In yesterday’s post I talked about Not Eating Out at least 95% of the time.  So far we’ve been able to do this because of meal planning.  I know this isn’t a new idea, but it will be revolutionary in our home if we have the discipline to stick to this.

Here’s how it goes:

1.  On Friday’s I sit down and come up with 7 dinners that fit within our dietary needs.  Because we are creatures of habit, most of the meals are repeats, but I’ve busted out the recipe books and am adding new recipes to our repertoire.  I made a Polenta Lasagna this past Friday that got a “2 thumbs up” from the hubby.

{The recipe was from a Pampered Chef book, so I can’t list it here, but this link  from SparkRecipes goes to one that’s very similar.  My changes:  I used chicken sausage-5 links, Prego spaghetti sauce, 4 cups shredded Mozzarella and 6 slices Provolone.  I worried about the zucchini not cooking, but it cooked beautifully}

I keep a master list of meals we’ve enjoyed and usually start there when choosing.  It’s a good idea to be a little hungry when you do this:  I had just eaten lunch this past Friday when I sat down to do this and nothing looked appetizing.  Makes the job difficult.

2.  As I am deciding on recipes, I write down the ingredients I need on a notepad.  I’m also writing the recipes in my day planner.  I should say that before I do that I’ve already gone through my week and made checked out schedule for nights when I don’t need to cook.

3.  I will then take my grocery list and check that I don’t already have items at home or items that could be substituted and used up.

4.  We usually shop on Saturdays.  This week we shopped on Sunday, or rather Mike shopped on Sunday.

I like working on this one week at a time.  It makes the task manageable and prevents me from buying too much food {and subsequently wasting it).

Our breakfasts and lunches are pretty simple and repetitive.  I have a veg/protein smoothie and Mike has eggs or yogurt and granola for breakfast.  And lunches are usually leftovers from the night before or salads.  At the beginning of each week, I boil a handful of eggs to keep on hand for snacks and we keep raw almonds, carrot sticks and plenty of apples around.

The key to success with this chore is preparation.  It’s a fairly simple process, but even simple processes can fall apart when they’re not worked. 

Ellie (whispering):”Hey Woody, make sure mom doesn’t forget to include our breakfast, lunch and dinner into her menu plan.”

Woody: “Don’t worry.  I’ll take care of it.”

{Sidenote:  Woody wakes me up at 6am everyday for their breakfast and stares me down {similar to the picture) at noon and 5pm if I’m not scooping out their kibble.}