Meal planning?

SomersIsles · August 2014

I was lurking on other boards and noticed some moms post a dinner schedule for the week. I nearly had a heart attack when I realized how much I spend going out to eat....... $1200 a month! Yikes...

I think I need to start cooking more. I never really thought about planning meals for the week but it makes so much sense. Do any of you do this? Any tips on how to be successful with it? Should we start a check in where we can share a weekly meal schedule?

kaking78 · August 2014

We tried but it's not our style. One of my favorite easy meals to do is throw a pork tenderloin or shoulder in the crock pot on Sunday and have that as a roast. Throughout the week I turn it into pulled pork bbq sandwiches and pork and black bean burritos. I do similar things with roast chicken in the fall and winter when it's cool enough to use the oven.

SomersIsles · August 2014

I definitely plan on making enough so when I go back to work I can just eat leftovers for lunch. I gotta get more organized!

SandiaLiz · August 2014

We recently started Taco Tuesday at our house too! We grocery shop once a week and I plan for three dinners. Since it is just H and I that is plenty for a couple nights of leftovers, an eat out, and maybe a night or two of eat whatever sounds good.

I like to choose one new recipe a week, usually from pinterest. We also have a binder of favorite recipes which helps.

tsmith312 · August 2014

We meal plan. On Sundays before our weekly shopping trip we create a " menu " on a dry erase board and leave it on the fridge. This way we know what we need to buy and know what's for dinner each night . While I was on my un-paid mat leave we saved TONS of money by not eating out. Now that I'm switching jobs and taking a pay cut we will have to do the same thing .

[Deleted User] · August 2014

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babylimas · August 2014

I meal plan! I love it. It also helps me to have specific grocery store lists. This looks exactly like the one I use - https://www.amazon.com/Mead-Organizher-Magnetic-Shopping-57109/dp/B00GDDU8A0/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1406901279&sr=8-9&keywords=grocery+store+list

That way we can mark stuff off as we need them and only have to do one trip a week.

I used to plan out breakfasts and lunches too, but I've been bad about that lately. It's hard for me b/c I don't really have any time to cook in the evening. I get home after 6 with 2 kids that go to bed shortly thereafter. It's tough, so I need to have it all planned out.

babylimas · August 2014

My other boards have a meal plan thread every week. It helps to get ideas. I do all of my recipes through pinterest.

kelley72 · August 2014

Financially I have to... ugh it sucks! I so much prefer deciding what to cook every other day or so and being able to pick up fresh produce, but not at all an option for us these days.

I do my own document and meal plan. I shop on Sundays usually and plan for 5-6 meals and use one day as a "clean out the refrigerator" or "easy night" meaning no planned meal it's kind of fend for yourself.

I also have to adjust my meals based on what pricing is for meats/produce with what I had planned.

It does take spontaneity / fun out of cooking

Ceventa · August 2014

I love meal planning! It's the only thing that helps me make sure that we eat well during the week, if not we're heating up frozen pizzas and eating cereal.

I usually make my grocery list and do the shopping on the weekend. I don't really worry about planning breakfast or lunch, I just get things we can make quickly. Instead I focus on dinner by picking out about 4-5 recipies. They have to be under 30 minutes to make and nothing fried. I have a binder of go-to recipies, but I usually throw in about 1-2 new ones to keep things interesting and make cooking more fun for me.

Depending on how big the recipe is, we usually have left overs for lunch the next day or even dinner. If I don't get to make all the recipes that week, I make them on the weekends instead.

I plan the meals around my cravings that week (lol) and what's on sale at the supermarket, so check out your local store ad pages, coupons help too for meal planning if you find some good ones.

Also, check out this site: Skinny Taste

She is amazing! Takes everyday recipes and makes them healthier. Even puts the WW points on there if you're on the program. So far every recipe I've made from her has been really yummy. Her slow cooker meals are awesome.

karen31186 · August 2014

I have meal planned weekly since DH and I got married (9 years this week). It saves us SO much money! We eat leftovers every other day to save money and prevent waste.

SurpriseAt39 · August 2014

I plan my meals around noon the day I'm cooking it. Lol.

I always have ground beef, steaks, chicken breast and pork tenderloin in the freezer.
We buy fresh produce twice a week.
I've always got pasta and rice in the house as well.

I never follow a recipe, so I just make stuff up based on what's in the house.
I've rarely made a bad decision that would cause DH or I to not eat what I prepared.

I tried planning in advance, but things happen and plans change and I'd end up tossing food out (meat especially) because it spoiled in the fridge before we got to it.
I do plan ahead if I know we are having company because I usually do something special and EASY.

SomersIsles · August 2014

Love the skinny taste website!

babylimas · August 2014

A tip - my H is a HUGE eater and will eat everything left. I like to box up leftovers before I serve the meal. That way he is guaranteed to have lunch for the next day and doesn't eat it all just because it's there. If I am making a casserole or soup or something freezable, I try to make two so I can put one in the freezer. I don't plan freezer meals, but that way I have a couple.

htn1763 · August 2014

We semi meal plan. On Sundays we bake up a bunch of chicken breasts for lunches (add to quinoa/lentils/wheatberries and a veggie). We will have a couple left and then plan 2 meals with those- white chicken chili, chicken pot pie, stir fry, soup, chicken salads... We usually plan out 2 other meals and then do leftovers for the remaining days.

kelley72 · August 2014

CHPhotoMama said:

We semi meal plan. On Sundays we bake up a bunch of chicken breasts for lunches (add to quinoa/lentils/wheatberries and a veggie). We will have a couple left and then plan 2 meals with those- white chicken chili, chicken pot pie, stir fry, soup, chicken salads... We usually plan out 2 other meals and then do leftovers for the remaining days.
If I think about it I'll throw a bunch of chicken breasts in the crockpot and shred them up, then use them for a lot of this. Sometimes I'll brown a big batch of ground beef also.

Yes pre-cooking chicken breasts or actually I prefer whole chicken in crockpot, pull meat off bones (lot of work but less expensive and I think chicken tastes better because it stays moist) and cooking groundbeef/sausage/turkey and freeze in ziplock gallon sized bags... Awesome. Of course that assumes I can afford to buy 2-3 extra packages, I can only do this 1x a month...

Pearlvirus · August 2014

We signed up for the fresh 20 a couple weeks ago.

https://www.thefresh20.com

Seems good so far. We've been making 3 or 4 of the meals close to how they recommend and eating out or at my moms the other night.

kstar83 · August 2014

We meal plan on sundays with at least one day out. We have also started spliting up packs of meat... So like I buy a thing of ground turkey and we make turkey meatballs one night and turkey burgers another. That way it feels totally different which makes us more likely to eat all the leftover and not waste food. We do this even with grilled chicken, just marinate it in something different so it tastes a little different.

maganonymous · August 2014

I meal plan, but it is very rudimentary. I just list out each day for two weeks on the "sticky notes" program on my computer, then I list out one planned meal per day. Then I make my grocery list off of that and then add in some staples like sandwich meat and cereal to round it out. It works for us!! Our eat-out budget is less than $150 per month!!

CruiseGirl28 · August 2014

I have always meal planned. We spend about $100/week (that includes toiletries and stuff too) + usually eat out on Saturday night.

Aliki · August 2014

Meal planning is a great way to save money! We semi-meal plan.. I normally buy 2 meat items and 4 vegetables on Sunday, and then play my home version of Chopped

Meaning if I get chicken breasts, salmon, potatoes, carrots, celery, and spinach... I'll make:

Monday - grilled chicken with roasted potatoes and sauteed carrots

Tuesday - chicken pot pie

Wednesday - grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach

Thursday - chicken soup

Friday - salmon cakes

Saturday - eat out!

Sunday - leftovers

stephcrosby09 · August 2014

Meal planner here! I literally just fold over a piece of computer paper, we brainstorm what we want to have and I put the days of the week and what the plan is. I have to do this because we both works jobs that may take us through the dinner hour, so knowing who will be home and if we need to make dinner earlier in the day or the night before is crucial. Our grocery budget is $400 a month. We keep a magnetic shopping list (like one you can get at the $1 area at target) on the fridge and write things down on it as we run out, and then finish it up after the menu planning. Shopping together has always been fun for us, so we go together. Our budget for eating out is nothing for August because I switched jobs, so our income will be significantly lower. I think we have eaten out 5 times since Addison was born. Also, crock out is our friend. I like SKinny Taste and skinny mom for recipes. Planning works for us, and my mom is always so impressed lol, but she's one who can pull it out of a hat. I cannot.

lisamstark · August 2014

Hello everyone! I rarely post but wanted to share. I've been meal planning now for two years and tracked it. We've saved over 5k! I actually subscribe to a site called cook smarts! They have four recipes each week and u can make them paleo or gluten free or the original. The service is like 75 a year and i love it! My h and i eat a paleoish/gluten-less (not gluten free) diet. Since lo came along i do two nights of crockpot meals too and it really helps.

Ahutch428 · August 2014

One thing that helps me is to make a list of meals for the week, but not assign a certain day, because I change my mind a lot. I make my list if dinners, and ingredients on Sundays.

YankeePeach08 · August 2014

i semi-meal plan. I usually make a list of 4 or 5 dinners for the week and which night to have them, but I may make last minute changes depending on how much time I have.

I used to meal plan much more strictly when I was working full time.

We get most of our meat at Sams club and I usually have a freezer full of options so I plan our meals around what fresh produce is on sale, if it is a grilling meal when DH will be home from work (early vs. late) and how busy my day is.

I try to make extra of casseroles and soups so i can freeze them.