I usually start out with the calendar. Who is eating at home this week and on what days. What do our days look like? Are we busy waiting on sports practice to get done? Will we all be home, and a wonderful large family meal would be in order? Look at the calendar and decide which kind of meal will suit your day. Quick. Easy. Slow and Meaningful. New.
If you are like me, by now we have our go to meals but sometimes I get so burned out on the same old meals. I want some new recipes and something more healthy. Some sites I visit to get inspiration are pinterest, Allrecipes, and How Jen does it. Of course there are always the cooking shows on T.V. If any of you have sites where you find meal inspiration please share with me in the comments.
Next, I check the weekly ads for my local stores, what's on sale this week and also what do I still have in my pantry that could be used? If the store is having a good sale on something, I will stock up and possibly cook it when I'm making something else so I can freeze it for future use. I tend not to freeze a lot because I often forget about it or basically my family is large enough that we don't have much left over. Speaking of left overs, we tend to eat those for lunch the next day if we are lucky enough to have them. I do try and buy something for lunches to be made simply so when there are no left overs, we don't resort to eating out. I always check the snacks we have on hand too, for school and home. You can't have a house full of boys and not have snacks!
I make a menu plan for supper only. We usually eat our big meal in the evening and eat simply during the day. Most of my cookbooks come from churches or schools in the area who are selling cookbooks for a fundraiser. I have bought some healthier cookbooks but tend to rely on my old faithfuls. Why is that. Change in the kitchen is hard for me. I guess food reminds me of family and when I eat something my Mom or Grandma prepared I feel close to them. Anyone else struggle with changing up the meals that have been served for generations?
My meal plans are written on a simple sheet of paper. Days of the week, meal, and the grocery list. After I shop, I hang the list on my refrigerator so I don't forget what the plan is! I try to check it when I'm preparing the nightly meal so I can lay out anything that may need defrosted for the next day.
This simple piece of paper keeps me from going over budget most of the time and keeps me moving through the store very quickly. Good Luck with your menu plans and I encourage you to start doing them if your not already. I'm following along with The Simple Home book by Rhonda Hetzel. On her blog, She gave a great suggestion, which is to get the kids involved in menu planning. If they are picky have them help with the menu and also have them shop with you to see the prices and how much it actually costs to feed a family. This will be a valuable lesson for them. She always has great advise.
Here's a quick look at my method,
check your week
who will be home
what kind of meal
check your pantry
check the weekly ads
find meals to prepare, old favorites and new favorites
write your meal plan and grocery list
shop, put away, hang your list
prepare meal and check tomorrow's list
Blessings, Kristy
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