I came across this fun blogging idea on another blog that I enjoy reading and I thought I would share some of the things that work for me with my family and friends. Feel free to join me!
Meal planning works for me! The thing most of you already know about me is that I am a planner. I love to plan because for me personally it makes my day to day life more enjoyable by eliminating stressful situations. I usually start planning next week's meals by around Wednesday or Thursday because I go grocery shopping on Friday for all the food we need for Saturday through Thursday of the next week. I also keep a running grocery list on a chalkboard hanging in my pantry. Once I have my meals planned out for the following week, I complete my grocery list and ensure I have all of the ingredients for my planned meals.
Some of you may be wondering what we do for breakfast and lunch. Well, for now, I am able to simply cook enough dinner for us both to have left-overs for lunch. So, whatever we eat for dinner, we also eat for lunch the next day. I am very thankful that Nathan enjoys left overs as much as I do. Sometimes I will mix it up by making simple sandwiches for us like tuna or turkey and cheese. As for breakfast, Nathan loves eating one egg, one peice of toast, and two peices of turkey bacon almost every morning. On Saturday, I cook pancakes instead of toast :). I often eat peanut butter toast, raisin bran/fiber one, or Nathan's special. As you can see, we I try to keep our meals pretty simple!
There are several benefits to meal planning. One, I have found that meal planning and sticking to my grocery list saves me time and money at the grocery store. Two, it also allows me to plan meals where I can use fresh ingredients for several meals, which eliminates waste. For example, this week, I made fajitas Monday and homeade pizza Tuesday. I purchased three peppers (they can be expensive) and a bag of shredded cheese to be used for both meals. I used half Monday and I used the other half Tuesday. Third, I am able to plan our meals according to sales, which again SAVES US MONEY (are you seeing a pattern here?). Lastly, we eat out less because we know we have "healthy" meals prepped for the evening.
So, are you convinced yet? If you aren't a natural planner, it may seem a bit odd, but just try it out. IT WORKS FOR ME!
Some of our close friends gave Nathan and I this chalkboard as a wedding gift. I keep it on the kitchen counter so Nathan always knows what to expect for dinner :).
This large chalkboard hangs on the wall of our pantry. I keep our grocery list, my to-do list, workout progress, and other fun lists on it without having to display it to everyone.
My meal plan for this week:
Friday-Dinner Party for Dasha: Hamburgers and Hotdogs
Saturday-Date Night: Using Gift Cards from our sister for a night out
Sunday-Chicken Salad Sandwiches
"She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night." (Prov. 31:17-18)
This week, I really enjoyed listening to this podcast regarding marriage and our call from the King to serve our husbands and families! To listen, click on the following link-http://www.goodshepherdcc.org/ministries/women/momtomom.htm, then scroll down to the little audio box on the bottom and click on the message from Alan Hlavka.
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