A few of you have asked me how I plan my meals for the week. Let me start off by saying that planning a weeks worth of meals takes some practice and organizing but makes for a less stressful week and saves a lot of money.
The first thing I do before planning meals is to look at what we have going on for the week. I try to cook at least 3 nights a week. I leave one night for leftovers or something fast like frozen pizza and salad. I also usually leave the weekends open since we normally grab a bite out or do something with friends.
The next thing I do is to look at what we have on hand in the fridge, freezer and pantry. Is there anything that I need to use up? We tend to eat a lot of chicken on our house so I try to switch it up by making to to include pork, fish/shrimp, and beef dishes as well. I like to look at the grocery store ad to see what is on sale. If I am making something that calls for fresh cilantro, I know that I will have that on hand. Is there something else I can make that has fresh cilantro in it so that it doesn't go to waste?
I have been collecting recipes in binders for years. If I saw a recipe online or in a magazine...into the binder it went. I now have about 6 binders FULL of recipes. After I make one, I decide if I would want to make it again. If I did not like it, it goes into the trash. If I did like the recipe, it goes into a new binder of my "go-to" recipes. I have also been using Pinterest for recipes lately. I like to try new things and use some "go-to" recipes as well. I only plan our dinners. Breakfast is usually granola or cereal bars and lunch is usually leftovers.
You can write down your plan on a calendar, planner or one of these handy sheets.
I am including some free printables. The links are underneath the picture.
I think the key to successful meal planning is to stick to the plan and do not try and make something new every night...it wont happen and you will end up feeling like a failure. Sometimes life happens and you don't get a chance to make something one night... push everything back and day.
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