Is dinner usually a rushed affair in your house? Do you find yourself getting take out more than is good for your wallet or your health? If so, it’s time to learn to menu plan.
Dinner is such an important meal, it’s usually the only one the whole family is together for so it should be minimal fuss so you can focus on your family.
Meal planning may take a little time but it will make it easier to get a meal on the table while working around your family’s schedule and any food allergies. Planning also means less trips to the grocery store and less waste.
The first thing to do is grab your calendar and look at the next week, or two, whatever you shop for. Pay attention to days when dinner needs to be quick, heating up leftovers or having a soup and sandwich night. If you plan for those nights the kids have sports practice or you have a late day at work you wont’ have to grab fast food.
Next look through your tried and true recipes or find some new ones on the internet that fit in your budget. If you need leftovers one night plan to make a larger meal the night before.
Write your meals down, either on the calendar or just a piece of paper you hang on the fridge. Every morning you can see at a glance what needs to be thawed or done before you leave for work.
Make your grocery list based on the recipes you have chosen for the week. That’s really all there is to it, but a little planning goes a long way.
Menu planning allows you to know exactly what your kids are eating. Fast food doesn’t offer many vegetable choices and once it’s deep fried and heavily salted I’m not sure a french fry still counts as a vegetable, no matter how yummy they are.
Dinner time should bring your family together. The sounds and smells of dinner cooking, children helping to set the table. You never know, you may just renew a tradition that was the norm for our grandmothers.