Happy Fall, Y’All!
I love fall because it’s soup season!! (Ugghhhh! My emoji’s suddenly aren’t working and I’m lost without them!)
My kids’ all-time favorite is this Cheeseburger Soup. It’s currently up on our whiteboard because they want me to add it to our menu!
So, about two years ago, my New Year’s resolution was to start meal planning. I had never done it before!
Now I’ve kind of become an old pro at it. 😉
Being a stay-at-home or work-at-home mom is no easy task, momma!!
You are responsible for juggling household chores, taking care of your children, and managing work tasks all at the same time.
In addition to all of that, meal planning is another daunting task that can take up a lot of your time and energy.
That’s why today I want to share some meal planning tips to help you save time and stress less!!
I’m just going to quick share with you what I do, and maybe it’ll help you too, K? My process is quite simple.
I used to write down my meal plan in my planner, and only I could see it. So my kids were always asking me what was for supper.
Now I use a whiteboard in my kitchen. So they know exactly what is for supper every day!
I only plan suppers. I don’t plan breakfasts, because the kids have cereal, pop tarts, or Egg McMuffins before catching the bus.
And I don’t plan lunches, because they are at school.
On the weekends, sometimes we’ll have a brunch one of the days. But usually we just stick with the pop tarts and cereals, and we eat leftovers for lunches.
At the bottom of my whiteboard is an open space for the kids to just jot down meals they are craving! That way I know what they’d like to see in any upcoming meal plans.
Right now, we have “cheeseburger soup”, “lucky dogs”, “smothered pork chops”, “hot pockets”, and “omelets” on the list. There’s no right or wrong idea. It’s anything they want. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going in our menu. It’s just ideas to gather from.
And so here’s my actual process:
1. First, I plan my meals on Sunday night or Monday morning, depending on how busy I am.
And I plan my meals based on what ingredients we already have in the house. I do not go shopping for a specific ingredient.
If I know I, say, want to make tater tot hotdish soon, I’ll add that to my grocery list, and the next time I go shopping, I’ll pick up tater tots. And then, when I have them on hand, I add that meal to my menu.
I also plan my meals based on what we have that needs to get eaten up.
For instance, I have a lot of eggs right now, because my aunt has chickens. So I’ll plan an egg bake or something for supper one night next week.
I also have a lot of zucchini and string beans from the garden that really need to get eaten. So meatballs is on the menu tonight, along with fried zucchini, string beans, and mashed potatoes.
I had some fresh salsa that wasn’t getting eaten fast enough, so even though the kids wanted cheeseburger soup, I made chili, so that I could dump the salsa in there.
So, start your menu planning based off of what you already have, that really needs to get eaten up.
2. The next thing I do is follow a simple little formula.
We have one soup each week, one or two meat and potato meals, a pasta, and a “wild card” meal.
I start with the meat and potato meals. I plan those according to what meats I have in the freezer and what veggies I have in the fridge. So, I might do chicken breasts, a baked potato, and carrots one night, and a stew the next.
Then, I try to plan my soup based on what meat and potato meal we are having. If I’m cooking chicken breasts, I’ll cook a few extra and cut them up for wild rice soup, or some other chicken soup that week.
If I don’t have a meal planned where I can use the meat for soup, such as, say pork chops, then I’ll do something like cheeseburger soup or a meatless soup.
And if I’m already browning hamburger for say, spaghetti, I’ll also brown some for the soup the next day, or the tacos on the weekend. Just to cut down on the time too.
In between these meals, I always throw in leftovers. Because I need a night off! I try not to cook more than two days in a row.
So, our plan might look like this:
Monday – meat and potato
Tuesday – soup
Wednesday – leftovers
Thursday – pasta
Friday – leftovers
Saturday – meat and potato
Sunday – wild card
I try to have a meat and potato on the weekends during the spring, summer, and fall, so that my husband can grill it. 😉
And a wild card meal is something that doesn’t fall into any of those categories, like tacos, pizza, Chinese, HuHot, or anything else.
Sometimes I’ll put a sandwich with the soup, and sometimes I’ll just make a cheesy bread or throw some bread in the bread machine.
And based off of that meal plan, I’ll have leftovers again on Monday, because we’d have two meals in a row on Saturday and Sunday.
3. When it actually comes to scheduling my meals, I pay attention to my calendar.
So, last night I had to go pick my son up at the airport. I knew supper would be rushed, so it was leftovers.
I try to plan easy meals for the nights I babysit my grandson because he’s hard to cook with. And I try to use the crock pot as much as possible in the winter.
One of the biggest benefits of meal planning is that you know what you’ll be cooking ahead of time, saving you from the last-minute rush to the grocery store. I personally can’t make a last-minute rush to the store, because it’s so far away! LOL.
Planning your meals in advance can be as simple as preparing a weekly meal plan or as detailed as meal prepping your meals for the week. I don’t do a lot of meal prepping. It takes time, and I just never seem to have that time. Maybe I need to make that this year’s resolution?
Here’s a few extra tips:
Use frozen vegetables
Frozen vegetables are a lifesaver when you’re short on preparation time. They are already prepped, washed, and chopped, saving you a lot of prep work and time. In addition, they are just as nutritious as fresh vegetables, so don’t hesitate to incorporate them into your meal plan.
Cook in batches
Cooking in batches is an excellent way to save time and stretch your meals. Whenever you’re making a meal, prepare a double batch, one to eat now and one to freeze for later.
Every once in a while I’ll do this, but I actually prefer the leftover method.
You can cook a large batch of something, like a chili or soup, and eat it throughout the week. Freeze any leftovers so you have some ready-made meals for those busy days.
Make use of a slow cooker
Slow cookers are a busy mom’s best friend!! They are incredibly versatile, allowing you to make a variety of meals without too much effort. Just throw in your ingredients, set it, and forget it.
You can use a slow cooker to make stews, soups, casseroles, and even desserts.
Get the family involved in meal planning
Meal planning isn’t just for you. I love our new whiteboard process!
Involve your family in the process and get them excited about mealtime. Ask your children for meal suggestions or let them choose a meal for the week.
You can also delegate tasks like menu planning, grocery shopping, and even meal prepping. By getting the family involved, mealtime becomes less of a chore and more of a shared experience.
Meal planning doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task momma! By implementing these tips, you can save time, reduce stress, and enjoy mealtime with your family.
Start small and work your way up to a full-blown meal-prepping routine. You don’t have to make tons of changes starting today!
Just start with trying to write down a menu each week. And then slowly add in some of these other tips.
Remember, every little bit helps, and before you know it, meal planning will become a natural part of your routine.
Happy meal planning!
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