Just over two years ago, my daughter Lauren was born. Life was busy before her birth, with two boys in the house – but I knew that adding a third child into the mix was going to take being busy to the next level!
Before her birth I started thinking about ways that could make life easier – we got in extra help for the first year with fetching and carrying the boys from school (I had a c-section, so for the first 6 weeks driving wasn’t an option for me anyway). I printed out recipes and had a two-week rotating menu that we followed. At least in our sleep-deprived haze, somebody only needed to cook – not worry about what to cook too! 😂
These small steps to being organised definitely made our lives sooo much easier! However – two years in, when we have an 8 and 6 year old, as well as a toddler – life is busier than EVER! Between school and extra murals and all the things – the need to be organised is (if this is even possible?!?) greater now than when she was a newborn!
I have found that there are a few things that you can do that make a HUGE difference to the amount of chaos…and meal planning is at the top of that list!
Meal planning is such a bore…but it really doesn’t have to be! Especially not once you can see the value that’s in it…so keep reading! 😉
But first…start here by downloading my free Pretty Menu Planner!
window.fd(‘form’, {
formId: ‘5d698eb7f81cb600138d49d7’,
containerEl: document.querySelector(‘#fd-form-5d698eb7f81cb600138d49d7’)
});
Why meal planning is worth it
- Meal planning saves you TIME because you know what you are cooking ahead of time
- Planning your meals saves you MONEY because you only buy what you need and will use – so there is less waste
- Meal planning helps you to eat HEALTHIER! When you plan a meal in advance it’s far easier to cut down on those last minute unhealthy meal options and stick to your health goals! Because if you are only trying to decide what to cook an hour before dinner time then you’re out of time to run up to the store for missing ingredients…
- Having a meal plan HELPS WITH OTHER MEALS like snacks and school/work lunches as you can prepare extra food in advance which then also saves time and money
Top Tips for meal planning
- Keep a copy of your list of menu’s for a couple of weeks. Put them into a folder – that way you can go back to them again and again…Voila! Instant menu for a couple of weeks! And who couldn’t do with that in their lives, right?
- Do a Meal Dump. A Meal Dump is like a brain dump! You write down every meal that comes to mind – from the easy meals that the family loves (and you are probably tired of making!) to the recipe that you’ve been dying to try out for the last three years (Yes, those recipe books on the shelf are looking at you!!!!) Essentially this list is like a master list of meals! Keep it handy for when you do your meal planning – often you’ll hit a blank and be like “What on earth do I actually cook everyday? I can’t seem to think of anything!” That’s when this list is pure magic!
- Keep in mind busy days – plan quick meals or meals that can be prepped ahead of time for those days when you know your schedule doesn’t allow for a lot of time in the kitchen! I like to highlight those busy days upfront when planning my menus. Also, freezer meals can be total life-savers for these days!
- If you have teenagers in the home that enjoy cooking – allow them to have a night in the kitchen. Even if it is over a weekend? That way they get to cook and you get a say in what they cook as you need to plan the menu in advance to buy ingredients…win-win!
A quick sidenote…
If everything else fails and the wheels fall off …which they do sometimes for everyone, right? Then why not try a company that delivers meals to your door or a meal swap? Better yet – why not host a meal swap party for freezer-friendly meals?
And now – For the super organised…
- Chop, peel, and prep your fresh produce as soon as you bring it home from the store. This saves you so much time in the long run! Imagine the bliss of not having to prep every.night! Extra tip: Order your fresh produce online and save even more time when it’s delivered straight to your door! This is one of the huge advantages of knowing what you will be cooking for the week!
- Arrange your “master list” of meals into categories (I like to go with proteins as my main categories!) This makes it super easy to choose – just look at which protein you want to cook and choose a recipe!
You could also include categories such as:
Three ingredient meals, quick and easy meals, plant-based meals, home-made takeaways and many more
- Double up on freezer-friendly meals – cook a double portion when you are prepping! Freeze it for a busy day – or just for when you feel like you need a break! One year I said that my gift to myself for my birthday would be to not cook for a month. My birthday is in October, so for the whole of September I cooked double… As a result I didn’t need to cook for an entire month – BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER! 😂Because who doesn’t enjoy a break from cooking now and then?
- Keep a blank copy of your new pretty menu planner on your fridge or close at hand in your kitchen. If any condiment or ingredient runs out, immediately write it down on your next week’s shopping list…this way you’ll never run out of your most-used ingredients! Bonus points for if you can get your kids to fill in the things that they finish…who am I kidding?!? 😂
- If you want to make your life super duper easy and organised why not create seasonal menu master lists! Because in summer it is great to eat lots of salads! But during winter you can pull out all those delicious, comforting soup and stew recipes…. This way you can easily grab your master list for whichever season’s menu you are planning!
Because – just remember…!
And we are all trying to do just that, aren’t we? A full (and pretty!) life!
What other meal and menu planning tips do you have up your sleeve? Please share them in the comments below – we can all learn from each other!
If you enjoyed this post, why don’t you also check out Perfect Pantry Organisation – with Free Printable Labels! or The Brilliant Bento Box- Lunches and Snacks made easy!
