3 Tips for Easy Meal Planning

Where has the family dinner hour gone? There once was a time when we would all come home from a long day and sit down with our family for a nice home-cooked meal. In today’s fast paced world, we need more bonding time with the family. One might say that in today’s day where people pile way too much on the plate of life, that it is impossible to have a family dinner everyday. I disagree. Wouldn’t you like to get back to the way it used to be?

One way to make family dinners easier to prepare is by planning ahead. Often times I find myself going to the grocery store every other day to pick up needed items, and this is how family time gets lost. Spend a little time planning out dinner ideas for the coming week. Pick meals that are quick and easy for your dinners during the week and save the more time consuming recipes for the weekend. Did you know that software has been developed that makes meal planning a breeze? With a click of the mouse you can organize your recipe collection into daily meal plans complete with nutrition facts and shopping lists. With the computer generated shopping list you won’t have to worry about forgetting a needed item when you go grocery shopping.

Another great way to ensure that your family eats together most nights of the week is to share the responsibility of preparing dinner. It can be difficult for one family member to be responsible for cooking everyday. Each member of the family can take turns cooking each night. This is also a good way to add some new flavors to your meals since each member may have a different cooking technique. For those family members who don’t cook often, this can prove to be a great learning experience. Review each family member’s weekly schedule and delegate the meal preparation tasks such as grocery shopping, cooking, and clean up. Working as a team is a great way to build strength as a family.

“Not meatloaf again!” I’m sure everyone has heard the complaints from that same meal being served week after week. Keep your family dinners exciting by trying different variations of your favorite recipes. An even better idea would be to test out some new recipes. Surprise your family with a delicious new dinner tonight and they will be sure to come back to the dinner table tomorrow.

Nothing is more important than your family. It’s worth the effort to make sure that your family eats together daily. Besides the needed nutrition, this time spent together will help open the lines of communication and make your family bond stronger.

I recently discovered an online service that saves time and money while providing you with new dinner ideas daily. Get access to powerful recipe management software, daily meal plans, money saving coupons and more at SendMeRecipes.

Menu Plan Monday – April 27 Edition

Here’s my Menu Plan Monday for the week…

Hubby has been itching to do some grilling, so I’ll let him cook a couple of nights this week

Here’s the menu plan for this week:

Monday – tacos, spanish rice and refried beans

Tuesday – chicken on the grill, will probably do a whole chicken and have mashed potatoes, green beans and some type of bread to go with

Wednesday – leftovers!  we have tons of stuff in the freezer, so it will be a buffet leftover night

Thursday – steak (got on sale last week and froze several), potatoe casserole, salad

Friday – pizza (from Papa Murphy’s – didn’t get it last week, so going to try again this week)

Saturday – ribs on the grill

Sunday – not sure yet, will probably do meatloaf or maybe spicy beef sandwiches from the slow cooker

For more menu planning ideas, head over to Meal Plan Monday. Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday

Here’s my Menu Plan Monday for the week…

I started a new job this week, so this week’s menu is going to be super easy while I get used to my new schedule.

Monday – chicken enchilada casserole (will post recipe soon)

Tuesday – shake-n-bake pork chops, au gratin potatoes, green beans, rolls

Wednesday – leftovers

Thursday – steak (got on sale last week and froze several), baked potatoes

Friday – pizza

Saturday – Chili or red beans and rice, something slow cooked for sure

Sunday – I’m sure dh will want to grill, so probably chicken or ribs

For more menu plans, head over to Meal Plan Monday.  Have a great week!

Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to My Weekly Menu Planner!  I decided to create this blog so that I would have one place to keep my menu plans, recipes and tips for cooking and saving money.

A friend introduced me to meal planning a couple of years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Meal planning helps me save money at the grocery store (which is a huge benefit in this crazy economy), and just as important, it helps save me time.

I’m looking forward to sharing how meal planning has helped me, as well as my favorite menu plans and recipes.

Please feel free to share your own meal planning tips and recipes each time you visit!