Meal Planning
For many years I have been meal planning. I began years and years ago with monthly meal planning. Currently I plan only on a weekly basis. In my mind meal planning simply means setting a weekly dinner menu. These are just some of the reasons why it works for me:
- There is nothing worse than leaving work and realizing you not only have to cook a dinner but you also have no idea what you are actually going to make. Planning for a week worth of dinners eliminates this problem. Okay, you still actually have to cook said meal after a full day of work but at least you know what you are going to make.
- It saves money. I can eliminate waste of food if I know exactly what I need to purchase to make a meal and also I don't end up thawing too much or not enough.
There are a few factors I consider when planning a week of dinner meals.
- I look at my calendar. Do I have appointments after work? This means dinner preparations either have to be done ahead of time or dinner will have to be a quick meal. I can plan in advance which days I will need to use the slow cooker or instant pot.
- Do I have items I need to use up? Do I need to start working on lowering the amount of food in the freezer? I purchase a quarter of beef and half a hog a few times a year. I need to make sure I actually have the freezer space to fit the new meat purchases.
If you have never tried meal planning you might want to reconsider. It helps make meal time just a little less stressful.