Just a meal plan tip I wanted to share

[StormySar]

I love meal planning but I can't set eat days meals with a set recipe... There is a lot of unexpected business that might leave a home cooked meal with no time to prepare leaving us scratching our heads once again (isnt that one of the great things meal planning is supposed to eliminate?)

So what I do is say i'm planning two weeks of meals - I plan 14 breakfasts, 14 lunches, 14 dinners. Some of those are freezer meals, others are crockpots (for when I Know we'll be busy all day), others are regular home cooked meals. I don't assign days to those meals, but I make sure the ingredients are in the house and use the fastest spoiling produce/meat/whatever early in the week so food is not left to waste.

So on the unexpected busy days, I can reach in the freezer for a meal that has already been accounted for and I'm not left scrambling to find something healthy to make or take another days planned meal for convieniance.

[dolcedaze]

This is just what I do, but I plan seven at a time so we can use mainly fresh ingredients and not need to go back to the store at all until the week is over.

[Bad Horse]

I try this method, especially after I realized I have a heck of time sticking with certain days being assigned certain meals.

This is hard for me, too! Argh. I think I will try this way again. I am looking at planning a month's worth for the next few weeks before the baby is here.

[Justmee]

I do this sometimes. It seems to help. Then I go to the other extreme with "if it's monday it must be meatloaf" type meal plans.

I have a friend who does it and writes the meals on a white board. WHen she uses a meal she crosses it off, so every night she's picking "what's for dinner" but from only a few choices.