Saving Money with Meal Planning
As frequent readers know, Ethan and I had our first child this past February and life has not been the same. I have returned to work (only part-time now) and watch a friend’s baby the rest of the week. So between working, taking care of babies, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, and occasionally sleeping, cooking meals seems to be last on the priority list. But, as Izzie is getting older and eating more table food, I want to instill healthy eating habits early. So I called my sister and best friend, Erin for some help. Erin is a mother of four, who also does in home day care, but some how manages to keep a clean house and put a hot meal on the table every night.
For many years now, Erin has used meal planning with much success to keep grocery bills low and not be overwhelmed when dinnertime strikes.
Meal Planning: The concept
The idea of meal planning is simple – decide how many meals a week you want to cook, pick enough recipes to cover 4 – 5 weeks, then chart out what you will cook and when.
Step 1: Number of meals per week
I decided I would like to cook 4 meals per week. Since there are only 3 of us, we usually have left-overs 1 – 2 nights per week. This also gives us a little freedom to make frozen pizza or go to a friend’s house.
Step 2: Pick your recipes
My sister brought her cook books and favorite recipes, and we started combing through. My goal was to find quick and easy recipes that would be tasty and at least moderately healthy. Also, now that it is fall, I like to use my crock pot. My sister suggests making a chart that puts recipes into categories. Check out the chart below. The table functions to help you better organize your meal plan in later steps.
| Chicken (11) | Beef (2) | Pork (3) | Meatless/Pasta (4) |
| Whole chicken* | Roast with potatoes* | Honey pork chops | Spaghetti casserole |
| Bistro chichek twist | Meat balls* | Pulled pork* | Mexican casserole |
| Chicken enchiladas | Ham, green beans, potatoes* | Stuffed shells | |
| Chicken fried rice | Lasagna* | ||
| Chicken cacciatore* | |||
| Chicken corn chili* | |||
| Chicken pot pie | |||
| Cranberry chicken* | |||
| Chicken chesapeake | |||
| Chicken cheddar and potatoes | |||
| Quesadillas |
* crock pot
Step 3: Plan your meals for each week
I had a total of 20 recipes that I wanted to cook, meaning I have 5 weeks of meals with 4 meals each week. I marked on my table which recipes could be done in the crock pot so that I could spread them out. In planning my meals, I also tried to have a variety of meats and a variety of prep time needed.
Week One:
- Whole chicken
- Bistro Chicken twist
- Spaghetti Casserole
- Honey Pork Chops
Week Two:
- Pulled Pork
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken fried rice
- Mexican Casserole
Week three:
- Roast with potatoes
- Stuffed shells
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Chicken Corn Chili
Week four:
- Meatballs
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Cranberry Chicken
- Chicken Chesapeake
Week five:
- Ham, green beans, potatoes
- Lasagna
- Chicken cheddar and potatoes
- Quesadillas
Step 4: Post your plan
Post your plan on your fridge or calendar to help you stay organized and prevent you from getting overwhelmed!
The Benefits of Meal Planning
Saving Money: By planning your meals, you only have to grocery shop once a week. Also, if you know what you will be cooking in the future, you can buy ahead according to what is on sale. Buying meats on sale will really save you money!
Reducing meal-time stress: Dinner-time is the most hectic time of day for us. Ethan is just getting home from work and it is the witching hour for Izzie. So, if I wait until afternoon/evening to decide what we are going to eat, I feel overwhelmed and give up. But, if I plan ahead, there is no stress! I can do prep in the morning (during nap time) and just stick it is the crock pot or oven when it is time.
Cooking ahead: If you notice that you have a few couple hours, cook a meal a freeze it. There are lots of great cooks books out now that feature meals you can prepare and freeze in advance. Check this one out, I found lots of good recipes in here.
Meal Variety: When I do not plan my meals, I tend to fall back on comfort foods that are quick and easy, like spaghetti pr frozen pizza. Not only is this bad for our health, but it is boring! Meal planning offers variety and teaches kids to enjoy a variety of flavors. As my sister says, if they don’t like it, they only have to eat it once a month!
Good luck and happy planning!
What do you think? Any tips for meal planning? How do you keep from being overwhelmed at dinnertime?
Image courtesy of methTICALman
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October 19th, 2009 9:23 am
Great post Jocie! Here’s another idea- on the back of my monthly menu I keep a list of all the ingredients I will need weekly for my menu items. That way I can stock up monthly at BJs and easily check my pantry for the items I’m missing before heading to the store each week. I also have my menu laminated at Staples & put a strip of magnetic tape along the top so it can live on the frig. Happy cooking!
Erin