Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Today’s Step: Pay Attention to Your Computer/Desk Area. I know mine is DUSTY. We pile our bills on our desk as well which definitely needs organized.
Today we are going to spend a little time talking about meal planning for the week. This is a method that I have used for several years and it has really worked for our family. Sometimes this can be one of the hardest tasks of the week as you try to please your family members, find what works in the time you have and staying within a budget. I feel like I am always thinking about what we can have for dinner for the next week, this helps keep me ahead of the game when I sit down to plan out our meals.
The first step is to look at your family calendar and see what nights you will be home as a family. For instance, we eat dinner with a group of friends one night a week (usually Monday or Tuesday) but we only have to cook for the group every third week. Then there may be times our family has other obligations so I mark that down on my meal planning sheet. If just part of the family will be home, we might have leftovers that night or I might just make something simple like sandwiches.
The next step is to plan out the meal. I try to plan each part of the meal so I am prepared when I make my grocery list. I usually plan a vegetable and/or a salad for each meal. This helps to increase the amount of veggies we are eating and makes for a more well-balanced meal. When trying to create a healthy meal, think of your plate like this.
Here is what my dinner meal plan for the week might look like:
M- Balsamic Chicken Noodle Bowl with a salad
T- Baked Tilapia with steamed broccoli, brown rice and small salad
W- Leftovers
TH- Pork & Veggie Fajitas Verde with homemade Guacamole
F- Grilled Pork Chops with grilled asparagus, baked potato
And on Fridays it is usually our day to let loose a little so I would probably finish the meal by adding dessert something like: Scotcheroos or Golden Graham S’mores.
I also plan other meals for the week like breakfast, lunch and snacks. To make it easy I usually choose something to eat for breakfast for the week and then switch it up, for instance, we might have oatmeal this week, waffles next week and cereal another week. We choose from the same things but just switch up what I buy. The same goes for lunches maybe we do sandwiches this week, wraps next week and so on. This makes it easy and you use up what you buy at the store.
The final step is going to the store. I try to just go to the store once a week. This helps me to stay within budget and to get that errand out of the way.
We would love to hear questions you have about meal planning or creation or way to make your meals more interesting.
Do you go to the store once a week or more often? Does your family go out to eat often?
