What's for Dinner? **Meal Planning**

[rennea]

How many people plan their weekly meals? Do you make shopping lists?

We are all so busy now a days and I think planning is the key. I find that I spend less when I go armed with a plan to the store. It can be hard to stick with it.

Does anybody have any good tips to help with meal planning??

I always check my store flyers to see if anything jumps out at me...

 

[Teresa Lynn]

I'm an excellent planner, and buyer..... bring it home and it goes in the fridge.
then the kids are either gone or we decide to eat out (way more than I like to admit) and we throw it away when we can no longer identify it.
But, I feel like such a good mom knowing I at least had good intentions and did buy it for my family

 

[finley1991]

There are a couple of pretty good sites that can help with this..http://www.mealsforyou.com/ is free. And they have a weekly newsletter you can get. Sometimes I use their recipes or sometimes I use one of my own for the same or similar entrees.Another service is e-Mealz - A Meal Planning Resource for Busy Moms and Frugal Family Cooks. This is a subscription one and coordinates with the store you shop at and what is on sale that week. And they have lots of options... low-carb, vegetarian, point systems and servings for 2.

 

[jrstephens]

I need to plan, especially since I am starting WW, but I don't. I do no decide when I get up in the morning what I am going to have that night and sometimes I will decide the night before. I would love to get in the habit of making menus for at least M-F.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I'm an excellent planner, and buyer..... bring it home and it goes in the fridge.
then the kids are either gone or we decide to eat out (way more than I like to admit) and we throw it away when we can no longer identify it.
But, I feel like such a good mom knowing I at least had good intentions and did buy it for my family

LOL - that happens here too.

I'm getting better about it though.

My biggest problem is that I am such a spontaneous cook. I can plan all I want, but it usually comes down to what sounds good when it's time to start cooking!

 

[PamperedDor]

I plan as much as possible - I have a calendar that just has the days of the week (not actually months and dates) - got it at ACMoore - I try on Sunday to plan according to the kids sports schedules,easy dinner recipes, I also let them pick a day and what is for dinner.

 

[stefani2]

I have found to shop week-by-week will help to (A) Save money - because you mainly buy what is on sale (B) Not throw out so much food - by knowing only a few days in advance - I have SOME idea what I will be cooking or when we will be eating out

I would LOVE to have a monthly meal plan - and I have tried it - but we didn't stick to it. So far - just mentally planning a weeks worth has worked for us.

 

[dannyzmom]

How many people plan their weekly meals? Do you make shopping lists?

We are all so busy now a days and I think planning is the key. I find that I spend less when I go armed with a plan to the store. It can be hard to stick with it.

Does anybody have any good tips to help with meal planning??

I always check my store flyers to see if anything jumps out at me...

I used to - when I was married to my ex. Now, my husband works evenings so is seldom home for dinner - maybe 1-2x a week. When he is home, he likes to cook. When he is not home, I have frozen meals that he has pre-prepared and frozen for us so all I have to do is boil up some pasta or rice to go with it and I am done. He makes life very easy

 

[Chefstover2]

I used to - when I was married to my ex. Now, my husband works evenings so is seldom home for dinner - maybe 1-2x a week. When he is home, he likes to cook. When he is not home, I have frozen meals that he has pre-prepared and frozen for us so all I have to do is boil up some pasta or rice to go with it and I am done. He makes life very easy

Show off!

 

[crystalscookingnow]

I plan meals about 2 weeks out. I plan for lunch, too, because we're all home for lunch every day (except when there's school, then we're minus 1). What I usually do instead of having each day be a set thing is plan 2 weeks worth of meals & include leftovers or makeovers. I just lump it all together b/c we don't have to make lunch portable. I buy what I need grocery wise for those two weeks, keep a list of the recipes that I bought for & cross them off as I make them. It works well for us & has noticibly cut down on our "What's that?" question when we open the fridge. It has also cut down on our "What's for Supper?" "I don't know, let's just go out!" conversations.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

LOL - that happens here too.

I'm getting better about it though.

My biggest problem is that I am such a spontaneous cook. I can plan all I want, but it usually comes down to what sounds good when it's time to start cooking!

That is me as well. However I plan my meals two weeks out and then go shopping. The problem is I still have the ingredients for 5 meals I planned to make 1 month ago sitting in my freezer...

This time I'm planning simple, easy things that John can start when I'm on my way home and I can finish when I get there...

But to answer the question of the day- I plan 14 meals out, write them on a notecard- bring it with the grocery store so I can look at it if I need to remember why I had to buy figs or something like that... then it get's stuck to my fridge so I know what I have planned and I cross it off as I make each meal. I also keep a running list of what's in my pantry and what's in the freezer in the garage so I don't buy something I don't need, and also so that I know when to put something on my shopping list because I've used the last one.

HTH

 

[Kitchen Diva]

There are a couple of pretty good sites that can help with this..

http://www.mealsforyou.com/ is free. And they have a weekly newsletter you can get. Sometimes I use their recipes or sometimes I use one of my own for the same or similar entrees.

Another service is e-Mealz - A Meal Planning Resource for Busy Moms and Frugal Family Cooks. This is a subscription one and coordinates with the store you shop at and what is on sale that week. And they have lots of options... low-carb, vegetarian, point systems and servings for 2.

Thanks, Colleen I just got a cook pork chop recipe off the first one already!!

 

[Jennie4PC]

I plan my meals out for 2 weeks and then like others on here I cross off as I make the meal.

 

[rennea]

I'm on the border...I'm with Becky, I like to be spontaneous but I also plan my lunches and dinners before I go shopping. I too have food left in the cupboard that never got used up cause I decided not to make it.
I used to shop every 2 weeks but have changed to weekly to help with this

 

[rennea]

There are a couple of pretty good sites that can help with this..

http://www.mealsforyou.com/ is free. And they have a weekly newsletter you can get. Sometimes I use their recipes or sometimes I use one of my own for the same or similar entrees.

Another service is e-Mealz - A Meal Planning Resource for Busy Moms and Frugal Family Cooks. This is a subscription one and coordinates with the store you shop at and what is on sale that week. And they have lots of options... low-carb, vegetarian, point systems and servings for 2.

Oh these are good!!

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Oh these are good!!

Aren't they though?

 

[Kitchen Diva]

A good ideaAnother thing I do that is truly helpful is this. When I buy a Taste of Home Magazine or a Cooking Light magazine and read through it and forget what recipes were in there that I liked so here is what I do now.

When I buy a magazine, I go through and on a rather large post-it note I write the page number and the name of the recipe that I wanted to try on the post-it note and after I had gone through the entire magazine I would put the post-it note on the outside cover so that when looking for something different to make for supper or when trying to plan a menu, I can just scan the post-it note list of recipes I wanted to try and it has come in handy!!

Otherwise you just forget what was in the magazine to begin with, so making a list of recipes you want to try and sticking it to the magazine is a tmie saver and helps with coming up with new ideas to try.


HTH

 

[Chef Endora]

I do that too and also have the post-it flags on pages. If that's not enough, I highlight recipes in the index. A little overkill, huh? :blushing:

Then, I have even ended up buying the annual collection in cookbook form!

Geez, I need to seek professional help! :blushing:

 

[Teresa Lynn]

I tear the pages out and put them in page protectors in a large binder under the correct category
I also have a section for craft and home decor ideas, flower arranging etc

 

[pamperedthorpe]

On a Sunday we plan what we're having for Mon-Fri depending on what we have got in the cupboards and what we have planned in the evenings. This enables us to use up things.

 

[nicki25]

I really need to get into meal planning. Does anyone have a copy of a paper that they put on the fridge that they fill in every week?? Kinda like a calendar with out the dates?? I could make one up but am not very good at that.

 

[Kodeysmom]

I plan meals about 2 weeks out. I plan for lunch, too, because we're all home for lunch every day (except when there's school, then we're minus 1). What I usually do instead of having each day be a set thing is plan 2 weeks worth of meals & include leftovers or makeovers. I just lump it all together b/c we don't have to make lunch portable. I buy what I need grocery wise for those two weeks, keep a list of the recipes that I bought for & cross them off as I make them. It works well for us & has noticibly cut down on our "What's that?" question when we open the fridge. It has also cut down on our "What's for Supper?" "I don't know, let's just go out!" conversations.

Thats pretty much what i started doing. I started by making a menu for 2 weeks and then a list of ingredients. Then after the first month or so i have still made the menu but usuallu send up switching the days so I too started crossing the meals off as I make them and then see what is left. I have saved a ton of money at the grocery store by meal planning. Love it. Not sure why I waited so long.

 

[Kodeysmom]

I really need to get into meal planning. Does anyone have a copy of a paper that they put on the fridge that they fill in every week?? Kinda like a calendar with out the dates?? I could make one up but am not very good at that.

I just print off a calendar page from microsoft word every month.

 

[crystalscookingnow]

I just print off a calendar page from microsoft word every month.

I love this! If you're like me, everything goes on the calendar in Word. Printing that would save me writing our schedules on yet another calendar. Thanks!

 

[Kitchen Diva]

I really need to get into meal planning. Does anyone have a copy of a paper that they put on the fridge that they fill in every week?? Kinda like a calendar with out the dates?? I could make one up but am not very good at that.

Yep- it's called a Post-it Note! I use the 4x6 inched lined ones.