You want to create a meal plan that is easy to stick to and not overly complicated. Once you start, it will get easier and easier. Before you know it, you could essentially have 3 months planned meals. Family favorite meals can go into rotations. So If we had salisbury steak tonight, then I will write in for 2 months out or 3 months out. If you have a busy family, then you can schedule leftover night. You have to figure out what works for you and your family. Not all families are the same. I can only give you some ideas that I use. The secret is to staying organized and consistent.
Finally, Make sure you have fun with this. If you think of this as a chore, then it will be difficult to keep it up. Don’t get me wrong, It’s a little tough starting out. Once you get the hang of it and a system down, then its smooth sailing. You got this. Go do some meal planning and let me know how its changing your life.
