1. save money! (both Himself & I are terrible savers)
2. get more organized (yes I get that this is very vague but it is a start, okay)
One particular area of our life that really needs to be organized is the meal/grocery planning. I tend to cook 90% of our meals. Himself tends to do 80% of our grocery shopping. So I have decided to try and to the weekly meal planner and then create a grocery list based on that. Trying to buy only what we need and also taking the stress out of coming up with something to cook for dinner at 4 in the afternoon, especially when I'm not sure what there is or isn't in the house.
The other little 'issue' linked to this is that 4 times a week we only get home at 8 so then I have to cook dinner as quickly as possible to try and get the kids fed, bathed and into bed by at the latest 9. (yes they 'bath' themselves and no they can't wait till morning cause the reason we get home so late is sport related).
So I want to know:
- do you plan your meals ahead of time?
- if yes, do you repeat a set of meal plans (e.g. rotating the same 2 or 3 lists)?
- do you have some quick and easy meal ideas for me? (no, I do not own a slow cooker)
Good luck with your resolution, Jo! I don't normally plan meals ahead, but I always have a good idea the day before of what I want to make. I`m going to try sticking to a more precise meal plan this year too. I just made my meal plan for the week this morning, but because of it being a `detox` week for me, it`s got a lot of soup and salad and healthy foods on it ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm having this same issue. I don't like cooking so I'm never one of those people that gets excited to sit down and plan and look at recipes. I have to get better at it though. We eat too much crap and spend too much money otherwise. My goal is to sit down Sunday morning and plan it out and then Jacob goes grocery shopping because he's less likely to stray from the list. Haha!
ReplyDeleteit's tough! I have the same issue and the only way around it is if I plan ahead. Like put it together the night in advance or make a soup or something that I can freeze. when I sit down to make a list and have all on hand, I am so much happier with the nighttime routine.
ReplyDeleteHow big is your freezer? You could make casseroles or other dishes ahead of time that only need to be popped in the oven for 30 minutes for those nights you get home at 8! They can be stored in the freezer for awhile, so you could even make them on the weekend when you have more time.
ReplyDeleteI make dinner Mon-Fri and I double up nights. Meaning, I make enough food on Monday night for us to eat it on Tuesday, too. That way I only have to cook 2-3 times. I used to love cooking, but find I just don't have as much time for it anymore, so this works best for us.
I don't meal plan, but I should. I also stink at organization.
ReplyDeleteWe make a menu every week, and then buy groceries for the week. It saves money, because we only buy the food we're going to make that week, and it saves time, since I'm not going to the market every day after work.
ReplyDeleteThat said, we're pretty boring. Our meals are very basic. Here's our menu from this week:
Sat: grilled tri tip, potatoes, brussel sprouts
Sun: chili (using the left over tri tip), garden salad
Mon: Spaghetti, salad
Tues: grilled tilapia, mac and cheese, green beans
Weds: homemade french bread pizzas (pepperoni, olive, and mushroom)
Thurs: chicken noodle soup
Fri: take out night!
Go out and buy a crock pot! They're less than $20, and it makes dinner so much easier!
I hated trying to figure out what to make for dinner every day so a few months ago I printed out a calendar for the month and sat down with cook books and pinterest and filled int what I was going to make for dinner for the next month. I've been doing this for 4 months and it has made things so easy! I actually look forward to cooking each night and it's so nice to go shopping for the week and be done knowing I have everything I need.
ReplyDeleteWe don't plan meals ahead of time but REALLY need to! Especially since we aren't working the same shift anymore, I'm going to have to start getting creative so that way the husband can eat! haha!
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that I would suggest is to get a slow cooker!!!! Most of my favorite recipes are using one lol! Plus then the hardest part of your dinner is done & you just have to throw together a couple quick sides. Especially on the days when your coming home @ 8!