Another week, another menu! Our weather is supposed to go a bit downhill this week, so I’m starting to incorporate some comfort meals. Do you plan your meals based on the weather? Or are you more the type to plan based on your mood? I definitely plan by the weather. 🙂 And my mood.
Can you believe we’re already into the second week of September? We’re still enjoying great weather for the most part, so I’m okay with fall being around the corner. Actually, I quite enjoy Fall, I think it’s the cozy feeling I get from the warm drinks, sweaters and falling leaves.
Since it’s a new week, that means a new menu plan! Here’s what we’ll be eating this week:
Since we were away last week, I didn’t get a menu up. But we’re back and ready to cook this week! I’m quite excited about the meals I chose this week! Jesse will be especially happy about the BBQ pork chops. That’s one of his favourite meals.
By the way, I forgot to take a picture of the groceries. There were crazy child things going on 🙂 I did however spend $40.83 on produce, meat and a few dairy items.
Hello everyone! Happy mid august! How has your summer been so far? Not long before it’s back to school time for many of you! We’ve still got pretty great weather so I’ve been taking advantage of it by going for daily walks with Sienna. We both love to get out of the house!
On Friday I was invited for an appy night with a few girlfriends so I brought tomato, bocconcini and basil on toothpicks with a balsamic dressing. It was great because I used the tomatoes from my container garden!
Most of the meals actually got made last week! I only have one meal that I’m carrying over and the cheesecake dessert. You know what else I love about menu planning? Impromptu guests. We had Jesse’s Dad over for dinner one night and I didn’t even panic because I had plenty of food to feed us all and knew exactly what I was making. That also, makes menu planning worth it!
Ever since my husband and I were married 15 years ago, I've been planning our weekly menu. Even if I don't take the time to write things down, I still have a few meals in mind that would get us through the week. It's in my nature to be a planner so planning a menu was obvious for my own sanity.
But, even if you're more of an impromptu cook, today I'd like to touch on the importance of menu planning, or why planning a menu is important, no matter what your situation is. We're all busy people so the power of a plan can help each of us tremendously!
Here are four reasons on the importance of menu planning:
Our health
Our health should be one of our main concerns and one way to ensure good health is to eat well. Having a menu plan in place helps you avoid take out and those quick pre-made meals that may not be well rounded. With planned meals, you'll end up with a more balanced and nutritious diet.
Keeps the budget in check
Groceries cost a lot. Save yourself some financial stress by planning your meals and your shopping list based on what's on sale and what you already have in your pantry. With a menu plan in place, you only have to purchase the ingredients you need create the meals you've picked. That's how I only spent about $33 this week on groceries. (Though, I'm anticipating a quick trip to buy more milk and fruit later in the week.)
Your time is important too
Whether you work outside the home or you're a stay-at-home parent, we're all juggling a ton of activities on a daily basis. While planning a menu in the first place takes a little bit of time, it will definitely save you time in the end.
You will always have the ingredients you need to create a meal from your planned menu. No running to the store for a last minute item or opening the fridge and cupboards 500 times to figure out what to make for dinner.
Or realizing it's 5pm and you just spent an hour trying to find a great recipe when dinner could have already been on the table. With a plan in place, all you have to do is pick a meal from the list and make it!
Reduces waste
Have you ever bought food from the grocery store thinking you'll use it for something, but end up throwing it out instead? If you stick to the grocery list that you created based on your planned meals, you won't be purchasing anything that you won't use. In turn, you'll be creating less waste, both in the food sense and financial sense!
I believe that the importance of menu planning cannot be stressed enough. Menu planning has made my life so much easier and I've heard the same from many others! Sometimes, the menu plan is the only thing in the day that goes as planned!
If you really struggle with menu planning, then try out $5 Meal Plan. It happens to be my favorite meal planning service. It’s just $5 a month (the first two weeks are free!), and you get menu plans sent straight to your email along with the exact shopping list you need in order to create the meals. Each meal costs around $2 per person or less. This service allows you to save time because you won’t have to meal plan anymore, and it will save you money as well! If you are interested in joining for free, click here.
What are some other benefits of menu planning that can you add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
