Subscribe to my email for a FREE Meal Plan Sample and a FREE Meal Plan Template.
Why:
Because who doesn’t want things to be easier. Am I right? As a mom, dinners can be hard. Cooking dinner can be enjoyable for some people. For me, it’s not. I’ve learned a lot from my mom, and I’m an okay cook. I love sharing my recipes and stuff. But honestly, I don’t enjoy it. It stresses me out. Meal planning helps me organize my thoughts. It helps me remember to take out stuff the night before so I’m not rushed the next day finding stuff.
It doesn’t always work out, plans change and I forget sometimes, so I have other options in case, easier less stressful options like Tacos, Spaghetti and Chicken Caesar Salads. So, hopefully to help you out. Here are my 5 tips to meal planning. And don’t forget to subscribe to my email for a template and a sample of our meal plans.
5 Tips to Meal Planning
1. Meal plan around your life.
The first and most important thing. Meal planning isn’t going to make your life easier if it’s full of dinners that are time-consuming. Require trips to the store, because you don’t have the ingredients at home already. Make sure it fits your week. Not the other way around. You want easy meals on busy days. New meals can be for days when you’re home and have time.
2. Have some regulars.
My husband enjoys consistency. Same meal on the same day kind of consistent. I am not. So we compromise. Taco Tuesdays (Or a day that works.) Or spaghetti Saturdays or a family favorite on the same day each week. It takes the daunting 7 days meal plan down to 6. Baby steps.
3. Check your pantry, fridge and stuff first.
Start there. Make your grocery list as you go afterwards. It uses stuff up. Keep food budgets within ranges.
4. Have some back ups.
Sometimes plans don’t work. Things happen, so being prepared will help with the stress. If you’re like me and get stressed when 4 o’clock comes around and there’s nothing thawed or prepped. I like to have regulars as our backups. Quick and easy options. Or premade frozen dinners in case.
5. Don’t worry if each plan doesn’t work out or if things change
Life happens. That is what frozen waffles, cereal, or boxed macaroni and cheese. Put it on your calendar or on the template in pencil! Things change.
How To:
It’s quite simple. I write it all on my calendar. Better yet, a template you can add to the fridge (subscribe to my email for a FREE template.). Keep the template in your day planner so you can have it with you all the time. I either take a look in our fridge or add it to the grocery list. Try and make the first few meals based on what is about to go bad in the fridge. Veggies, leftovers, stuff like that.
Find out what frozen meats I have, add any favorites or easy meals based on what’s on the calendar for the week already. With the whole calendar on there, I can see what we had the week before, so I can keep things a little different.
Love, Crystal
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