Guest Post by Dana – Meal Planning

I’m not the most consistent meal planner, but it’s becoming more and more of a consistent need in our family so this is what I do:  I make lots and lots of lists. About once a season I make a master list of meals (dinners) we like for that season. Those are our staples. Things like soups, chilis, breakfast for dinner, meatloaf, crock pot meals, etc usually make the list for colder weather. I break that down into meals for each week and usually rotate them, adding a new recipe every now and then. This time, I took inventory of everything I already had on hand (I found 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp, 7 tilapia filets and lots of buns, deli flats and veggies hiding in my freezer!) and made yet another list. I pretty much know what goes in and out of our house food-wise, but sometimes things get buried or pushed to the back and I forget they’re there…huge waste of money.

I try to plan meals based on what I have on hand and fill in staples where I need to. I also make a list of really quick and easy meals for those nights when we’re rushing off to do something. Based on our schedule that week, I write in what we’re having for dinner for each night of the week, but this is only a guide. I really hate feeling tied down to a plan so I often scribble out a meal and replace with something else we’re more in the mood for and I rearrange what night we’re having what. This keeps me from going crazy.

I find that my main struggle is just deciding what to have each night. I was starting to despise the 4-5pm hour because that was the time I started getting anxious about having no idea what to fix so having a list of go-to meals using ingredients we have on hand is perfect for me. I can just look at what I’ve w ritten out for the week and immediately have a clear idea of what to make. As for breakfasts and lunches, we usually have cereal, homemade yogurt, fruit, baked oatmeal, waffles/muffins (from the freezer), sandwiches and leftovers on hand so I haven’t had to plan for that too much yet.

Also, one thing that helps me immensely is to make extra for the freezer. Being 6 months pregnant, there are SO many nights when I just don’t want to cook so I just pull something out of my freezer, heat and dinner is ready.