Hey everyone. I missed writing last Monday but we took Riley on an exciting trip to the Georgia National Fair. I will be writing about that later this week on Peach State Moms Blog. Today I am focusing on another installment in the Manic Monday series. So far we have talked about getting dressed completely before your family wakes up and picking out your clothes the night before. If any one has tried these two things I know you can tell a difference.
Today as I laid around the house in pain from another migraine, I was reminded of another tip that helps things run smoothly around the house. Planing your meals ahead of time. It really saved me today because my husband was able to come home from work and cook dinner. It was wonderful that I was able to tell him exactly what to fix. And if I had to, I would have been able to cook the meal myself. I knew I had everything I needed, no running out to the store last minute or eating fast food for dinner.
I do my meal planning a little differently than most. I think it is a pretty easy way to do it. One Saturday when things were slow and we were just hanging out, I asked my family to tell me their favorite meals. They told them to me and we looked through some cookbooks together. I grabbed a stack of notebook paper and begin writing the recipes on to their own piece of paper. It was a little time consuming but trust me, so worth it.
By the time I finished, I had about 30 recipes to start building my meal plans. As I went through the pages I added what side items went well with it. For example, one sheet held the recipe for my mom's chili recipe. I added a note to myself that I like to serve it with shredded cheese and raw onions for toppings and serve with cornbread. Another example is spaghetti. I usually serve with a salad and garlic toast. It was very simple.
Then I sat down with all of my sheets of paper and picked out a weeks worth of dinners. I added in a planned day for leftovers too. From the recipes I made my grocery list. Checking to make sure of what items I already had on hand. I was shocked at how little I actually had to buy at the store. I made a deal with myself to stick to the plan and make all of the meals. And you know what? It was really easy to do!
You don't have to do this all in one setting like I did. I challenge you to start tomorrow writing down what you served for dinner and what sides etc. Soon you will have a diverse group of meals to pull from and meal planning will become easy for you. And it will really help when mommy needs a sick day!
Stay fabulous,
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