Meal Planning in 5 Easy Steps!

I recently made a Facebook status about my meal planning for the month and how easy it makes life.. I got a lot of requests for an email of a "how to" so I thought I'd blog what I do. (Disclaimer: I am not an expert but this works for me and our family! I also just do dinners, but the same concepts could be applied to breakfasts and lunch.) It takes a little time to get the hang of it and start out, but once you get started it gets easier, you'll get more efficient at it and you will love no longer being asked "what's for dinner?" I started in April of 2013 and now it takes me around 20-30 minutes to meal plan and compile my grocery list for the month. I hope these this helps you in your meal planning journey!

Jamie's 5 Easy Steps to meal planning:

Step 1: I make a calendar in Microsoft Word for the month I am planning for (I usually plan for the next month in the last week of the current month...so I put together my calendar for Feb at the end of Jan)

Step 2: Compile a list of recipes that are tried and true that you and your family likes. I have many that I recycle through months. They are easy, I know how to make them and my family loves them. I usually try to add 2-3 new recipes per month and make notes if they are keepers or not.

Step 3: Add meals to the calendar along with "leftover" nights and "eat out" nights.
**Tips** if you have a day of the week you KNOW are always busy days, use crock pot meals! I love doing these on Sundays so I can turn them on in the morning and they're done with no fuss by dinner, so my Sunday evenings can be really relaxing. Leftover nights are nights I know we'll have a busy day and I might not be able to be home to make dinner. I always make sure there are 2-3 days of meals between leftover nights, so there'll be leftovers :)

Step 4: Compile your grocery list. This step will be the longest in the beginning as you get used to new recipes. Basically write down everything you need for the recipes you've chosen for the month, look for duplicate items to use for dishes. I write down everything I need, then go through the list and separate the list out into categories: Meat, Dry Goods, Dairy/Refrigerator, Produce.. etc.. this makes shopping in the store easier as well because everything for each department is listed in one place. This step will get easier as you go, as you begin to memorize the recipes you use a lot and know what you have already in your pantry/fridge/freezer..once the list is compiled with everything you need for your meals, add the "everyday" kind of stuff... ex: things for kids lunches, milk, yogurt etc.. things you know you always use in your house. Once the list is done with all your meal ingredients and your everyday things..time to shop!

Step 5: Shop and put away groceries and relax knowing you have all the ingredients you need for your dinners for the month!

A few notes:
Perishables will need to be shopped for every week or so...milk, fresh fruit and veggies, etc. Fresh things needed for ingredients for dishes I'll also buy once a week, usually Sunday or Monday after I've glanced at my calendar to see what we need for the week.

This process has had so many benefits for my family....we save money because we aren't eating out last minute, we eat healthier because meals are home-cooked, it reduces stress, I only have to do one BIG shopping trip per month and best of all it eliminates the "what's for dinner?" question! Ha, can you tell how much I despise that question yet ;) We've rarely run into an evening where we don't want what's on the day for dinner and when we have, we just switch it with another day that sounds more appetizing that night!

I don't pre-prepare meals. For me it's easy enough to know what we're having and know that I have all or most of the ingredients I need for what I'm making.

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life, I'll forget to plan the next month....you know what I've done, RE USED the month! HA! nice and easy and most of the work is already done!

Visual examples always help me out so here for you is our meal plan for Jan 2014

January 2014

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			1	2	3	4
			New Years
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
Wings & Pasta	Tuna Casserole	Terryaki Salmon Asparagus & Rice	Leftovers	BBQ chicken Green beans Rice	Sandwiches	Leftovers
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Roast  Mashed potatos Brown Sugar carrots CROCK POT	Spaghetti & Meatballs French bread Salad	Leftovers	Chicken packets w/veggies	Steak Veggies Rice	Leftovers	Pork Chops Grilled veggies
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
BBQ pineapple pulled pork sandwiches CROCK POT	Cornflake Chicken Rice Broccoli	Chicken Curry Rice	Leftovers	Enchilada casserole	Spaghetti Squash boats	Breakfast for dinner!
26	27	28	29	30	31
SalsChicken Rice CROCK POT	French Bread Pizza	Chicken Pasta w/broccoli or asparagus	Leftovers	Spaghetti French bread

My total grocery bill for what I needed for the month that included all of the ingredients for the dinners, "everyday" stuff, and a few pregnant lady "HEY THAT SOUNDS GOOD" things I "NEEDED" (haha) was just over $200. We budget $400/month for groceries so this leaves more than enough to cover what we'll need to buy through the month. Oh and I shop at Winco usually. Love that places prices! Hah.

If you have any questions, or would like any of the recipes for what I've planned, feel free to ask! Hope this helps you out friends!!! Let me know how your meal planning goes! If I can do it, YOU can do it!