Hi! I’m Amy from Wife hat, Mom hat and I’m super excited to be doing a guest post for Emily!
My blog started as a way to keep out of town family updated on our life after my son was born. It didn’t take long for me to jump right in and before I knew it, blogging to become one of my nap time hobbies! My blog is more of a “this is our life” than a DIY, cooking, or other specific blog simply because those are my favorite ones to read! My typical posts include updates about my kids {Jackson, 3 and Belle, 11 months}, the ups and downs of being an army wife, managing grad school, and our favorite things to do in Kansas City.
Today I want to share with you about a topic that I haven’t really touched on before. I’ve tried and failed many times trying to implement this into my family life with little success… until recently. Now, I haven’t mastered it perfectly, but we’ve got a system that works and it’s wonderful. Easy, low stress, manageable.
Okay, you ready? Let’s talk menu planning.
I know, I know. Menu planning is such a boring, daunting task. So much that I have attempted menu planning many times… but, I couldn’t find a system that really worked. I was spending hours putting a menu together. I didn’t always write it down and found myself struggling to remember what meals I had bought supplies to make. And there are the times I did really well, for like a week, and then never kept up with it.
You’re probably aware of the benefits of menu planning– healthier meals, fewer trips to the grocery store, lower food bills, fewer last minute fast food trips, and no need to spend nap time scrounging around your pantry wondering what to make for dinner. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, I want to share what has been working for us so maybe you can find a tip or two that can help you be successful!
- Take a look at your schedule and plan meals around family activities. I always plan a crockpot meal for Sunday lunches and a quick throw-together meal for Tuesdays when I’m at class all day.
- Include a few recurring meals/themes. There was a time when I thought my wife-mom duty was to provide a variety of meals, meaning not having the same thing twice in one month. WRONG! If your family loves it, keep doing it! I alternate cooking a whole chicken and a pot roast for Sunday lunches. Friday night is always pizza themed {pizza pasta, calzones, even just regular pizza}.
- Plan to use leftovers. After cooking a whole chicken, I will plan to use a recipe later in the week that uses shredded chicken. Same with the roast—BBQ sandwiches or beef quesadillas.
- For weekends, I plan to make a big pot of soup. Schedules are weird and hectic, so it’s nice to have a something that is already made and easy to reheat. Our favorites are chicken enchilada soup {using leftover chicken and chicken broth!”} and chili.
- Don’t forget to plan for side dishes and veggies.
- Gather all the recipes together that you’ll be using {on the computer, from your recipe box… whatever works!} and then make a grocery list. TIP: When I’m using recipes from online, I copy and paste them to a Word document. I’ll try to put them in order and I just keep it open and click over to it throughout the week. So much easier than looking for the webpage when you’ve got kids around your ankles and raw chicken on the counter.
- Grocery shopping—we shop for two weeks at at time.My hubby has jumped on board in helping with this chore so we go on Saturday mornings {free samples anyone?!}. It doesn’t make grocery shopping super fun, but it’s nice to do it as a team. TIP: if you’re shopping for two weeks, make sure -to save some of your grocery budget for items that don’t keep long so you can make a quick trip to pick up items later on, like fresh produce and bread.
- Use Pinterest!
- Lastly, WRITE IT DOWN. My dad always says, “the shortest pencil is better than the longest memory.” {that’s such a Dad thing to say, isn’t it?!} Anyway, write it down. I use a scrap piece of paper for my rough drafts and then I add it to my ah.may.zing calendar.
********
Thanks, Amy, for this helpful post! I enjoyed it and am sure my readers did as well! Are you interested in guest posting? Please email me for more details!
