Getting Back to Routine with Meal Planning
As school routines return and the lazy days of summer wind down, we are getting back our weekly routines. Today our contributor, Myndi, is sharing her tips for easy meal planning you get back into routine this fall.
Meal planning became really important in our family when our youngest daughter was born and our schedules became more hectic. Now that the kids are older, I rely on meal planning even more as we are on the go every week! I like to set aside time each weekend to plan our meals for the week and if I have a little extra time, I prep a couple items to have on hand for the week. Both of these steps make things a lot easier during the week when we’re tired, busy, or unmotivated to cook.
Begin in the Kitchen
Start by picking your time to meal plan and shop. I like to meal plan on Sunday and shop on Monday. A different day might work better for you. Before I plan meals, I first check to see what I have on hand. I do a quick fridge clean out and scan the freezer and pantry to see what I need to use. I hate to waste food, so I try to use up anything that's hanging around. Random vegetables can be chopped and roasted. Various bags of pasta can be combined, cooked, and used in a pasta bake. A bag of boring dried beans can transform into a pot of delicious, brothy beans that can easily be used in salads, tacos, or heaped on toast. An organized fridge and a list of what you want to use is a great place to start your planning!
Inspiration
So cookbooks are my favorite. I love to browse a stack of books or my favorite websites and plan some new recipes to cook. But to most of my siblings, this idea sounds like torture! For my siblings, cooking is not relaxing but a necessary evil. Whatever your approach, collect some recipes for the week. I generally plan to cook four meals a week. The other three evenings we keep flexible for eating leftovers, ordering takeout, or utilizing a meal from the freezer.
If that sounds overwhelming, think about planning your week around categories! It could look something like this:
Mon - pasta night
Tues - taco night
Wed - freezer meal
Thurs - slow cooker night
Fri - order takeout
Sat - leftover night
Sun - traybake night
Categories make planning so much easier. And when life gets busy, I go back to category planning and simply plug in some of our favorite dinners.
Go-To Favorites
Another tip! Keep a list in your planner of go-to dinners, especially the ones that come together quickly! Refer to this list when you need inspiration or are putting together your weekly meal plan. I highlight the best of the best and these go into heavy rotation each week.
Make Ahead
Earlier I mentioned meal prepping a few things to get ahead each week. Here’s a list of some things I prep to help us through the week:
Oatmeal
Granola
Hard boiled eggs
Frittata
Vinaigrette
Soup
Roasted vegetables
Washed salad greens
Pickled onions
Cooked beans
Cooked rice or quinoa
Pick one or two items from the list to make on the weekend and see if it helps you during the week!
Now we’ve come to my favorite part, the monthly meal plan layout! I love this layout. Each week I fill out our meals and then I have a record every month to see what we loved to cook and eat. Suddenly I have monthly meal plans ready to go for every season and can easily share with friends when we’re trading ideas on what to cook.
Thanks for letting me share some ideas today! I’d love to hear from you! How do you approach meal planning and cooking in your home? I hope you enjoy the last weeks of summer and getting back to your routine this fall!