When Mike and I headed to the grocery store for the first time as newly weds, I realized I had no idea what we needed to buy. When I was living at home, my mom did all the grocery shopping. If she sent us to the store, it was always with a list. When she went to the store, she's the kind of woman who just remembers what she needs in her pantry for what she wants to make that week. Now, jump to my husband and I wandering through the aisles of Albertson's. I quickly found that I am not that kind of woman! I'm the kind of woman who needs a written plan of attack when it comes to mealtime. So, I began to meal plan.
I've now been meal planning for our little family for 5 years.
I can't tell you how much stress, time, and money it's saved us! For this woman, it's the way to go.
At first, meal planning may seem like a daunting task, but it's really pretty simple!
Here is a step-by-step guide to meal planning done easy:
1- Scout out the pantry, fridge, and cupboards.
I always meal plan on Friday night or Saturday morning, so I can do my grocery shopping on Saturday afternoon. On the day or two leading up to Friday, I start thinking about what we might want to eat the following week. Then, as I'm prepping meals or digging through the fridge for a snack on Friday, I make little mental notes about what we have that needs to be used. I've found that it's easier to come up with ideas for meals when you have a base of ingredients you want to work with.
Optional 2- Check out the sales and flip through your coupons.
If you're wanting to start to meal plan to save money, then this step is a must! Just glance through the ads and come up with a couple meals around what's on the best sale that week. If you have some coupons, then it's even better!
2- Grab a pencil and your menu.
I've always used a good old-fashioned piece of lined paper for our menu. It's not always the prettiest on the fridge, but I'm kind of easy-going, so it's not a big deal to me. Plus, it's a great way to use up all those half-used notebooks you know you have lying around! However, if you'd love a little prettier option for your fridge, then I've whipped up this little menu for you! Just click on it and print the pdf.
3- Start to fill in your meals.
As you get ready to fill in meals, keep a couple things in mind:
---What's on the calendar for this week? Is there a crazy night when you'll need something quick and simple? Any holidays or potlucks coming up? Guests coming?
---Do you want to plan for every meal, or just the ones where everyone is home?
---Do you have a space for leftovers?
Now, just plug the meals in where they fit best for your week. I like to do more simple meals on the weekdays and trickier meals on the weekend when Mike and I can tag team with the kiddos. I also like to plan one new recipe a week, so we get to try new things. If you plan new recipes, you might want to make a note about where you found them, so you can find them easily later. (I learned this lesson the hard way...)
4- Grab your grocery list and go through your menu.
I love this part, because it makes the shopping list so easy! Just run through your menu and write down any ingredients you need to purchase. Add any extra staples that you might be running low on, and voila`, you're ready to hit up the grocery store!
That's it! I told you it was easy, didn't I? Everyone has time for 4 simple steps, right?!
So, go for it and have fun planning!
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