Back into the swing of things.

As much as I love summer, I am so happy that fall has arrived! I am excited about getting into a routine again. One of the things I let get away from me this summer was Meal Planning. Sunday I posted my meal plan for this week and next week. I sat down with my Deceptively Delicious cookbook and the recipes I've collected from the Kraft Kitchen magazines. I made my list for this week using recipes I knew I had all the ingredients for. For next week I made note of any ingredients I will have to pick up. I also have a few cheater meals, we have 2 frozen pizzas and a veggie lasagna in the freezer.

One thing I like to do, knowing that Steve wont be home for dinner on Tuesday nights, is make something on Mondays that I know will have leftovers for and Evan and I on Tuesday. Also, we are going away next Friday so for Thursday night's dinner I will make one of the pizzas that I know we can eat between the 3 of us and not have leftovers.

Week 1

I like Meal Planning for a few reasons. If I know ahead of time what we are having I can start the prep- work ahead of time, especially if it means taking chicken out of the freezer to thaw. Sometimes I prepare things the day before so I can just pop it in the oven. I also try to use my crock pot on days that I know we will be busy and I wont have time to make anything. Another benefit to Meal Planning is that you can plan it around your shopping list. For example, I will usually sit down before I start my shopping list and make my meal plan. Then I make sure I add any ingredients I will need to my shopping list. It also makes grocery shopping easier and we spend less because we are only buying what we need.

Week 2

How do you do your meal planning? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas!