Thursday, September 18, 2014

Meal Planning

Hey there! Are you feeling as busy as I am right now?

Getting back into the school swing can be tricky.  I can't imagine being a momma who works outside of the home as well.  I watch my friends and sisters do it, and I just don't even know how they get it all done!

Our schedule is very different this year than previous years.  Two days per week I am gone all day.  One day I am gone half.  That leaves me three days at home, unless I have to throw in an appointment of some kind.

So I thought I would write about what's helping me get food on the table for my guys each night.

I make meal plans.  

I've done this for the past three years I think.  This can seem overwhelming, I know, especially if you aren't the naturally organized type.  Don't fret though!  You could even start by jotting down on a calendar what you have each night for the next month.  This doesn't have to be complicated okay!

When I started, I just thought about what all we liked to eat and rotated it each month.  Later, I thought about ways I could make it healthier.  This school year, I came up with two months worth of meals!

I basically like to have a lean protein, low-carb starch, and a veggie or two at each dinner.  It doesn't always work out like that and there are times when I just don't feel like cooking so we grab something or do a frozen pizza.  Yep, it happens, and I'm fine with that.  

I decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to let mealtime stress me out!  This is real life so let's just be practical.  Some things come easier to others.  Sometimes life's circumstances change our days and we need to do something different.  What I know is that there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!

I refuse to beat myself up over food! I am committed to making the wisest choicest possible with whatever a day presents.

But, there are some ways to make having a home-cooked meal with decent ingredients happen on a fairly regular basis.

Planning ahead with a meal plan helps take the frustration out of figuring out what to have!  It also helps keep your grocery bill down because you go with a list and stick to it.

When I get home from the grocery, I like to brown all the ground beef or turkey up at once with a little seasoning that works for every dish.  Then, I let it cool down and store it.  When I need it, I simply defrost in the fridge the night before I will use it.  

This has helped my sons learn how to cook things, as well as made my meal prep so fast.  You can also do this with chicken if you want or seal your steak in marinade and feeze it!  Yummo!

I have built in two crockpot meals for the two days we are gone so long.  It's so nice to come into the house and smell dinner ready for us to eat!  On the other nights, I try to use the stuff I have pre-cooked so that a meal doesn't take much work and is usually ready in minutes.

I have watched how planning ahead of time pays off tremendously! Oh, and many times, I will double a recipe while I cook it in the crock and freeze part of it for another meal.

I also have a list of snack foods, breakfasts and lunches that we cycle through each week.  It helps the kids not ask what they can have or are having over and over again!

So be encouraged that a little work to make a plan now can save you oodles of time and energy later.  It's worth the effort!  You can search for other people's meal plans online and get tons of ideas.

Happy planning!

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