Meal Planning like a BOSS

Well hello 2019! It’s our year y’all. I just know it. I am declaring this is THE YEAR THAT YOU LOVED YOU! What does that mean? Well I am not going to stop this year until I have as many of you as possible loving that glorious, God given, wonderful human you see in the mirror, JUST AS YOU ARE. Sure, we all want to be “better” this year, but I don’t want you to waiting on “her” to love yourself. Because if you wait, trust me, you won’t love her either. It’s a ridiculous cycle we all have fallen into- and well it needs to stop. So. I say let’s STOP IT. Like now. And start doing things that make us happy and our current lives better.

I asked on my IG for y’all to share what is one thing that would make your life better. I got so many answers and I prayed through all of them. Now I am going to start tackling one concern after another in hopes that it takes one stress or worry from your life. So you have more time to smile and enjoy these days ♥️.

So I thought I would start with a fun one- Meal Planning! This was probably the most common stressor- many of y’all, me included, wish we just had a personal chef show up every night with a meal that is delicious and caters to all of our families’ taste buds. That would be a freaking miracle in my house. Or just Chick-fil-A HA! But alas, that is expensive, and not reasonable. Cooking, grocery shopping, and meal planning does not have to suck. You just need to be smart and tailor it around YOUR family. When I follow my fail proof process, it works like a charm. I did this same plan when I worked full time too- I will share how it was different then from now. When I am not following this plan, well we hate it. And eat out WAY too much. We love us some food delivery- but even my crew gets tired of it. I personally don’t hate cooking- I hate dishes, but I like to cook. That may not be you, but maybe this plan will help you get through it enough to not hate it ☺️. Ok here is my process and tips…

• First and foremost, you probably need some order in this department. Going willy nilly has gotten you into your slump. I know it does that to me. What do I mean? You need a plan for your meal plan! I started this when I worked full time to take the guess work out where I could. For example:
  • Monday – Hot Sandwiches
  • Tuesday -Mexican
  • Wednesday -Italian
  • Thursday -Soup/Chili/Stews
  • Friday and Saturday- leftovers or out
  • Sunday- Pinterest.
• So you see, I feel like I am already halfway done before I get started. Planning this way allows you to save recipes for certain nights too. For example- if you see something Mexican on Pinterest, you can put away for the next Mexican night. I save Sundays for fun new things I find on Pinterest or things that take a little longer. You can choose any theme that works for your fam! Some other themes I have used (I change it up with the seasons) is salad night, breakfast for dinner, make your own pizza night, burger night, etc.  Whatever works for y’all – try it!
• Every Sunday I sit down with my calendar and plan my meals – per the themes.  Once I have that set, I make my grocery list for that week.  I can’t do more than a week at a time because we end up wasting food.  Somehow always, plans change and I end up needing to change it up.  Weekly works best for us.  Now – here is a tip that I know has helped make my grocery trips faster and not as bad:  take a sheet of paper and make sections by grocery store departments.  For example: Produce, Deli, Bakery, Aisles, Dairy, Frozen, etc.  THEN as you fill in your needed ingredients under each department – shopping will be so much easier as you have your list for each section!  I have seen printables for this – but I like to just do it myself so I can customize it as needed.  This seems so simple, and it is, but it is a game-changer!
• If you want to save even more time, and I only did this when I worked full time, take advantage of grocery pick up.  If you have your list of meals, you know what you need and it will not take nearly as long to place your order online.  I save so much more money when I do it this way too!  The planning ahead will help you so much!
• Take advantage of your crockpot!!! I know most of us do – but do it even more.  This is such an awesome tool and a way to make us look like rockstars HA!  Also – I love LOVE my Instant Pot!  It is such a great option for the days that you forgot to put dinner in the crockpot. If it scares you, I get it. BUT give it a shot!  You an find the one I use here in my Amazon store 🙂 and I want this crockpot!
• My last tip – don’t overcomplicate things.  It does not have to be a five course meal.  Keep it easy.  Especially you working moms – I know the last thing we want to do is come home and cook – so prep and buy easy things so its as not nearly as painful.  Don’t be afraid to use paper plates and plastic forks.  Your meals don’t have to be posted pretty on IG.  These are the moments your kids will remember – not the plates, or even the food, the time eating together 🙂

I will share recipes here, on Pinterest, and on IG all the time.  I challenge you to try to do the meal planning thing until Valentine’s Day and see what you think.  It may take some time to get it all figured out – but I promise it will change up your evenings for the better if you give it a fair shot!

Happy planning!