Do you feel like you’re never ready to hear those three dreaded words, “What’s for dinner?” Meal planning can give you peace during dinnertime instead of feeling stressed trying to figure out what to feed your family!
Having a plan doesn’t mean that you can never deviate from it, but it does make it easier to avoid going out to eat or getting take-out when you haven’t planned on doing so. Ready to start meal planning but don’t know what to tackle first? We’ll give you the lowdown on how to make a meal plan that your family will love!
Check your Schedule
Meal planning is a habit that takes more time up front but will drastically save you and your family time and money in the long run. We’re all about people living their life with intention. If you know what you’re going to eat each night, that you’ve planned in advance where and what you’re going to eat!
First sit down with your calendar to determine what your plans are for dinnertime each night. If you have a family get-together or a date night, then you can assign minimal food or no food to the meal plan for that night. Once you know how many nights you would like to eat at home, you can decide which nights you need a quick and easy meal and which nights you have more time to spend in the kitchen.
Keep it Simple
On nights when you have less time to spend in the kitchen, plan to put dinner in the slow cooker in the morning or to use the grill to have dinner ready in a flash without the hassle of a ton of clean up. On nights when you have more time to spend in the kitchen, make the most of your time by doubling or tripling recipes so that you have leftovers for the next night or for lunch the next day!
Get Inspired
Once you know what kind of recipes you’ll need, you can look in your pantry, freezer and refrigerator for inspiration. Is there a piece of meat in your freezer that you’ve been meaning to cook? Is there a new grain in your pantry that you’ve been wanting to try? AllRecipes.com is the perfect place to look for recipes with ingredients that you already have in your kitchen. Check out a few reviews before making a recipe for the first time. Chances are, you’ll be able to make it even better!
Not sure if your kids and/or partner will like the meals that you’ve picked out? Get them involved! Meal planning doesn’t have to fall on one person in the family. Your favorite people will be more likely to eat food that they’ve asked to eat, after all. ;-)
Make it Happen!
Once you have your meal plan for the week, make a grocery list and shop for everything you’ll need for that week. Post your meal plan for the week somewhere that will help you to remember what you’re eating each night. Whether you post a written note on the fridge or schedule reminders into your Google Calendar, find a system that works for you and your family!
That’s it! Once you make a meal plan and buy groceries, you’re ready to tackle the week ahead because you’ve taken the uncertainty out of family dinners. Want to get even farther ahead on dinners for the week? Go ahead and make note of when you need to defrost food. If you can chop veggies or trim meat ahead of time that will make weeknights even easier!
