How To Make Your Family’s Meal Plan

If you’re searching for ways to save money and time in the kitchen but still create nutritious meals each day, starting with a menu plan for weekly meals can help immensely.

1. Make a list of all the dishes your family enjoys.

2. Mark dishes that take considerably longer than 30 minutes to prepare, not counting cooking time, so you can save those for days you have more time.

3. Put each main dish into categories such as Mexican, Italian, sandwiches, soups, salads, casseroles, lunch-for-dinner, breakfast-for-dinner, etc.

4. Leftovers are your best friend. Many meals still taste great when reheated, and eating leftovers saves time and money.

5. Make the quickest and easiest meals on the busiest nights.

6. Create routine with your weekly meal schedule, e.g. Taco Tuesdays, Italian on Mondays, make-your-own sandwiches on Fridays. Instilling tradition, even in the smallest of ways, in your kids’ lives will help your family stay connected.

7. After you’ve chosen your meal categories, it’s time to look through your cupboards to see which ingredients you already have and which ingredients you need to purchase. Take your time with this – organize your pantry, throw out old food, and make lists of what you already have.

See Also

Self-love: Serena Williams Encourages New Mums As She Shows Off Post-baby Body

8. Be flexible. Plans change, people stop by, meetings pop up, and sometimes you just feel like being waited on at a restaurant. By having a meal plan, you can choose to switch meals from one day to another and still know you have everything you need.

9. Before you know it, you’ll practically have your own personalized family cookbook with solid go-to recipes.