I pretty much organize everything ~ from organizing drawers and cabinets, to laundry and household duties, to daily and working planners and yes, even Meal Planning & Grocery Lists.
Along with organizing our home and using day planners, Meal Planning and Grocery Lists top the list of weekly duties. It takes a little bit of planning, time, patience, and work, but it has worked perfectly over the years.
Putting Together the Meal Plan & Grocery Lists
The Meal Plan
Create a Weeks Worth of Meals listing 7 Meals onto the Planner Sheet using the tips noted below
List meals according to your schedule and prep time. Do you need a few quick meals for hurried evenings? Do you need on-the-go meals? Crock-pot meals to be ready upon arrival? Dinner plans with friends? Family night around the table?
Keep in mind ~ some meals will create left overs to eat over 2 or 3 days, or make enough for freezing.
Some meals will not be eaten (due to reason above) and can be carried into the next week.
Do you have something frozen that can be included in the 7 days meal list?
Create healthier meals by choosing meals from a Cookbook Collection, less pre-packaged box foods!
Having a growing Collection of Cookbooks (….like painting books) has made for a better Cook….and Baker too ~ and certainly makes the 7 day Meal Plan delicious!
Using old favorites (dog earred cook book pages) and new ideas from my Foodie Pinterest board (found here), family go-tos, ol’ recipe card favorites (from my bridal shower) and print-outs placed in a binder of un-forgetables.
I really cannot live long enough to make each recipe I have dog-earred or saved ~ pre-computer age.
The Grocery List
made from the 7 Day Meal Plan using tips below
Create a shopping list using recipes as your guide
Remember to add breakfast and lunch meals (school or work) too. In our household it is typically the same items needed each day/week.
Include beverages
Cleaning and Laundry needs
Check for Pantry Staples ~ like flour, sugar, coffee, etc
Bathroom must haves (hang a list on the Linen Closet Door to make the list making easier ~ yes another list, lol!)
Keep an on-going list of odd items needed ~ such as masking tape, filters, a garden hose nozzle, paper products, pencils, etc ~ you get the idea!
We are fortunate to have eggs from his Uncle Joe’s chickens, a Butcher across the street for meat orders, a garden in the summer, and a Neighbor that gives us homemade perogies from her Church. And also the pop-up fruit and vegetable stands in the Summer.
Each list is then broken down into the Grocery Store isles and by the stops I will need to make along the way…and yet another list.
Each list breaks down into the next.
This planning definitely has made life easier…..no more running out of ingredients and making multiple stops at the convenient store during the week. All the ingredients are on hand.
Working in a Grocery Store 12 hours a week ~ I see a lot of last minute runs and hurried shopping to create a last minute meal…..it gets me everytime to see a rushed Customer with-out a list, e-gawds how does that work, lol?
Just one more thing……Dessert!
When making the 7 Day Meal Plan, include a dessert for the week. We typically enjoy our dessert on a Sunday evening and freeze the remaining.
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This Meal Plan also keeps us from eating out and eating processed foods very often…..and have found a new love for Cooking and Baking…..my favorite was pulling the bread machine out of the closet after 10 years, now it is hard to purchase pizza without making my own crust.
Now to pull out thewaffle maker, because boy do I have a yummy recipe to try!
Create and Plan your own Menu and Grocery List with this Planner(click here) and print!
Then hang your list on the fridge and you’re good to go for another week!
Keep the cookbooks readily available that you will be using for the week.
Do you see that jar of mixed pretzels and such? We call it ‘Jerry Mix’ ~ we add all kinds of snack goods to create a fun ‘not so boring’ mix to baggie up for lunches!
Enjoy a few favorite recipes shared right here on the blog (click here).
Just another way to organize while living the Creative Life.
Enjoy
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Coming Soon ~ Organizing a Day Planner, How is the Business Planner Working?, August Happenings, Stamping Baby Gifts, and Gather ‘Rounds
