Planning your meals ahead of time is really just a matter of deciding what you'll have for dinner a few days, a week or even a month in advance. It sounds difficult at first, but it's really not the hard to do.
The benefits you get from meal planning are well worth the effort. Meal planning helps you save time, save money, and eat healthier. What can be better than that?
Here are some tips to help you make meal planning fun and easy:
The first thing you should do is to write down all of your family's favorite dishes. This will be very handy when you just can't think of anything for dinner.
The next step is to review your grocery store flier for sale items. The goal is to plan your meals around food that is on sale that week. You can also stock up on items that your family uses frequently or for meals you expect to make in the next few weeks. If your grocery store doesn't mail out a weekly ad, check online. Many stores post their sale ads on their website, and many have printable ads and shopping lists.
Before you get to deep into your menu plan, you might want to look at your calendar for the week. If you have family or work activities that will keep you from getting home at a decent hour, you will want to plan very simple meals or even leftovers for those particular nights.
The next step is to review what food you already have on hand. If you've got food that is old or needs to be eaten soon, you will want to plan that into your meals right away. This is a huge benefit of meal planning. Once you get used to planning your meals ahead of time, you'll see that you waste much less food, because you use the food you already have, and you don't buy food that you won't eat that week.
The next step is to create your actual menu for the week and plan your grocery list. At this point, you should have a very good idea of what you want to cook for the week based on the grocery store sale ads, the food you already have on hand, and your family's activities for the week. It's just a matter of writing it all down now.
The hard work is done. Now all you have to do is go grocery shopping, post your menu in the kitchen for the family to see, and cook your meals. You can cook them ahead of time, or each night, whichever works best for you. The good news is that now when your family asks "what's for dinner?" you don't have to stress because you've got it all planned out, and you've got everything you need already in your refrigerator. See... meal planning really is easy, and it makes cooking dinner much faster and less stressful.
The benefits you get from meal planning are well worth the effort. Meal planning helps you save time, save money, and eat healthier. What can be better than that?
Here are some tips to help you make meal planning fun and easy:
The first thing you should do is to write down all of your family's favorite dishes. This will be very handy when you just can't think of anything for dinner.
The next step is to review your grocery store flier for sale items. The goal is to plan your meals around food that is on sale that week. You can also stock up on items that your family uses frequently or for meals you expect to make in the next few weeks. If your grocery store doesn't mail out a weekly ad, check online. Many stores post their sale ads on their website, and many have printable ads and shopping lists.
Before you get to deep into your menu plan, you might want to look at your calendar for the week. If you have family or work activities that will keep you from getting home at a decent hour, you will want to plan very simple meals or even leftovers for those particular nights.
The next step is to review what food you already have on hand. If you've got food that is old or needs to be eaten soon, you will want to plan that into your meals right away. This is a huge benefit of meal planning. Once you get used to planning your meals ahead of time, you'll see that you waste much less food, because you use the food you already have, and you don't buy food that you won't eat that week.
The next step is to create your actual menu for the week and plan your grocery list. At this point, you should have a very good idea of what you want to cook for the week based on the grocery store sale ads, the food you already have on hand, and your family's activities for the week. It's just a matter of writing it all down now.
The hard work is done. Now all you have to do is go grocery shopping, post your menu in the kitchen for the family to see, and cook your meals. You can cook them ahead of time, or each night, whichever works best for you. The good news is that now when your family asks "what's for dinner?" you don't have to stress because you've got it all planned out, and you've got everything you need already in your refrigerator. See... meal planning really is easy, and it makes cooking dinner much faster and less stressful.
About the Author:
Visit My Weekly Menu Planner to learn how to save money with meal planning and for menu planning forms, worksheets, and other tips.
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