When teaching a Grocery Smarts class I inevitably get at least one question about cooking or menu planning. Both Jennifer and I participate in a freezer group, which saves me alot of time when trying to figure out "what's for dinner?". However, even with all of those meals in the freezer, there are always breakfasts and lunches to worry about, as well was wanting to take advantage of smokin' hot deals at the grocery stores throughout the week and facing my own reality of "I don't feel like cooking tonight, let's go out."
That's why I try to menu plan. I take it week by week, looking at what I have in my freezer, looking at the lists on Grocery Smarts to see what great deals are going on, and taking an honest look at the week's schedule of activities to see if there will be nights when I know I am going to be too tired to even think about putting a freezer meal in the oven (yep, I have those!). There is a wonderful website called I'm an Organizing Junkie which hosts Menu Plan Monday every (duh!) Monday. Recently she posted a great downloadable template to help you with your weekly menu planning. This is an excellent resource!
Menu planning is yet another way I help my family save money. By planning out the week's meals (including breakfast and lunch, as well as eating out) it helps me stay focused, and whenever I have a momentary "what are we going to eat today?" thought, I can just go to my menu plan and breathe a sigh of relief. It helps me take stock of what I have on hand, helping me use up all of my great Grocery Smarts finds in my pantry, as well as rotate food flavors for picky kids.
That's why I try to menu plan. I take it week by week, looking at what I have in my freezer, looking at the lists on Grocery Smarts to see what great deals are going on, and taking an honest look at the week's schedule of activities to see if there will be nights when I know I am going to be too tired to even think about putting a freezer meal in the oven (yep, I have those!). There is a wonderful website called I'm an Organizing Junkie which hosts Menu Plan Monday every (duh!) Monday. Recently she posted a great downloadable template to help you with your weekly menu planning. This is an excellent resource!
Menu planning is yet another way I help my family save money. By planning out the week's meals (including breakfast and lunch, as well as eating out) it helps me stay focused, and whenever I have a momentary "what are we going to eat today?" thought, I can just go to my menu plan and breathe a sigh of relief. It helps me take stock of what I have on hand, helping me use up all of my great Grocery Smarts finds in my pantry, as well as rotate food flavors for picky kids.
And if you ever hit a wall, thinking you need some new recipes, check out the Mr. Linky feature on Menu Plan Mondays to see what other people are cooking up that week. Good luck!
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