Meal Planning is a Sanity Saver. Trust.
It's been a few since I blogged, friends! It was a busy summer, full of outside time, friends, travel and organizing (YAHOO!).
Since it has been a few weeks since I've posted, I really wanted to talk about a subject close to my heart. That subject is FOOD. I believe in the healing power of a good meal and always say yes to the baguette with warm butter - duh - but I also recognize that providing breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for your family can feel completely relentless. This is the dual nature of nourishment (Ha! Poetic on a Monday morning.)
Therefore, I am ALL ABOUT ways that I can make meal preparation easier for myself. My process has evolved over the years, and the addition of Aily changed things further, but I do have a basic system that I have stuck with that works for us. Keep in mind when I say "works for us" I am NOT saying Charley never complains about what I make. He absolutely does. My favorite Charley critique: "Hmm. This tastes....healthy." That comment plus the elbow on the table means he is Not Having It.
Like any process, tweak as needed for your specific family preferences and schedule. If you're trying to start meal planning, you can use my process as a base and tweak from there.
The weekend is my meal planning time, because it's when I go to the store. I have a marker board I use to plan our weekly schedule and put all the meals I'm making on there - that way Charley knows what to expect. Also, if I am not home, I usually don't cook and Charley fends for himself (mac & cheese, pizza, corndogs usually make an appearance.)
Depending on our schedule, I usually plan to make 3-5 meals and we will eat leftovers or out the rest of the time. I used to make something completely unique every single meal, not usually repeating anything, just because I liked to do it. But that was pre-Aily. Now that time is a little more limited, speed is just as important as nutrition!
I have noticed I also pay more attention to healthy sides for Aily's sake, but usually those are easy options like frozen veggies I can make alongside the main dish and a fruit we can cut up for her while we are waiting for dinner to cool down.
Once I decide what meals I'll make, I create my grocery list. This is where having an organized kitchen and pantry is critical to avoid re-purchasing things you already have!
I have a list of grocery items we use almost every week posted above my notepad so that I can refer to it to jog my memory. Charley has almost the exact same lunch every day so his basics are there, plus lunch and breakfast go-to items that we like.
Each week I have a pretty good idea of what we will be eating and we stick to it pretty well.
Meal planning saves us money on fast food or eating out (because when I don't plan I make terrible hangry decisions), it saves me time figuring out what to make each day, and our family eats a more balanced diet than if we survived on takeout or pre-packaged meals.
Honestly, the hour I spend planning and prepping makes a world of difference in my stress level over the week. Then all I need to do is think about what I'm making the night before and do any prep I need to do to make the evening go more smoothly, which is super helpful with a toddler in the kitchen.
For actual meal ideas and some next-level meal planning info, check out Edit Your Life Podcast's episode on meal planning: http://www.edityourlifeshow.com/real-life-meal-planning/. They have some amazing tips that I'm working on implementing now.
Do you meal plan? What are your favorite tips on making the process easier?
