Meal Planning 101: Sample Meal Plan & Recipes

Today, I'm going to show you a few of my favorite recipes along with what my shopping lists actually look like filled out. You will notice that there are quite a few things already marked off on my weekly shopping list because I already have those items at home. The list I actually take to the grocery store (bottom picture) is much shorter because I didn't put the items I already own on there.

 

  Paula Deen's Baked Spaghetti   

 Rachel Ray's Beef & Chicken Fajita Burgers

Extra Easy Lasagna

Salsa Stoup and Double Decker Baked Quesadillas

 

I hope this helps take some of the confusion out of meal planning. I know it may seem a bit extreme to go to such great lengths to actually write down every item in each recipe, but trust me when I say, nothing is worse than getting 75% through with a meal and realizing you don't have any cheese. These recipes are also located on our Pinterest. Please feel free to comment and add your own tips/techniques you use when planning your meals.

Happy Cooking!

Meal Planning 101: Shopping/Cooking Day

The day has come for you to head off to the grocery store and buy the items on your list. Here are a few tips to remember when you head out the door:

• The best way to stay on a budget (if you have one) is to only buy the things that are on your list. DO NOT IMPULSE BUY! One item turns into two and then to twelve extra items you don't need.
• Go by yourself. You don't need anyone else with you that will lead you astray from the things that are on your list.
• Don't forget your coupons if you have them. If you forget them, they will more than likely be expired before you need to buy that item again.
• If your budget allows, buy your meat in bulk once a month. I go to a meat market and get really great deals on chicken and ground beef, which we eat alot of due to a teenage boy in the house. Plus, it's always nice to have a little extra meat in the freezer just in case you have unexpected guests or a change in plans.

After you get home from the grocery store is when the work actually begins.

• I like to get my meals ready for at least the first few days on the day that I go shopping. Almost any weeknight meal can be frozen and then cooked at a later date. It saves a bunch of time on the nights when you are working late and don't have a whole lot of time or energy to stand around in the kitchen.
• Separate all of your meat and package it. With my chicken, I bag each breast seperatly. Ground beef is bagged by the pound. I started bagging my meat this way when I started having too many leftovers due to people waiting until the last minute to decide they weren't hungry or had other plans.
• It's also a good idea to separate any produce you may need for each meal. If you have two meals this week that need chopped onions, go ahead and chop the onions, separate and bag them accordingly (Don't forget to label them).

Be sure to check back the rest of the week because i'll be sharing some of my favorite, go-to meals. I'll also talk about crock pot and freezer meals (my favorite). If you have any additional tips or comments feel free to shoot me an email or comment below.

Happy Shopping!

Meal Planning 101: Picking Out Your Recipes

Before you head out the door and scramble dreadfully travel to the grocery store, you must set out a portion of the day to work on your actual meal plan. I would suggest setting aside about 30-45 minutes a week to gather your recipes and make your list. I do my meal plan and grocery list the night before I go to the grocery store.

Step One: Gather your materials. I highly encourage you to use some form of calendar and list to plan your meals. I have provided a few pages that you may print out and use in the free printables section.

Step Two: Find the recipes for the meals that you are planning on cooking for an entire week. Keep in mind the amount of time you have each day to prepare your meals. I find a lot of my recipes off of pinterest and sites like the food network.

Step Three: Make your lists! Be sure to double check what you already have at your house. You don't want to spend any additional $$ on items you already have. I like to use both lists that I have above. It really helps make your trip a lot faster if you have all of your products categorized. You don't want to get to the last item on your list only to find out it's back on aisle 3 that you've strolled down 5 times already.

Step Four: If you are using coupons, go through your stash and clip the coupons that you are planning on using for your trip to the lists. This makes things much quicker when it gets time for checkout. 

Voila! 

Grocery List made simple! In my opinion, actually sitting down and picking out recipes it the hardest part. Especially if you are trying to please other people in your home. After you find a couple of weeks worth of recipes that work for you, reuse them!   

Be sure to check back tomorrow for tips on the actual shopping day!

Intro to Meal Planning

After much deliberation, I've decided that my first series of posts will be an introduction to meal planning. I started meal planning while I was out of work and staying at home with my son. It was the only way that I knew to really control how much I was spending on food and what I was putting in to my body. I made a lot of freezer meals and I bought my meat in bulk. Meal planning can save you a lot of money, time and sanity. On average, I spend about $300 a month to feed a family of 5 (which I consider to be pretty impressive).

Throughout the next few days, I'll be sharing some tips, tricks, and yummy recipes to get you on your meal planning way.

Organization 101

Being organized is the single most important thing you could ever do for yourself. It not only saves you time (and sanity), it can also save you a lot of money. To kick things off, I've come up with a few tips that will help ease you in to the process of being organized.

• Stop whatever you're doing and BUY A PLANNER. Not too big, not too small. Just something that you can keep track of appointments in and that will fit inside your purse. The one I use is a Weekly/Monthly planner from Target ($7.99). 

• If you are more of a tech-savvy person, my go-to online calendar and app is called Cozi for a million different reasons (free app for iPhone, Blackberry, & Android).  I'll be sure to do a follow-up on it later, but if you are looking for more than your basic phone or online calendar, I would highly suggest checking it out. 
• Set up a daily routine. Things will run more smoothly in your household and in your life when you and your family have a daily routine. Having a schedule that you stick to will help to take some of the guesswork out of your day, which in turn will free up all of the time you spend wondering who, what, when, and where? 
• Start small. Getting organized does not happen overnight. Although you're garage my look like an episode of hoarders, trust me when I say that with some planning and a weekend it can be fixed. My go-to starting point when I need to "get myself together" is my purse. My purse is my go-to storage bag for hauling items back and forth between home and the car. Socks, receipts, cups.... You name it I have probably had it in there. 
• Breathe. Getting organized is not something to pull your hair out over. It will take time, but just like with anything else in life, after a little practice and dedication it gets easier. Getting organized can appear very overwhelming, but with baby steps we get the job done. 

With Organizing, Simplicity is Key.

Welcome

I want to take a little time today to provide you with a little insight and motivation behind this blogging adventure and what my hopes are for this page in the future.

Homemaking, to most of my fellow Gen Y's out there,  is often labeled as easy or traditional; a word that is thought of as out-dated to most. To me, homemaking is more of a lost art.

Growing up, I envisioned my life as most young girls did; as Miss America or an Olympic Gymnast. One way that I differed from the majority of my peers, was that I also desired to be a homemaker. As I got older and it became time for me to head of to college, I settled on a degree plan and left home. When it came down to first day of class introductions , I often spoke of my desire to be a professional SAHM (stay at home mom) and that I was only in college because "that's what you're supposed to do." People will always tell you that if you love your job then it's not really considered a job. Well, I got my chance to test the homemaking experience and, much to everyone's surprise, I am good at it. Now that I have gone back to work after staying at home with my adorable 2 year old son, my eyes have been opened to the fact that there are a limited amount of women in my generation that have any homemaking skills. They can't cook. They hire maids. They even send out their laundry.

It is my hope that I can not only inspire the women of my generation to want to learn these forgotten skills, but to also show that homemaking does not have to be "out-dated and traditional".