Meal Planning

Wake up, make breakfast, clean up breakfast, pack snacks for outings, make lunch, clean up lunch, make afternoon snack, clean up snack, make dinner, clean up dinner...it seems as though my life 

is a never ending cycle of meals and meal preparation and clean up! And in between all those meals, there's breastfeeding meals for Wayde! Agghhh...

It is very easy for me to fall into a rut when it comes to meals around our home 

and very easy to just pick up something to eat for dinner or have cereal...again! :o(

For me to avoid this rut and make sure that I am preparing and feeding my family well-balanced, home-made meals I began meal planning. I started doing this right around the time I was pregnant with Brandt, although not until he was about six months or so did it really become a consistent routine in my home. And since being pregnant with and having Wayde, I have only become more strict with this routine. And an added bonus is that it keeps our grocery budget down each month! Our grocery budget for our family of five  is about $175-225 a month. I use a couple different strategies to keep the costs down, including ad shopping, coupons and buying in bulk. However I think that the one technique that has saved the most money, provided the most mealtime peace, and really has been the easiest for me to do all the time is meal planning.

I check all the grocery ads to start my meal plans, looking for whatever produce, meat, and fish are on sale. Then of course I scan for regularly used items, bread, milk, eggs, cheese, juice, etc. and make a menu and shopping list. My menu is based on the sales that week and if I don't see anything fabulous, I pull something that I have in our freezer. I write down exactly how much of everything I need so I don't overbuy, unless it's a great sale and then I will usually double or triple how much I purchase (if I can store it for a length of time for another week's meals). I flip through my coupon binder, gathering anything 

I will be buying or have seen on sale in the ads. I shop a couple times a week, 

once for grocery stores, once for Target, and once for drugstores. 

On shopping day we head out with a game plan. I like to head out early and get home by 10 or 11 in the morning, but if that doesn't work I go out immediately after Brandt's nap to make sure we're back by dinner (and before Q's starts her grumpy evening issues).I write my list in order of the store layout so I can start on one end and go straight to the other without backtracking. I also bring my coupons in an envelope in order of the list, and an extra envelope for coupons I don't end up using. I do bring my coupon binder most of the time just in case I see something I can't pass up, 

but I always pull out my list coupons to make things go more quickly. 

As far as preparing the meals, I make the menu for the week and try to stick to it as closely as possible. I only cook four days a week. I allow one or two days for leftovers and the last day usually ends up being a bbq, bday, out to dinner, family, etc. On the days I cook, I do my best to start prepping things early and all throughout the day. I make sure that any meat is defrosted the night before, start any chopping or slicing in the morning, etc. I'd rather have dinner made early and have to heat it up for everyone than be scrambling to have my kids fed before they fall asleep! Another budget saver and generally a time saver too, is substituting one veggie meal a week. I like to find one vegetarian meal to try each week, whether it's a salad, tofu, pasta, etc. It's fun and healthy too! 

Another trick is to double some recipes and freeze leftovers. Anytime I make meatballs, pasta sauce, chili, grilled chicken breast, some casseroles, soups, etc. I freeze anything I can! It makes a quick and easy dinner for a night when you just don't have it in you. :)

For Wayde, who has just begun to eat solids, I am making most of his food. I try to do it once a week for about a half hour during nap time. Cook, puree, freeze and label. It's super easy, much more affordable and I feel great about what he's eating. I do have jarred baby food too though, sometimes 

it's so much easier when we're on the go!

So that's the general idea on how I keep up with our meals around here. 

Happy Eating!!