Meal Planning 101

If you are here looking for the perfect method for meal-planning,  you may want to search again.  I'm not an expert meal-planner, but I thought I would share some tips & tricks that have worked for me.  I've tried meal-planning off and on for the past few years.  Despite the "planning",  it seems like we always end up in a rut of eating the same meals.   Since school started in late August,  I've tried a different approach.

1.  Sit down a make a list of recipes your family likes or of recipes you would like to try.   My list generated 32 recipes as well as a few "new" recipes.  Granted there are some variations on the list (tacos, enchiladas & spaghetti, lasagna, stuffed shells) - but there aren't any duplicates.

2.  Dedicate time on your calendar to make your weekly menu.  Thursday tends to be a good time - you can look at the grocery store sale flyers and generate your menu around meat or other items that may be on-sale.

3.  Make a grocery list and check it twice.  I live in the Southeast & two local grocery stores (Lowes Food & Harris Teeter) offer shopping online.  You submit your order online, they shop the order, and you arrive at your pre-selected time to pick it up and go.  They always call after they've shopped your order to see if you need to add any items.  The cost is $4.95 per order.   Some people think this is absolutely ridiculous.  However, I've found that I stick to my list and actually spend less because there are no impulse buys. (and you can still use coupons!)

4.  Keep a frozen pizza or other quick go-to meals in the cabinet just in case.  There will be nights where the mountain of homework is unending or you simply don't feel good & it's quicker and easier to do a frozen meal.  It's still cheaper than hitting a drive-thru.

5.  Prep meals.  I enjoy Sunday football but not all afternoon long.  While super-husband enjoys the game,  I spend a couple of hours meal-prepping.  On average, I usually have 3 of 5 meals prepped for the week.   When I get home, it's nice to preheat the oven and bake!

6.  Why do I only plan meals for Mon - Fri?  We have one "eat-out" meal per week and it tends to be Saturday or Sunday.  Some weeks we have leftovers and don't always go through the 5 planned meals so I prepare one of those on Saturday or Sunday if needed.

7.  How much do I spend?  My goal is to keep our grocery budget under $100 per week; however, on average I would say I have been spending $125 per week.  Understanding couponing is next on my list -- I've never done well at it or perfected the methods.

 It's required a little more effort on my end - but the trade-off is well worth it.  I feel more prepared at the beginning of the week (no thinking what's for dinner),  we're saving money & we are eating out less.  Do you have any meal planning tips?

What's cooking?

Last Monday, I decided to cook up a couple meals to get started in the week.  I've done this before and it proves to be a huge time-saver during the week especially when school is in session.  It probably took me about 2 hours but was worth every minute.  There was no second-guessing what's for dinner.  Bonus, we had leftovers so I didn't have a sandwich every day for lunch either.  :)

After church today, I decided to do the same.  I was already scheduled to pick up groceries around 12:30p, so I had about an hour to play with.  I started stewing some chicken and put together super-son's breakfast pizza/casserole for the week.   After all the groceries were put away, I went right back to it.  Not only did I get 3 meals prepped and ready for dinner this week.  I have super-son's breakfast baked and portioned out for the week.  DIY trail-mix, wasabi peas, watermelon, cucumbers, celery are all prepped, portioned, and ready to put in lunch boxes.  It took me around 3.5-4 hours this week but that includes going to pick-up the groceries.  All in all not bad!

Do you have any time saving or meal-prep tips?

Multipurpose Room -- Ugh Again?!

Way back in 2011,  I talked about our spare bedroom and the need for it to be a multipurpose room.   I'm happy to report it has not returned to the cluttered, chaotic state in one of the pictures of that post - but man, oh, man - my heart still doesn't swoon when I walk in.    I've decluttered and purged ALOT.    I don't want to share the current "before" pictures because I'm not sure when this project will unfold.    I've started an "inspiration" board here on Pinterest.   The room is still begging for direction and definition.  

Super-husband and I have agreed to keep the treadmill for 6 months & then re-evaluate.  Personally, I would rather be outdoors exercising (even if it is freezing cold) - he is the opposite & prefers the treadmill. 

The desk.  I have a love-hate relationship with it.  In the link to 2011, you'll see a corner desk.  I'm happy to report I disassembled that desk - it was not a "space saver" for us.  I'm currently evaluating the office closet idea.  I mentioned it as well in my first post & I really think that is the best option for the space.

Other than that,  I'd love to have a futon, bed, or seating area to accompany guest or for us to have a place to retreat.  The bottom line, I want it to be usable space for us & not a door that we keep closed.  This will likely be my Labor Day weekend project - my goals:  design on dime (not to spend much if any money)  & make the space fully functional. 

Please let me know if you have some suggestions!  :)

Lists - To Do? or Not To Do?

Are you a list-maker?   To some extent, I always have been.  Some days I wish I were more of a list-maker than I am -- some are well thought out & others are scribbled on a piece of paper.  

-Have you ever gone into the grocery store without a list?  I have & it's never been a successful trip.
-Have you ever ran errands without a list?   Forget something?  I have.
-Have you outlined goals for the year?   Only to forget two weeks later what they were.  I have.

My point is a list helps keep us focused. 

At work - I have an ongoing list of tasks & deadlines.  I'm constantly marking off completed items and adding more that needs to be done.

At home - I have several  :)  One in particular that I enjoy looking at is room by room of things I would like to do to update or change the space.  (Painting, moving furniture, decluttering, etc)  

During the school year,  I try to make a list each day before I leave work of things I need to get accomplished that evening.   Super-husband works evenings, so I have to make sure I maximize the time I do have -- ensuring super-son's schoolwork is complete coupled with dinner and other household duties.

What's your take on lists?  

See my fitness goals list here.