There are lots of different ways family meal plan. Some do a month to month plan.I know one family that does a whole year of meal planning! Others might only plan out a week. One thing this family CAN"T do is get to 4 pm and THEN decide what to eat. Life is too busy and too chaotic try and think of dinner in the late afternoon. One thing I tell everyone is " If I didn't meal plan, this family wouldn't eat!" :)
Meal planning was something I had to learn. I am so thankful I did. If you've never done it, have no fear..here's a few pointers to help you get started. You will find that it will help you have less stress when dinner time comes around because you will be well prepared.
I meal plan out two weeks. I find that a week is too short and a month ( or longer) is too overwhelming. I have a half piece of paper that I label with the days of the weeks and I conveniently place it on my fridge. Each day of the week has it's own certain type of meal. Example, Mondays is a ground beef meal. That means every Monday I will make a dish that has ground beef in it. Tacos, meatloaf, sweet and sour meatballs, etc. With this planning, I only need 4-5 ground beef recipes and then I rotate through them during the month. Wednesday is chicken, Friday is Italian, Sunday left overs. You get the idea. :)
I also have a Master recipe list. This has all the names of all my main dishes on it. Instead of riffling through all my recipes and cookbooks, I just pull out the master list and plug away! I have found that this saves SO MUCH TIME in meal planning.
I don't use elaborate recipes. My thinking is, It needs to be simple, easy and yummy. :) I also use my crock pot multiple times a week. If you have one...let it become your best kitchen friend. :)
Tip..In using my crock pot, I have found that if a dish only needs to cook for 3-4 ish hours, I get it ready and in the pot in the morning. I get real tired in the afternoons and when nap time rolls around I want to rest, not make a meal. This way, with it being done early enough, all I have to do is turn it on and go rest. My girls also like to help me when I get dinner ready in the morning too. It's a win win all around. :)
You don't have to be a mom to meal plan. It works for anyone. It has helped us tremendously. Knowing what I'm making early enough in the day, helps cut down on the stress of figuring it out later in the day.Not sure how to get started? Or don't have any recipes? Let me encourage you to ask around to your friends or relatives. Compile a list, decide how long you want to plan out for, then plug away!
Happy planning :)
I also have a Master recipe list. This has all the names of all my main dishes on it. Instead of riffling through all my recipes and cookbooks, I just pull out the master list and plug away! I have found that this saves SO MUCH TIME in meal planning.
I don't use elaborate recipes. My thinking is, It needs to be simple, easy and yummy. :) I also use my crock pot multiple times a week. If you have one...let it become your best kitchen friend. :)
Tip..In using my crock pot, I have found that if a dish only needs to cook for 3-4 ish hours, I get it ready and in the pot in the morning. I get real tired in the afternoons and when nap time rolls around I want to rest, not make a meal. This way, with it being done early enough, all I have to do is turn it on and go rest. My girls also like to help me when I get dinner ready in the morning too. It's a win win all around. :)
You don't have to be a mom to meal plan. It works for anyone. It has helped us tremendously. Knowing what I'm making early enough in the day, helps cut down on the stress of figuring it out later in the day.Not sure how to get started? Or don't have any recipes? Let me encourage you to ask around to your friends or relatives. Compile a list, decide how long you want to plan out for, then plug away!
Happy planning :)
