Meal Planning Made Simple

Menu planning is something we intend to do when we get around to it or “when I’m get organized.” But this is backward thinking, menu planning should be your first step to getting organized.

A lack of meal planning means wasted money, extra trips to the store, frustration and cooking boredom. We are all faced with meals three times a day, seven times a week, it should be planned. Don’t put it off any longer.

This is normally an article I would put on my homemaking blog but meal planning saves time and money and homeschoolers need both so I’m posting here. Invest 15 minutes today and all the time and money you save can be spent on something that really matters – your family!

Reasons to Meal Plan

Save Time and Money

• Reduce grocery and gas bills by meal planning. A simple list of meals means an easy grocery list for the grocery store, which cuts down on impulse buys, wasted food, and needless trips to the supermarket.
• If you don’t plan, there will be days you end up harried and hurried with hungry kids and opt for a trip to a fast food restaurant (which can take more time than preparing a meal). The more harried and hurried the more fast food trips.
• Having a shopping list will make it easier for you to clip coupons.
• Stock up on sale items like hamburger, chicken, jars of spaghetti sauce, etc.
• Save the ultimate amount of time and money by using a book like OnceA-Month Cooking or Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month.

Make Healthier Meals

• Eating out may be convenient but fat-laden fast food is not nutritional (it’s a huge part of the reason our nation is experiencing an obesity epidemic).
• When you pre-plan your own meals, you can choose healthy options. You control the flavor and the fat and amount of sugar, you can grill or broil instead of fry. Planning ensures you are cooking a healthy meal every day of the week.

Easier Meal Preparation

• With a meal plan you always know what meat to take out of the freezer to defrost the night before and you’ll have the ingredients because they were listed on your shopping list.
• The easiest meals for me are made using my crockpot in the morning. I love smelling it cooking all day and simply setting the table at dinner time.

Teach Your Children Skills

• Include children in the meal planning process to teach them organizational skills and how to assemble a balanced meal.
• They can help to plan the meals and learn about the different nutrition groups.

Reduces Stress

• How frustrated do you get each night at meal time rummaging through the freezer and pantry? Once you menu plan won’t have to worry about everything that goes into making a meal.

• My dear OCD hubby asks me daily (usually before breakfast) “What’s for dinner?” I used to get irritated and roll my eyes but since I started meal planning I can give him a cheerful answer.

• There is something secure about having dinner organized and on the table at the same time every night. It brings peace to you and your family.
• Our family meal times are jeopardized by rushed schedules, overworked and exhausted parents. Meal planning allows us to have a special family time to share, rekindle, and reconnect.
  

Meal Plan Online!

In the Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach I give examples of meal planning in a notebook. But now there are many online options. Here are two free sites:

• Meals Matter -Meals Matter is a really neat free meal planning website featuring recipes and personalized nutrition tips. Users can create family cookbooks, shopping lists and plan out menus. They offer a ton of articles, recipes and ideas for creating healthy and easy meals. They also offer a free Nutrition & Fitness Challenge ( a three-week self-directed program). Each week of the Challenge you will receive an email that guides you through the steps that will help you achieve your goals.

• Pepperclip - Pepperclip offers a free place for you to organize your personal recipes, share with friends, and make your trips to the grocery store easier by writing your lists for you. Your list is made from either recipes you typed in or from recipes other pepperclip users have added to the website. Once you type a recipe, it is saved in the system forever and you can use it again for shopping lists in the future.
• Organized Home - If you prefer organizing on paper this site offers printable menu planners.

Blog Your Meals Plan

Organizing Junkie created a Menu Plan Monday meme. I plan my meals once a week and go to the grocery store once a week. I now put my menus on my homemaking blog. Most of the recipes I use are already on my homemaking blog so I can also link my Meal Plan to the recipes. Here is an example of this week’s plan:

• Monday: Shepherd’s pie
• Tuesday: Crockpot Pot Roast (Tuesday Night Bible Study)
• Wednesday: Pizza at church
• Thursday: Cabbage and Kielbasa
• Frida: Orange Roughy, fried rice, kale, Challa Bread
• Saturday: Killer Tacos
• Sunday: Chicken Fajitas (video)

Your Turn

Do you meal plan? Why or why not? What’s your favorite method? We need your feedback to supply what you want to see on this blog. Lurkers come out. Please add your comments below.

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