(You do not have to follow the same schedule as I do here, but adjust your days to fit your schedule. There will be unexpected changes that come up, but that is okay. The key is to plan ahead so you can cook nutritious meals at home more often and not rely on the drive-thru or take-out.)
I make a list of all the (favorite) recipes that my family usually eat.
(Select 5-7 meals to cook, depending on your schedule. In my case...) I cook two meals per day breakfast and one huge meal for lunch and dinner, that's Mon-Fri and three meals on weekends. Once I have meal options in hand, I let my kid and hubby choose which ones appeal to them the most. This can cut down complaints when dinner actually makes it to the table.
Write Your Meal Plan on Paper. I use a piece of scratch paper. I list the days of the week down the left side to log my meals, and I use the right side of the paper to make my grocery list. I can then easily bring my plan with me to the grocery store.
I plan one week at a time, but you could also plan two to three weeks or even a month’s worth of meals. Post the plan on the refrigerator for everyone to see.
A typical weekly menu for my family of three looks like this:
Monday - B: Beef tapa, egg, fried saba | L&D: Tinola
Tuesday - B: Tinapang bangus, kamatis, fried rice with veg. | L&D: Pininyahang manok
Wednesday - B: Nuggets, egg, fried eggplant, brown rice | L&D: Nilaga
Thursday - B: Herb and cheese omelette, bacon, bread | L&D: Chopseuy
Friday - B: Longanisa, egg, fried saba | L&D: Sinigang na bangus
Saturday - B: Champorado and tuyo | L: Giniling with tomato sauce | D: Chicken curry
Sunday - B: Pancake, hotdog, oat meal with fruits | L: Porkchop, corn and carrots | D: Spaghetti
- I make a grocery list from my selected recipes. Nothing is worse than starting to cook then realizing you are missing a key ingredient. Don't forget to check the pantry and fridge to make sure you have the essentials like milk, eggs, butter, canned goods, pasta, oatmeal, brown rice and bread/buns, ziplock, etc..
- Then I go to the Grocery store. Another place to get kid(s) involved in family meals is by taking them to the grocery store. Ask them to help pick out the fruits and vegetables that are on your list.
- Prep ingredients for the entire week and begin to separate them by putting into a ziplock bags and label them with a marker. (I will be making a blog post on this one this week)
- Refer to Your Meal Plan Daily.
I make sure that I don’t forget to check my meal plan daily to see what I need to defrost, and to make any adjustments based on last-minute schedule changes.
There you have it mommies this is how I plan a meal for my family for the past three months. I hope this will help (encourage/inspire) you to get started, to make an effort to do meal planning at home. Not only does eating at home save you money but I guarantee that home cooked meals are more nutritious. Thanks for stopping by!
There you have it mommies this is how I plan a meal for my family for the past three months. I hope this will help (encourage/inspire) you to get started, to make an effort to do meal planning at home. Not only does eating at home save you money but I guarantee that home cooked meals are more nutritious. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, you definitely an organized mom! :) Keep it up! :D
ReplyDeletehttp://abovepreciousrubies.blogspot.com/
Thanks mommy Nilyn!
DeleteGrabe you're so organized. I was planning to do this way back. But with kids and other responsibilities on my plate, I can;t even think of what to serve. Hehe :))
ReplyDeleteWOW! You are so organized! I tried meal planning for a month and I end up not following my own plan..LOL!
ReplyDeleteAng galing mo naman! Ako, I plan for 2 weeks lang. And when we get sawa - tsaka lang ako nagpapalit ulit. Hehehe.. :)
ReplyDeleteMeal planning really makes it easier. You won't pull your hair sa kakaisip kung anong ihahanda, plus you can do supermarket more efficiently.
Love, Didi