The two easiest meal planning tricks: 1) buy meat when it's on sale and freeze it and 2) plan your week's menu around using the same kind of meat for 2 different meals.
First, I have a list of "food ideas" to help me when I'm stuck on what to make for the week. These are tried and true meals and my kids love everything on the list I've attached below (and yes, one of them is a picky eater!) This helps so I feel like I'm not making the same exact food over and over. I'll still sprinkle in new recipes during the week from time to time, but if I'm in a pinch I know anything off this list will satisfy.
The easiest way to meal plan is to keep some staples on hand at all times - things like tortillas, shredded cheese, boxes of noodles, canned/jarred sauces, and frozen veggies like Edamame for nights when you don't have something fresh available. I have at least 1-2 "already stocked" meals on my menu each week, that way if plans change and we're out, we get home late from soccer practice, we go to the neighbors for dinner, etc, I'm not wasting fresh food. So breakfast for dinner, pasta dishes, soup & sandwiches, etc are often thrown into the mix once or twice a week on the chance we have an impromptu picnic at the park and I need to modify the menu a bit for the night. So the menu doesn't have to be strictly enforced - this allows you to move everything around a bit to keep your schedule fluid if you have a lot of busy nights.
Below is my May Menu, along with a blank calendar you can fill in for yourself (I attached my "menu ideas" that I pull from as well in printable form if that will help you, but I encourage you to make your own to have on hand to quell those "what's for dinner?" questions... it really does help when you feel like you're in a dinner rut!) I've also attached some basic meal planning tips to help you out. If you want more, including recipes, ideas on grocery list organization, etc, email me at [email protected]!
meal_planning.doc |
menu_options.doc |
completed_may_menu.pdf |
blank_may_menu.pdf |