This was another busy, but wonderful weekend. We started off Saturday with a trip up to North Carolina for a car purchase. The boy bought a new car and it is a beauty! Since we were already up in NC, we made a day of it and stopped by IKEA. IKEA is like Target to me...even if there is nothing I need, I always end up making several purchases. It's always a treat to go to IKEA since we don't have one in Greenville. That's how I legitimize my purchases!
We also started a new kickball league this weekend so that evened out our Sunday afternoon. It wasn't until Sunday evening that I actually thought about the fact that I hadn't done any meal planning for the week ahead. I didn't freak out because I knew there was enough food for us to make some kind of makeshift meal for Monday, but we still needed to figure out the week.
The first thing I did, and my first recommendation, is to take inventory. I did a quick perusing of the refrigerator and cabinets and wrote down items that we had. I try to star my perishable foods so I know what needs to be used first.
We also started a new kickball league this weekend so that evened out our Sunday afternoon. It wasn't until Sunday evening that I actually thought about the fact that I hadn't done any meal planning for the week ahead. I didn't freak out because I knew there was enough food for us to make some kind of makeshift meal for Monday, but we still needed to figure out the week.
The first thing I did, and my first recommendation, is to take inventory. I did a quick perusing of the refrigerator and cabinets and wrote down items that we had. I try to star my perishable foods so I know what needs to be used first.
Once I have my food list down, I try to come up with meals that will fit the foods we have and my timing for certain days. I came up with this:
Then, I was able to fill in the blanks with items I need to purchase (in red) and add it to the grocery list for the week.
This is the fastest and easiest way i've found to meal plan. One of the best parts about it is that it cuts down on food waste, which is important to me.
What are your best tips for meal planning?
What are your best tips for meal planning?