Confession: I am a foodie nerd. I find an evening spent perusing old cookbooks, dog earring the pages of recipes that sound good, while sipping a glass of wine a really good time. Writing up a menu and making a grocery list are fun activities for me. I told you, I’m kind of a food nerd. Ok, not kind of, I’m a full on food nerd…LOL!
For some reason, I thought everybody was like me, so when I got a call from my dear friend Christine asking me to help her with meal planning I was more than happy to share some tips and ideas. She wasn’t sure where to start and wanted my advice on the best ways to do it.
Does the thought of cooking and meal planning seem like an overwhelming task? Not sure where to start? Even if you are an experienced cook and you have been planning meals for years, keep reading. You may find a few tips you can use to make it even easier. Plus, today’s post contains links to some of Nature Way’s tastiest, readers favorite recipes. Maybe one of them will inspire you to try something new this week.
A big thank you to Christine! You got me thinking and inspired me to write up today’s blog post with all my best meal planning tips and ideas; all with links to Nature Way’s tried and true favorite recipes. Even someone who is just starting to cook meals at home can cook up some of these easy and tasty recipes. Let me show you some easy ways to do just that.
First and foremost…KEEP IT SIMPLE!
Whatever plan you end up using, it has to be simple for you to use or you won’t use it. Elaborate spreadsheets with tabs might be the most optimum way to meal plan but if you are like me and you aren’t even sure how to create an elaborate spreadsheet, update and maintain it, it’s not going to work for you. I don’t care how fabulous the system is.
Maybe you’re old school like me. I write up a menu on a sheet of binder paper and tape it to the wall in my pantry where I can see it everyday. I keep a running list of items I need on a roll of paper next to my weekly menu. When I hit the grocery store I either take the list with me or snap a picture of the list with my phone.
Helpful Tip: We all know life happens. Sometimes you’re just too tired to cook, or something comes up at the last minute, and those planned meals get pushed out a few days. Make sure the meals using fresh produce are at the top of the list and get cooked first.
Looking for a more high tech approach? We take our phones with us everywhere, keep a running list of grocery items you need on your phone in the “Notes” app. I have one named “Grocery List”. Ok, I know, it’s not all that original but it works! Have you discovered an app that you like that’s easy for you to use? Then use that app.
Whatever system you use, make sure it works for YOU. There is no right or wrong way to do this. The right way is the one that is easy for you to use with a minimum of effort. I speak from personal experience, if your system is too complicated and time consuming, you will not use it. Trust me on this, I’ve tried several different ways to meal plan and the one I use is the one that is easiest for me.
Make the easy way the right way.
A simple, no bells and whistles plan will keep you organized and you will aways have what you need on hand to make tasty meals for your family. You will waste less food and save money on your food bill each month too.
Best ways to save money.
One of the largest expenses when cooking is the cost of meat. After you have been meal planning and cooking for a while you will begin to know when prices are a good deal or not. Start by shopping the sales of your favorite grocery store. Most grocery stores publish their sales in circulars on Wednesdays. When beef is on sale, check your favorite recipes that are made with beef.
Nature Way reader’s favorite beef recipes:
Nature Way reader’s favorite ground beef recipes:
When pork is on sale, check your favorite recipes that are made with pork.
Nature Way reader’s favorite pork recipes:
When chicken is on sale…you guessed it, check your favorite recipes that are made with chicken.
Nature Way reader’s favorite chicken recipes:
TIP: Shop the sales. Check the weekly grocery store ads to see what’s on sale.
Purchase meat in bulk and freeze the extras. One of the Best Kitchen Hacks I ever stumbled upon was this one. Portion out ground beef into one pound portions and roll it out flat in a large ziplock freezer bag. Date the bag and freeze flat. When you are ready to use one, just drop the bag in the sink and cover with hot water. It will thaw in about 5-10 minutes and be ready to use for your meal. This simple hack has saved me countless times after forgetting to take meat out of the freezer in the morning to thaw!!!
How to make up a menu.
I get inspiration for recipes primarily from from old cookbooks and on Pinterest. There are literally millions of recipes online that you could make. When I find one that I want to try I save it to a Pinterest board. When I am planning a menu I check to see what is on sale first, then I think about my tried and true family favorite recipes and then I throw in a couple new recipes to try.
TIP: If you are trying a new recipe be sure to write down where you saved the recipe so you can easily find it when you need it; Pinterest, website, cookbook, etc.
Create an easy way to save recipes. Pinterest is a great tool for this. I have created 2 boards on Pinterest; “New Recipes to Try” and “Family Favorites”. It’s an easy way to find the new recipes I want to try and also allows me to quickly find my family’s favorite meals. This way I can easily whip up a tried and true recipe and sprinkle in a few new recipes to try as well.
Whether it’s an electronic system or an old school method like writing it out on a sheet of paper, implementing a system to easily access recipes is a huge step in helping you with your meal planning.
How to create a grocery list.
You know what meat is on sale and you found the recipe you want to make, now it’s time to create a grocery list so you will have all the ingredients you need to make it. When you have the recipe in front of you read through the ingredients. Check your pantry and fridge to see if need any items to make it. If there are any ingredients you need, write them on your list.
Make a list! Don’t rely on your memory…you will forget something. There’s nothing more frustrating than being in the kitchen, right in the middle of making a meal and realizing you are missing a key ingredient. Been there, done that more times than I care to admit.
Now all that’s left to do is your shopping and to get in your kitchen to do some cooking.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you begin your meal planning journey:
- Start by planning about a week’s worth of meals. If you are not in the habit of cooking every night, start with 3-4 meals per week. Our local pizzeria has pizza for 40% off on Tuesdays. If I decide I’m not in the mood to cook that night, I will pick up a pizza on the way home from work and toss together a salad for a quick and easy dinner.
- Designate one night a week as “Left over” night. Everyone gets to pick their favorite from the week to reheat.
- Set aside one evening as a “Breakfast for Dinner” night. Scramble some eggs, add a side of sausage or bacon and some toast. It’s a quick, easy, filling, inexpensive hot meal that you can get on the table in no time.
- Instead of throwing out veggies that are on their last leg, make a Steak Hash, a Veggie Quiche, or a quick Stir Fry to use up those leftover veggies.
- Beefy Ramen Noodle Bowls
A little planning on the front end will save you loads of time in your day to day routine and ensure you get a healthy flavorful meal on the table even on a busy weeknight.
Meal planning isn’t all that difficult, just start small by planning a couple meals a week. Write up your menu and grocery list and you are well on your way. Before you know it meal planning will become second nature.
Did You Try Any Of These Tips?
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