One heck of a blog post title, huh? Well, I didn't know any other way to explain this post. I am a BIG planner. I love planning every little thing but I always plan with a pencil and eraser. I'm not big on finalizing most plans because I like to go with the flow in life. But, I always want to have an idea about what is going to happen. I know, it's strange.
So anytime that I've tried to meal plan in the past I always end up with food that we never eat. BUT this week is different. I really sat down and tried to think about what I will need. What I will use. And things that will last in case I didn't use them. I also started to pack lunches so I didn't have an excuse to not eat the yummy food I bought.
Below is the way I worked all of this out....
1 // I started with breakfast and lunch because I knew those things are simple and mostly the same every day
2 // then I moved on to snacks
3 // after that I started to list the weekly schedule for our nights so I could figure out what I needed to buy for dinner
4 // don't forget the list when you go to the store (the hardest part for me every single time!)
Pretty simple, now making myself do it is another thing. I'd love to hear what you do??
Do you meal plan?
What are your tricks??
7 comments:
Your way of planning make me look like a total control freak hahahaha I plan for the entire month and always make enough to carry over into lunches for the week (usually just buying snacks for lunches). Then, I make grocery lists by the week and move things around if needed. If we had dinner with friends or something and I didn't end up making a meal- I usually still make it on the weekend so the stuff we bought doesn't go bad!
Good for you! It took me forever to get to the point that I am at now. I started by setting a goal for cooking a real meal once a week for a year. That naturally progressed into the weeknights and now I plan for a whole week in advance. I don't always follow it, or do it, but I know it's better for my health and wallet to do. Plus, I hate grocery shopping, so it helps me get in and out quicker when I have a plan of what I'm buying.
I haven't really ever meal planned for lunches, breakfasts, and snacks. I pretty much have the same things every day. I just buy the basics (bread, eggs, turkey bacon, yogurt, berries, fruit, lunchmeat, lettuce for salads, nuts) every week. Sometimes I spice things up and buy hummus which I then use as a snack for dipping, smearing on my sandwiches, and even on my toast for breakfast along with spinach and avocado and salt, yum.
I keep a notepad on my fridge, so as we run out of anything, we jot it down then and there, e.g. peanut butter, olive oil, toothpaste, etc. I highly recommend this! I use it when I do my weekly meal plan below.
I bought a planner that I use only for meal planning. I use this one: http://www.mochithings.com/schedulers-and-planners/weekly-index-scheduler/9605 My grocery shopping day is on Tuesday and I only go to one place unless it is a special occasion and I need a special item. On Sundays, my husband and I discuss what we have going on that week and if either of us is working late, doing anything after work, or planning to have dinner out with friends/family. Then we use a lot of usuals like bison burgers and slow cooker meals to fit into our plan. I try to pick out a new recipe to try a couple times a month. I also like to write where the recipe is located so I can easily find it again to cook and I try not to confuse myself. From there, I can list the ingredients I need right on that day. I then compile my grocery list based on my list from the fridge that I have run out of, my usuals that I always buy, and the ingredients I need on the lower right hand page of the planner in the order of the store I shop at is arranged.
Example of a typical week and some of my thoughts below:
Tuesday - Grocery Day - (I get home and unpacked by 7:00pm): Rotisserie chicken fresh from Publix with a side salad and brown rice (use leftover chicken for tomorrow)
Wednesday - (I work out until 7 and don't get home until 7:30, so this day is my husband's night to cook): Salmon with roasted asparagus (no leftovers)
Thursday: (Use leftovers for lunch on Friday) Lemon chicken with green beans and potatoes (recipe from Pinterest)
Friday: Bison burgers with mushrooms
Saturday: Going Out To Dinner
Sunday: Beef and chickpea curry slow cooker (Pinterest) (leftovers for lunch Monday)
Monday: Turkey burgers and roasted broccoli and cauliflower (This meal always creates some leftovers for Tuesday)
I am so sorry this is a novel! I just love talking about this stuff because honestly, it has changed my life for the better. My husband and I used to argue about what we were going to cook and not having anything to cook, so we'd just make pasta or breakfast for dinner (which I still love but not as often as we were having it, lol). I would be happy to email you back and forth about it if you would like to talk more!
I think it's smart to think of things that will last if you dont use them!! I meal plan every week for for us on Sunday's and it really works for Sunday - Thursday!! :) xo, Biana - BlovedBoston
WOW!!!! You are crazy, teach me!
Lots of awesome info!! thanks for sharing.... we do the same things on Sunday and I think it really helps plan our week out!
yes! most of my meals that I plan can be saved for frozen for later if it doesn't work out!
http://www.sagetheblog.com/2014/04/how-to-meal-plan-and-save-money.html
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