How to Meal Plan the Easy Way
If you are anything like me, you are trying to fit more minutes into each and every day. You probably are also trying to make the most out of everyday and trying to make that precious time for your family. One way to make this happen and have less daily chaos is to plan out your meals. Yes, I'm referring to meal planning. Come up with a plan of meals for the week, or for two, or even for an entire month. No matter how far in advance you decide to take your meal plan, the fact is that you are planning. No more scraping to put something together at the last minute, or enduring that dreaded decision on what to cook up at 5pm.
With a meal plan in place, there is no guess work involved. You know what is going to be served for dinner (you can even include breakfasts, lunches and snacks, if you wanted too) each and every night. There are even ways to turn Tuesday night's leftover into a whole new meal! Not only will you save money at the grocery and eating out, but you will not be sacrificing healthy meals in any way. Let's take a look at some helpful hints on how to design a meal plan the easy way.
- On the days that you know your schedule will be jammed packed, plan a go-to meal, such as spaghetti, tacos, or a stir-fry. Plan meals for these nights that you already know how to cook and require minimal time and ingredients.
- For the weekend, when most of us have more time to spend in the kitchen, try out a new recipe and double it. This way any leftovers can be used later in the month in a pinch.
- Have a soup and sandwich night! This meal idea can be varied in so many ways. From hot or cold sandwiches using leftover meats to using leftover vegetables to make a quick homemade soup, the options and possibilities are endless.
- No matter the season, use your slow cooker once a week. Not only does the slow cooker tenderize tougher cuts of meat (which are usually less expensive, but come out delicious using the slow cooker), but the convenience factor using a slow cooker is huge. Set up your meal in the morning and it will be ready to put on your table come dinner time.
- It is okay to repeat meals. To make your meal planning easier, repeat some dishes two times a month. That way, when you take the time to get your shopping lists and recipes together, you are utilizing more of your time by not searching for new recipes constantly and you are keeping your food bill a bit lower because you can buy those same ingredients in bulk.
- Don't underestimate the power of fish and seafood! Both can be bought either fresh or frozen. Although buying frozen will keep your food bill lower. Also, fish and seafood cook up very quickly and make for a healthy and delicious dinner! Be sure to incorporate these into you meal plans.
About the author: Ann Martin is a writer for Dinnerware Center, which offers a large assortment of beautiful dinnerware sets, such as the Noritake Colorwave Graphite and the Noritake Colorwave Blue. Ann is a freelance writer for other home and garden websites. When Ann is not writing, she enjoys cooking and traveling.
Posted: Tuesday 26th April 2011, 2:04 AM
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