Last week I talked about meal planning. (Read last week’s post here.) Today I thought it was worth continuing the discussion.
Because, let’s get real here: Meal prep, grocery shopping, and mealtimes consume a huge portion of our lives! One way or another, much of our time and energy as moms will be consumed with feeding our families, and anything we can do to make the process faster and easier is an absolute blessing!
Disciplined meal planning can be such a time and stress-saver, but if you’ve never done it before, it can be a little hard to get in the swing of it!
I’ve heard some people say they cook the same set of meals every week. Maybe their family is picky or they don’t like cooking, and a regular rotation of certain meals is what works for them. If you are one of those, meal planning for you should be fairly easy! You just need to get in the habit of writing those meals down, (like on the free meal planner I offered last week,) and making a weekly grocery list accordingly.
But I have to admit I could never survive like that. I need some variety in the things I cook, so while we have a handful of favorite meals that we may repeat every other week or so, I choose most of my meals from an ever-growing list that hangs inside a cabinet door.
Why do I keep a list? When I start meal planning, it is just so much easier if I have a visible pool of choices to pick from. Flipping through recipes and cookbooks can be helpful, but it can take a lot of time, too, when a ready-made list of favorites puts all my options before me at once.
Separating the meals into categories is helpful, too. I have a list of overall favorites for those days that follow a more typical schedule for us, but I also list out slow-cooker meals for busier days, and quick meals for nights when I want to keep both prep and cleanup to a minimum. I can also list out new recipes that I want to try in the future.
When I begin meal planning for the week, I usually start by checking out the sales at the local grocery store and butcher shop. The sales usually give my planning some direction, but I also take family requests, (and my own cravings!) into consideration. Some weeks we have a busy schedule and the meal planning has to be based solely on how much time I think I’ll have for cooking.
And did I mention my list is always changing? When new recipes get a thumbs up from the family, I add them to the list. As we get tired of other meals, or our tastes change, I remove them.
I mentioned that I keep my printed meal planner hanging inside a cabinet door. I do the same with my meal list, so it is always accessible and easy-to-find.
So would a meal list of your own be helpful in your meal planning? Grab this simple printable and compile a list of family favorites at your house! Now you always have a list of choices to go to as you begin your meal planning.
Our Family Favorites Meal List – Color
Our Family Favorites Meal List – Black and White
What do you do to simplify meal planning and grocery shopping in your house? Share any tips in the comments below…
