Meal planning can save you time, money and ALOT of brain sauce. We love it because we don’t have to think about “What shall I make for dinner?” seven times a week. Having said that, there are different levels of meal planning!
This level here is just about giving yourself a bit of time to think a bit ahead so you dont have to think about it ever again (we wish. Maybe just until next week, anyway).
Here’s one way to get you started on your meal planning so you only have to think about it once a week.
- Give yourself half an hour, once a week, to think about it
Okay, we know it’s a bloody nightmare trying to find any more time to do one.more.thing! We get it, life’s busy! BUT. We promise this will be an investment of your time. Find that half an hour now and you won’t have to expend any more mental energy on it for the rest of the week, when you’re most tired and sick of thinking about the flippin’ dinner.
- Meals for the week
In this half an hour, sit and write a list of the meals for the week on one sheet of paper. You might factor in after-school activities, days out and about or anything else that might influence what your family will eat that evening.
- Ingredients into a shopping list
Then, on another sheet of paper (your shopping list), write down the ingredients for each meal (and rough quantities).
With this list in hand, do a quick recon mission of your cupboards – look at what you have and amend your shopping list, scratching out anything you already have on hand.
Add whatever else you need to your shopping list that isn’t food then go and shop.
- ‘Publicise’ your meal plan!
Get that meal plan for the week up on a blackboard or some other noticeboard in the kitchen so you/your partner/older kids don’t have to ever ask the question: “What shall I cook for dinner tonight?”.
Meal planning like this can save you a ton of money – you end up going into that supermarket with a list of only what you need, rather than buying jars of squid ink or something else you’ll never use.
Want to take your weekly meal planning to a whole other level?
Us mamas at MamaBake have developed Once-A-Week cooking plans for mums just like you. Our cooking plans means you cook once, eat all week.
The meals,recipes and shopping lists are all included in each plan AND we give you full instructions so that you can cook a weeks worth of meals up in around 3/4 hours just once a week. So yes, cook once eat all week. What’s not to love?
Find out more about our Once-A-Week cooking plans AND what other mums think of them, HERE
JOIN MamaBake (it’s free) for more meal planning tips and recipes your family will love!
Here are some other ideas to cook once eat all week.
Did we miss anything? Share your hot tips in the comments below.
