Meal Planning For The Win!

Linking up with Kristen for Baby Talk!

This isn't super baby related, but it's all about trying to get my life organized and make things easier in the long run, especially because I return to work next week!!! It's been a great year off! I can't believe it's over. I'm kinda sad actually!

At the end of October, I bought myself a Life Planner from ErinCondrin.com. It was a little pricy, but it was a gift to myself, as a reward for losing 5 lbs, paid for by my cupcake baking profits, which usually go toward funding my cloth diaper (AppleCheeks) addiction.

Well, I love this thing. It's so great! It's pretty (AND personalized) and is OH so organized! I even dusted off my old multi coloured pens from university and started using those in it.


One thing that I've wanted to really organize myself in is my meal planning and grocery buying. We spend SO much money on groceries, and too much of it goes to waste. Part of the reason is that we live on this island, and can never actually get fresh fruit/veggies (I mean, you should SEE the strawberries this time of year, I won't even eat them). The other part of the reason is that I never actually KNOW what I'm going to cook, and I've gone to the store many many many times without having a plan and just thinking, well I COULD make this....or that... And I end up buying ridiculous things that I end up not actually cooking. I had good intentions, but it just turns out to be a waste of money.

So, I've started meal planning. It'll be a great habit to be in once I go back to work. I write out my meals in my life planner for the week, and make a grocery list from that. I check my cupboards to see if I have the things I need, and if not, it goes on the grocery list on the iPhone.


One of the best parts of having all my life planned out in one place, is that I actually know when I have something scheduled for an afternoon and need to make a slow cooker meal, or I know when I have hockey at an early time, so I need to eat a little earlier than usual, so I don't barf on the ice.

I've even been trying to cook something that I can eat for lunch, like soup or quinoa salad, so that I am not stuck for food when I'm starving, and end up eating chicken fingers and sweet potato fries. My goal is to have at least something even if it's just a salad for lunch.

If I've planned and bought groceries for a meal that we end up not having for one reason or other, I just add that meal to the next weeks plan. Also, if I bought something like beef broth, that I don't normally use, I make sure to try and add something the next week to the menu that contains beef broth, so it doesn't end up going bad in the fridge.

So far, after doing this for almost 4 months, I've saved a good many trips to the grocery store, and I feel that I've thrown out significantly less rotten produce. I can't say I've done it super faithfully, since I know I didn't plan anything for Christmas week, or a couple weeks ago when I was sick.

Yup, I got chocolate on the top of the 27th. Oops! 

My weekly plans usually include at least 2 slow cooker meals, tacos, stir fry or fajitas, and every other week I try to do a pasta dish, like spaghetti or something like that. I try to add an experimental meal in each week, that we've never tried before. Usually something I've found on Pinterest. I love trying new recipes, so that's my favourite part! I try not to have the same meat two nights in a row, like chicken for a week straight isn't exactly exciting! I'm also trying to keep a list of meals that work for us. It's not very long so far! Guess I had better get working on that!



We always buy our meat at Costco in bulk, because it's WAY WAY WAY cheaper than buying it here, and we always buy chicken, pork chops, and hamburger and freeze it in portion bags. I know it's time to make a Costco trip when I've run out of chicken!

So, all in all, meal planning isn't as much work as I thought it would be, and it seems to save me time and money in the long run, which is always a big plus! It's so much easier to just make one big trip to the grocery store too! Especially with Harper in tow! I'm sure those of you with babies/toddlers can relate! I'm still working on perfecting the art of meal planning, and things will be changing soon, since I'll be returning to work. I'll have to plan around that, too!


Comments

  1. Meal planning is the BEST. I hate going to the grocery store without a plan--I completely get it. I am not the best at doing it super faithfully, but try to because I know when I don't it's usually a disaster, lol. Good for you (and super cute planner!)

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    Replies
    1. thanks :) It's really working out quite well. I love my planner!! Thanks for reading!

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