Now there aren’t many things I have under control around here right now…
…the laundry…
…my closet…
…the storage room…
…getting fully dressed before going out in public…
But there is one thing that I finally have down to a science and that is meal planning.
(And if that ever breaks down heaven help my family.)
Here’s what I do:
On the side of my fridge I have hanging a list (just a simple list on lined paper…it hasn’t been scrapbooked and isn’t a printable…) that lists the roughly 25 meals that we rotate through on a regular basis. (Cajun Fish, Taco Salads, Lasagna, Southwestern Chicken on rice, etc.)
*25 meals may sound like a lot but I bet if you sit down and write out the meals you make the most often you’d have around that number as well.*
This list didn’t take long to make..I’ve added a few things to it over time and it sure comes in handy.
(You’ll see how in just a minute.)
Then every single Monday morning I look over the family calendar of what we have going on each day of the upcoming week and plan what kind of meals I need for each night if we are all going to eat something besides take out.
For instance Simon has an activity and I have a meeting every Tuesday evening so I plan something in the crock pot that will be done and ready to go right during the window of time that we will all be home to eat together.
So after I look at the calendar I look in the pantry to see what we already have that can make the kind of meals I need (fast and easy, crock pot, or ones I have time to do more prep for). And this is where my list comes in handy. I just look down the list of what I know we like and tastes good and match the meal to the ingredients on hand.
Next I write down the weekly menu on the little dry erase board I have hanging on my fridge.
(My husband and kids love knowing what they are going to eat and they never ask me what is for dinner.)
And finally I list on the board any ingredients that I didn’t have but need to make any of that weeks meals. (This has been kind of awesome to…it has cut way down on our grocery bill and the time I spend doing the shopping. I get whatever I need on Monday and then I’m done for the week.)
So that is that.
I think it may sound more complicated than it actually is. I love this system. It works for me and everyone gets fed every night and the only time I have to wonder what to make for dinner is those 5 minutes on Monday morning when I’m writing out the menu.
I love it. Really it makes meal time a breeze—I know what I’m making, when I need to do it, and I have everything I need. I swear, if I ever stopped doing this my entire family would starve…or be forced to eat my husbands cooking…bacon…kettle corn…protein shakes…
Recently I went to a meal planning class and heard that several of the other ladies there do similar things and others have routines that are completely different that they love as much as I love mine.
And I also heard a new idea I hadn’t heard before and plan to try out this week.
It has to do with something to make meal times more fun.
I thought…hummmmmm…I”ll be the judge of that.
So, next Saturday, I’ll tell you all about it and how it worked out for our family.
Until then, do you have any meal planning tips or tricks that you are loyal to?
If so , do share. Everyone can use a good idea.
-liZ
That’s almost identical to what I do, except my grocery day is on Tuesday 🙂 My husband loves the dry erase menu board and I love not having to worry about what’s for dinner! One other thing I have done is to create a family recipe book. I simply typed up recipes we love and put them in sheet protectors in a 3-ring binder. I have most recipes memorized, but if I ever need to have my hubby cook something, he can easily find the recipe now. Also I learned to cook from watching/helping my mom who rarely looks at a recipe, so when we were first married, I was constantly calling her to ask “how much of this, what goes in that?” I don’t want my girls to have to go through that, so having all our recipes recorded is great! Plus I can easily add to it by just typing out more recipes and printing the pages out!
We are grocery and meal planning twinners! I do almost exactly the same thing when I plan out meals, and though I get a little tired of certain meals, at least I know what my kids and hubby will eat it, right? 😉 I’d love to hear your favorite 25 meals and see the recipes someday!
I do almost the same thing with a few differences. I keep my meal list on my computer and note where to find each recipe (cookbooks, pinterest, etc.) though Amanda’s binder idea sounds much easier! My day to shop is sunday since I always have that day off. I always check our schedules first, both my kids have their own dry erase boards above their desks that have their weekly and monthly calendars so that makes it easy. I check the pantry then sit down with my recipes, my list of regular weekly items, and all the local store ads. It usually saves me more money to go to 2 or 3 stores (which are all minutes from each other luckily)so I make a list for each store according to the ads. I also keep a dry erase board in the kitchen where I write the weeks meal plan. Sometimes I get tired of the whole thing and just don’t feel like doing it at all, lol, like right now I’m reading blogs to avoid doing my meal planning and grocery shopping!
Liz….you inspired me. NEVER in my 12 year marriage have I ever made a full week of meal plans. It just seemed too daunting. Plus, most tools require inputting recipes and I don’t really use recipes. I wrote down the meals I make and ended up with a list of 45 main dishes. I look forward to not shuffling through my freezer at 4:45 and figuring out what to make. Thanks! Marie from molliemaes.com
I kind of do the same thing but I’m not nearly as organized! I would definitely love to read your list of meals that you make. I wrote out the ones I like to make and I didn’t have that many that I like/are in season.