Meal Planning

I wake up every morning and the first thing I think is, "What am I going to make for dinner?"  I never know what to make.  When I finally decide on something to cook I never know if I have the right ingredients.  Usually I would end up making an extra trip to the grocery store to grab the ingredients I need.  Many times I'd be too frustrated by dinnertime and end up making boxed mac and cheese.  The kids love it I suppose, but it's very frustrating to me.  Last night I decided enough was enough.  It was time to plan my meals!

I wanted to make something that would help me know exactly what I would make each month, but not I didn't want to be too repetitive.  I made sure to add my husband's favorite recipes.  Thursdays ended up being kid food day.  It was nice to be able to pick quick meals for the busier days and fancier meals for Sunday.

Here's the link to my family menu for each month.  It will give you a list of recipes for 4 weeks.  At the bottom is a check list of everything you'll need each week.  Whatever you don't have you can pick up at the grocery store.  One grocery trip a week--yes please!

Some days on the meal planner have 2 different recipes.  That is because I planned one fast meal and one meal that takes a little more work.  That way I can choose which one I would like to do based on how my week is going.

The beauty of the meal planner is I know what I'm making, I know what I need, I will probably save money because I won't buy extras thinking "I might need this," and I can choose to make something else whenever I want.

By making this weekly meal planner I inadvertently have done #4 on my 10 habits for a well-run home challenge: institute meal planning.  I'll let you know how it works.  I'm very excited to try it out.  Let me know if it helps you.  Try out some of the recipes and let me know what you liked and what you would change.