Meal Planning

I think I started meal planning when 007 was born. You know, back when my life felt a bit out of control and I was circling the wagons to try to gain control over something, anything. At least I knew that if I planned to have a meatloaf of Monday, I would have shopped for my materials and they would be there for me to build a meatloaf Monday afternoon. Meal plans were my own quiet way of making sense of my chaos.

Some things come and some things go in life. You shake out the crumbs and see what sticks, what works. For me, meal planning works. If it’s not your cup of tea, worry not! I just really dig lists. In fact, I love lists so much that over the years, I have become a connoisseur of the “meal plan sheet”. Hey, we all have our thing, right?

I used to buy planners at Michaels, until I realized that I could print off cute little meal plan sheets off online. Eventually, I realized that I was wasting paper and ink, so I came up with this system.

I printed a cute meal planning sheet online.

There are thousands of these.

Just do a Pinterest search for “free printable meal plans”

and you’ll find one that fits your style/decor/personality.

Then, just get a clear, plastic notebook sleeve

(perhaps you’ll “borrow” one from your teenage daughter)

and slide it in.

Simply use a dry-erase marker

to make it re-useable.

This is where it is on the fridge.

The kids always know what we’re having for dinner

and I know what to prep.

Meal planning has not only saved me from undue stress (because dinner should not be a stress) but it also saved us money. I buy what I need not what I think I might need. I rarely throw out produce, because I bought it with a purpose. I like doing things with purpose.

Wow! Look at that: 36 pins to go!

We’re more than half-way toward our goal!

🙂