How to Meal Plan

As I have mentioned before, we are big fans of meal planning.  For us, it just makes so much sense.  It eliminates the stress of "Holy S*%! It is 5:30, the natives are screaming for food and I have no idea what to make!"  And we eat healthier, get less takeout, and waste a lot less food.

Everyone tackles meal planning in a different way, but I have a simple methodology on how I do it.  I have gotten so many questions about it, I thought I would share it here.

My method:

• First, I look in fridge and pantry and see what needs to get used up.  I might have half a zucchini, leftover chicken, some parsley, and a cup of shredded cheese.  This part is important to me because it helps us use what we have, not waste, and not spend as much money on ingredients that we would have to go out and purchase.

• Then I take a look at the store circulars that are mailed to our house.  I look for anything on sale, especially meat and produce.  If whole chickens are on sale, you know we are eating roasted chicken one night this week.

• I grab my recipe book (a mish-mash of recipes pulled from magazine, handwritten recipes from friends, etc).  I also usually grab a cookbook or two for some extra inspiration.  I usually like to try at least 1-2 new recipes a week, something that I have never made.  I find that in having no more than 2 new recipes per week, I am inspired but not overwhelmed.  It keeps cooking fun.

• I double check what our week is going to look like.  If David has a late client meeting or I have an afternoon appointment or errand to run, then that is not a night for some elaborate meal.  I make sure that evening we are eating leftovers or something really simple to make, like a slow cooker meal. 

• Then I sit down and map it all out.  My goal is to use all of our CSA vegetables and as many ingredients that we already have.  In the summer it is easier because we typically eat a lot of fresh produce that just needs to be washed and any meat that we eat goes on the grill.  The winter is sometimes trickier in that most produce needs to be cooked in some way before eating.  Typically at least one of the recipes listed on my Food page makes it on the list.  Those are our Go-To meals.  Meals that I have made so many times that I could probably make them without referring to a recipe.

• Next, I create our shopping list based on any ingredients needed for that week's menu.  I use the Grocery IQ phone app to do this.  I really like it because it groups things together (ex. dairy items), I can list things by store and I can email to it to my husband if needed.

And that is about it.

I hopes this helps.  Meal planning has made a huge difference for us.   I highly recommend whether you are cooking for one or cooking for the masses.  Meal planning makes things so much simpler and better organized.

And if you already meal plan and have some wicked cool tips or recipes, please share them!  That would make my day.