I’m trying something new these days. I’m trying to begin dinner plans at breakfast. I have a loose schedule for meals, but I find that I serve a more well-rounded meal when I think through my meal plan and start my prep first thing in the morning (my family really likes this because I’m also more likely to make dessert when I plan ahead!) I also find this assures us of gathering around the table each evening.
So what about you? What strategies do you have to get a decent meal on the table for your family?
I plan a grocery list for two weeks of meals, and then we inventory the cabinets for what we don't have. After making a list of what we need, I go to the store and get what's on the list. Then when the dreaded "what's for dinner" question comes up, we have some options to choose from and can eat what sounds good to us. Then in two weeks the groceries run out, and we do it all over again. It helps us not to be wasteful with the food we have and also to stick to a grocery budget.
Thanks for the idea, Jill. Many times I wait til 4:30 to start preparing dinner and it never fails that I decide to cook something that will take a while, or I find that I'm out of something. I don't like making a set menu bc I like the freedom to make whatever I feel like. In the past when I've created a week's worth of menus, we wound up not in the mood for that particular meal, or went out to eat instead. So, I think I will get started on dinner earlier in the day to ensure that everything is ready, and we have a balanced meal!
I used to live an hour and half from where I went shopping, so I went only once a month. I did a menu plan for a month at a time. Now that I live closer to town, I try to plan 2 weeks in advance. If something comes up, or the meal doesn't fit the day (chili when it's 80* out), I can just switch that day's meal with another because I have all the ingredients on hand. In the morning, or the night before, I pull out the needed meat from the freezer, and gather all the ingredients together. My family likes this, as they can see what we're having that night!
One of the best things I do is to buy 10 or more pounds of hamburger and cook it up all at once. I divide the hamburger into 2 pound containers and put it in the freezer. When I get home late from work, I can then just take a container out of the freezer, defrost it, and make a hamburger dish. It's amazing how much time it saves to do the preparation in advance!
When I do a big grocery shopping I buy meat and marinade it and put it in a bag then to the freezer. That way when it thaws it is already marinated and then I can throw it in the crock pot frozen either early in the morning or the night before and have my meal ready when we are.
I am such a firm believer in the family meal, and no matter what we eat, we eat TOGETHER! It's my favorite part of the day!
I make a menu for 2 weeks at a time as I do my major grocery shopping then. It really helps. I also do some freezer cooking like breakfasts – muffins, dishes (i double up), and other things to make it easier. 😀
Like others, we do a weekly meal plan, when I pull out the calendar, recipes, coupons and weekly ads. I plan dinners for the week, check the house for anything we might already have, and then price match anything on my list, so I can get the lowest price when I shop that week. We shop at that one W- store that price matches other advertised prices. (Ours is more for our goal of saving money than time, which works really well for us, and also makes sure we aren't scrambling for last minute meal ideas!)
Absolutely. Five minutes of thinking about my plans for a healthful day of eating first thing in the morning make all the difference in the world. I admire all the mom's who can plan their weeks worth of dinners, but I acknowledge that there is more than one way to run an efficient kitchen. I just don't like that much structure…and like to operate more from what I feel like eating on any particular day… so I've become efficient at stocking my pantry, freezer, fridge with components that can be put together many ways.
You've got a great blog here. And we are sort of neighbors (Urbana). Keep up the good work.
I plan the menu the week ahead and my grocery list accordingly. I find it helps me stay focused at the grocery store and forces me to fix healthy meals for my family (almost) every night. we do a leftover night or a pizza night once a week but other than that I am cookin' 🙂