Meal Planning...The Journey

As with most things in life, meal planning has turned into a journey...or at least a growing-changing process.

When I first got married I kept hearing people say the phrase "The key to saving money on groceries is to meal plan."

Meal Plan... I thought that I knew what that meant, but I really didn't. My first attempts as an early bride basically entailed planning out what I wanted to make and making a list before I went to the store. This method replaced my original "Single-Girl-in College Plan." That plan was simply- no plan- or just put things that look good in the cart as you go. And I would get some basics for meals that I would regularly throw together.

As a new bride I was inspired to expand my cooking skills. We were also moved to the country and my husband was working on a farm...so I had access to all kinds of amazing vegetables, many of which I had never cooked with before. My meal plan probably saved us some money, but it's purpose was fueled by the desire to learn to cook. This was a great learning and growing process. I honed my skills, made some flops, made some masterpieces, tacked a whole Better Homes meal, and discovered more about our taste and preferences.

When the kids came it became clear that Meal Planning needed to look different. I did not have time to gather up magazine recipes and plan out cooking adventures. I didn't have time to make a list! I was also so tired of the stand by meals like; spaghetti, tacos, stir fry, meatloaf and roast.

Around this time I was reading a lot of Sandra Felton's suggestions about organization. She suggested making a two week meal plan complete with a list. When you have a rotating meal plan you never have to try and think up dinner on the spot, and you don't have to spend time making a list.

I realized that the only way we were going get out of our mealtime rut is if I had a book of recipes, and all the ingredients on hand. And, since my husband does all the grocery shopping, I needed to be able t
o hand him a well organized list with out any notice.

I also attended a Wise Woman Workshop at our church about cooking healthful meals on a budget. It was like being at a cooking show! It was so much fun, and so hands on...I got to see these ladies in action, and learned some great cooking skills.

Two huge tips I picked up for making my meal plan were super fundamental. The way to save time and money when you meal plan is to have meals with overlapping ingredients. For example: Make a chicken on Sunday, then use the left over chicken in a meal on Tuesday. Or Make a Roast and Mashed potatoes and make extra mashed potatoes for your shepherd pie the next day. If you are browning beef for tacos, brown extra to add to your spaghetti sauce the next day. Meal Planning is like a big puzzle and if you get the hang of it...you actually do save time and money.

So, with these new insights I was inspired to create the meal plan to end all meal plans...and it became a project! Stay tuned to hear more....