Having a meal plan makes all the difference in my life. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration. It makes a difference in how I feel when I am making dinner.
I'm one of those people, who, if I don't know by 9 a.m. what I'm making my family for dinner, I still don't know when 5:30 p.m. comes around. And that stress at 5:30 p.m. does not make my home the environment I want for my family. The whole goal of meal planning for me is to eliminate the stress in the evening.
My meal planning has evolved in the last few years.
- A list of all the possible things I could make for dinner. I'd look at that for ideas, but rarely by 9 a.m. Still stressful if something wasn't defrosted, or I didn't have all the ingredients.
- Jot meals in my paper planner, a few days at a time. Nothing really set in stone, and that didn't take. I wouldn't stick to what I had planned, and was often swapping out one day for another on a whim.
- Ooooh, a dry erase menu board. Straight from Pinterest. It worked. Sometimes. Like any good system, it only will work if you use it.
- Creating shopping list based on 2 weeks worth of meals. (I still do this, and will have this in a future post).
But then karate hit. And homework. And Piano. And more homework. And a dozen other after school activities that changed how my family operated on weeknights. I needed a plan.
Here are my steps to meal planning:
I know this seems like a huge task, with lots of steps. It takes me all of 10 focused minutes. The trick is to be focused and intentional when doing it.
1. Pick a consistent day to plan your meals for the week.
Some people like doing it on Fridays, as they go grocery shopping on Saturday, and bulk cook over the weekend. Some people like to do it on Sunday night, so they know what their week looks like. I do Monday mornings, with a nice cuppa tea.
2. What does your week look like?
Pull out your calendars, and what you write your menu down on. Look at your commitments for the week. What nights do you need a meal with very little prep? What nights do you already have dinner plans, like a spirit night at a local restaurant for the kid's school? Use that as a jumping off point to know what time you have for cooking.
On Monday mornings, after the kids have left for school, and the little one is down for her morning nap, I look at my calendar for the week. I know that on Wednesdays, my son has Karate until 7 p.m.. So we are home at about 7:15. Not enough time to cook, eat, and for the kids to finish homework and get to baths and showers at 8. So Wednesday is always a crock pot meal, leftovers, or soup. Something super quick. Mondays are karate too, but earlier. That is also usually a crock pot meal, or something that I can make in the late afternoon, and then just warm up when we get home. Girl Scout nights twice a month - definitely leftovers. I'm a leader, so I'm busy getting ready for the meeting, and we have to eat separately that night. Before basketball, my middle schooler was going to a youth group once a week that served pizza. So that night, we ate the things she didn't like, and I didn't hear any complaints about dinner. Win-Win. My husband sometimes has works commitments that will keep him from eating dinner with us. Those nights I pick something that is very kid friendly so there are no complaints. You need at least one positive person complementing your cooking after all your effort.
3. Shop your pantry. And fridge. Oh, and your freezer.
This is where start deciding what meals you are actually going to cook. How many leftovers do you need to use up? Those green peppers you bought on sale only have a few days left in them, so what are you going to do with them? What is sitting in the pantry, waiting to be used? When I make chili, I like to make a double batch, and freeze half. Do you have anything, ready to go, sitting in your freezer? As you look around, keep a mental list of what you can make. Do this with your shopping list close by, so you can mark what you are low on.
The last thing I need in my week is another trip to the store. With a little one, still in an infant car seat, I like to minimize my trips out. Also, the less you go to the store, the less you spend. Shopping at home helps me keep my spending down, minimizes food waste, and keeps the stress of shopping with a little one to a minimum.
4. Start filling in meals around your commitments. In pencil.
Now that you know what your week looks like, and you know what you have on hand to work with, start picking meals for each day. I also like to balance out red meat, chicken, pork, fish, and vegetarian dishes so that we have a variety. No one likes to eat the same thing every day, even if its cooked a different way. What haven't you had for a while? What's seasonal? What's on special this week at the grocery store? What about that recipe you pinned? Do you have a night with a little extra breathing room to try a new recipe?
5. Double check your calendar. Make swaps.
So on Monday night, you plan a crock pot meal because of soccer practice. Perfect! But Monday morning, you have carpool, dentist appointments, followed by lunch with a friend. When exactly will you put things in the crock pot? This is the time you can change things a bit, hence the pencil.
6. Check your recipes and update your shopping list.
So now that you know what you want to cook, and what day you're going to cook it, make sure you have everything you need. Most of the things that you cook each week, you probably know the ingredients like the back of your hand. But new recipes deserve an extra read. Is there anything you really want to cook, that you don't have everything sitting in your pantry for? The whole goal of meal planning is to eliminate stress in the evening. Running out to the store to buy tortillas after you have started making enchiladas doesn't keep the stress at bay.
7. Keep your menu handy.
Whatever works for you. A piece of paper on the fridge? A fancy-shmancy menu board? In your calendar? On your phone? I also like to make notations on my menu. If it is a crock pot recipe, I put a CP next to it. If it's a new recipe from Pinterest, I put Pin next to it. I always mark GS for Girl Scout nights. Since my daughter and I have to eat before we go, I have to have our dinner ready an hour and a half before we normally eat as a family. That helps me remember what I was thinking back on Monday.
8. Every morning, look at your list.
What needs to be defrosted? Does that meal still work for your family tonight? Did you ever get to the store to by half and half for what you are making? Again, this step helps eliminate stress later tonight.
9. Be flexible.
Nothing is set in stone. The goal of meal planning is to eliminate stress so that you can have a peaceful evening and meal with your family. Some nights, I don't want to cook, and we get a pizza. Some nights, we have more leftovers than I had planned for that need to get used up. Some nights, I haven't gotten to the store to get everything I need.
Doing these steps, once a week and once a day helped me turn making dinner for my family a peaceful experience, a simple pleasure without stress. I hope it does the same for you.
So what's for dinner at your house this week? I'll be posting my weekly menu plan on here. Post in the comments what you're making so that we can all get out of the recipe rut.
