Meal planning is one of those things that it seems only super organised people do. You know the ones I mean - who have breakfast, lunch and dinner (all homemade and healthy of course), prepared 3 months in advance. I'm not that person. My schedule changes week on week, and I like to decide what we'll eat based on tastes, effort the meal takes and health issues (e.g. lots of hearty stews when colds are hitting). To do this I have a wonderful resource, the Organised Mum Fridge List. Honestly they should pay me for endorsements because not only do I frequently buy it for friends and family, I tell everyone I know about it! There's a meal planner on one side and a shopping list on the other, and it stays permanently on my fridge. Anytime we're running low I just pop it on the list, knowing it won't be forgotten.
So on Mondays I write our weekly meal plan - to do this I have a list of the recipes I know how to cook (my Mam always said the hardest part of feeding a family is thinking of meals and she's right). I can then check our pantry and freezer to see what we need and then write my shopping list accordingly. I also have a small magnetic whiteboard on my fridge with a list of my freezer inventory - I don't know about you but I have no desire to rake through my much-needed-be-be-defrosted freezer every week. If anything on the plan needs defrosting I'll asterisk it and try to take it out the night before.
Anyway, that's my secret behind meal planning. It saves so much money at the shops (we rarely throw stuff away) and time at night. It also saves us ordering takeout as much, which I really enjoy and like to keep for special occasions.
How does your family organise meals?
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