Making a Plan

As mentioned in my previous post, having a plan is my key to being successful with feeding my family healthful meals and snacks.

1 - Have an ongoing grocery list somewhere that makes it easy to add stuff to it anytime. Mine is in my 'notes' section of my phone. There are apps available but I've found it easier to have a "To Do" note which includes my grocery list, sometimes split up by store (farmers market vs Whole Foods vs Trader Joe's, etc).

2 - Along those lines, have an always evolving weekly menu somewhere easily accessible. I can look ahead a few days (or a week if I'm that organized) and see that I have a meeting or sports practice or something that I need to plan around. Plan meals around those evening events. Also, having theme days helps narrow down some choices. It doesn't seem as overwhelming to think "I need to come up with a mexican meal on Taco Tuesdays" or "I'll grab some fish for Meatless Monday!"

3 - Always have staples on hand. Check the pantry, fridge, and freezer for your staples while you make your grocery list. (Confession: I'm not the most successful at this because I always seem to be heading out to the store in a hurry!)

4 - Have "go-to" meals in mind and have the ingredients on hand. For me, there are two (hot) meals that are go-tos for the kids when my husband works late and we are in a hurry. 

5 - Have a starting off point for your weekly menu. I often start my weekly menu planning for the upcoming week based on what will be in the box! Look into a local farm delivery service or CSA. (We have been using Nature's Garden Express and have been very happy with the service. I love being able to substitute products, add eggs/grass-fed beef, and all of the local and true seasonal options that I don't always find in my grocery stores. Knowing what will be delivered the same day every week helps me plan ahead. Try it out! Get $10 off your first box - full disclosure - I also get $10 off when you sign up using the code. https://www.naturesgardenexpress.com/ Promo code: 46e96) 

6 - Set goals of the number of times you want to go out to eat. It's pretty much unrealistic to never, ever go out, at least for us. But we have cut it down a lot. Have some 

Alright, ready, set, start planning! Get into a habit of thinking about the next week's activities and menu late the week before. I'll start posting meal plans on Fridays to give some inspiration. I generally don't come up with my own recipes because there are so many food bloggers who do such a great job at it. But I will be linking to different blogs and websites that do that! Happy planning!