I have been working on a lot of things to stop being a crappy housewife. Mainly my focus on this blog has been centered around my house and cleaning. But another change I have made is making a consistent effort on meal planning. Meal planning is the key to so many things and I have been loving it!
What I have been doing is planning Monday mornings. I will plan the dinner for that week. I am trying to see what I have to make meals around my feezer. I have been also trying to make my meal plan more of a schedule. Like Tuesdays will also be Taco Tuesday. It was just vary each week depending on what meat I have. Wednesdays are crazy for us so Wednesday is slow cooker day and it will vary depending on what I have. I then make a grocery list and try to go shopping that day (which as long as my kids are not going crazy, that should work).
The cool thing that I noticed is that the simple act of meal planning helps so many other things. It is like a domino effect!
1. By Meal Planning, I am checking our family calendar so I can plan accordinly around school meetings etc. It gives me a heads up and sometimes a good reminder of what is happneing this week!
2. By Meal Planning, I am saving money. I know what we are having ahead of time and I am shopping for those items. I am not wondering what is for dinner and we are not getting take out! Plus I can check my coupons for specific items to save more money and check the clearance section for future menus.
3. By Meal Planning, we are spending more Family Time! We are having more sit down dinners as a family because I know what is for dinner! I can prep ahead and get the table set (no more take out in front of the TV!) My daughters LOVE helping me cook dinner and I can figure out specific jobs for them. It is such a wonderful priceless time that I get to spend with them while we are cooking! And we have great family talks at the dinner table! This is probably my favorite thing!
4. By Meal Planning, clean-up is a breeze! You would think by making a family dinner, that I would be making more of a mess. But the opposite is happening! When I walk into the kitchen, I know what I am making. While I am in there, I am cleaning up any messes from the day. I am not throwing things around looking for a certain ingredient. I know what is going on so I can multi-task with clean-up. Plus, with more family dinners, my kids are getting more involved with the clean-up after dinner. We each do our task and the work gets done right away.
5. By Meal Planning, I am just happier. Enough said! No stress and I am just able to cook/clean-up with my kids. I am having the best conversations with them. Priceless!!!
If you don't meal plan, I totally encourage it!
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