Are you tired of ending your work day with your head stuck in the fridge,
wondering what to cook for your hungry family? Or racing to the fast food
drive-through to grab dinner for the kids between soccer practice and ballet
class?
Well, help is at hand. By spending a little time to plan weekly meals and
organize your shopping list, you’ll end that hectic mealtime rush and eat
healthier too. Meal planning saves time and money and gives you more time to
spend together as a family, enjoying nutritious meals at home.
| • | Make a list of every meal that your
family enjoys. Get ideas from family members – they’re more likely to eat
the meals you prepare if they’ve helped with the menu selection.
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| • | Group meals together by main dish –
e.g. organize all the chicken dishes together and all the fish dishes
together.
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| • | Identify meals that you could double,
triple or freeze leftovers. If you cook extra chicken one day, dinner will
be a breeze the next day because the chicken will be cooked and you’ll only
have to put the meal together. Or you can freeze the extra chicken to use
later in the week.
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| • | Identify meals that are simple and
quick to make – knowing which recipes you can put together quickly will make
it easier to plan for busy days when you don’t have time to cook.
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| • | Make a master shopping list of every
ingredient that is necessary for each meal. Keep these master shopping lists
in a binder or file them electronically in your computer.
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| • | Take 15 or 20 minutes on the weekend
to prepare a meal plan for the week.
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| • | Try to identify the days when you’ll be
too busy to cook and plan a quick and easy dinner for that evening. Save
complicated or multi-step menus for the weekend.
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| • | If you know that a main dish will take
a lot of preparation time, choose side dishes that are easier to put
together.
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| • | Try to include some one-dish meals
every week (e.g. casseroles or stews) to cut down on preparation and
clean-up.
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| • | Once you’ve decided on the meals that
you’re going to prepare for the week, go through your binder or computer
file and assemble your master shopping lists.
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| • | Using your master shopping list as a
guide, check your fridge, freezer and pantry. Once you know what you have on
hand, list the ingredients you need to buy on a separate shopping list.
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| • | File your master shopping list away
again and head to the grocery store with your weekly shopping list to stock
your fridge.
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| • | Use your crock-pot often – it’s a
great timesaver. You can make soup in it, cook a pot roast or fill it full
of chicken and cook for several meals at once.
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| • | Use frozen vegetables to speed up
preparation time. They’re very nutritious and they’re always handy in the
freezer.
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| • | Check your meal plan at the end of each
day and prepare for the following day’s dinner by getting out the crock-pot,
putting the meat in the fridge to defrost or chopping the vegetables.
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| • | Combine tasks whenever you can. If
you’re cooking the pasta for tonight’s dinner, why not brown the meat for
tomorrow’s dinner at the same time?
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| • | Cook ahead when you can. If you’re
putting in the effort to prepare one pan of lasagna, why not make two? Serve
one right away and put the other in the freezer.
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| • | Cut your work in half by doubling up on
your family’s favorite meals. If your kids love pot roast, serve it one day
with roast potatoes, then serve the leftovers the next day in a casserole
with spaghetti, onions and mushroom soup.
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| • | If you’re in a hurry, mix some
convenience foods into your meal plan to speed up your prep time. Canned
soups make great sauces and frozen fruit can be whirled in the blender for a
quick dessert topping. Use your imagination!
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| • | Include some vegetarian meals in your
weekly meal plan. Vegetarian meals are inexpensive to prepare and really add
a lot of healthy nutrition to your menu.
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| • | When you have some extra time, prepare
ingredients for the week ahead. Grate cheese and store it in the freezer in
a zip lock bag. Chop a whole onion and have it ready in the fridge for a
fast stir-fry. Cook extra rice and store it in a refrigerated container.
Then heat it in the microwave with some frozen veggies and a can of tuna for
a fast, easy dinner.
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