Menu planning and I have had some ups and downs over the years, due to various life seasons, but I always come back to menu planning because it has SO MANY benefits.
I started menu planning when my husband and I got married way back in the fall of 2007. I was hoping it would make life simpler.
Nearly 15 years later, with mostly consistent planning, I'm finding that it does and I absolutely love it!
If menu planning seems like another chore that you don't want, today, I'd love to tell you the 5 things that I love about menu planning!
I only shop once a week.
When I was living on my own, if I wanted to make something specific, I would go to the store that day to purchase any ingredients I needed.
If you're anything like me, a trip to the grocery store for only a couple of things, turns into purchasing many unexpected things. Doing this a few times each week, I was obviously spending more than I needed to by going more than once a week.
With a menu plan in place, I can limit my grocery shopping to once a week because I've accounted for all the ingredients and staples I need based on what I already have and what's on sale.
Less temptation to eat out.
In other words, we save money AND eat healthier by having a menu plan. But because we enjoy eating out once a week or so, I actually factor our meal out into my menu planning so I don't buy any wasted ingredients.
I have more motivation.
Cooking isn't my favourite thing to do these days. However, when I have a plan in place, I've eliminated a big part of the battle.
I don't struggle for meal ideas or have any missing ingredients. I can just jump right into meal creation almost thoughtlessly. I almost get excited about making dinner, because I already know what I will be making!
Before I menu plan, I take a quick look through the pantry, fridge and freezer to see which ingredients I have on hand. I can usually think of one or two simple meals using what I already have.
My next step is take a look in my local grocery flyers to see what is on sale. I plan some more meals based on what's on sale.
With both of those strategies in play, I am less tempted to impulse buy because I know I won't need that item.
I also like to make plenty of dinner so that there is enough leftover for lunches the next day. This helps eliminate the need to eat out for lunch!
It's a good use of my time.
It takes me less time to plan a weekly menu plan then it does to think up a meal each and every day at meal time. I'm a big fan of using my time efficiently. đ
There you have it, 5 reasons why I love menu planning! Do you menu plan? If so, why do YOU menu plan?
Are you trying to ensure your family is eating healthy? A meal plan is the best way to plan your meals and keep everything as healthy as possible. Many people can attest to the fact that healthy, fresh meals can seem way more expensive to make than their not as healthy counterparts. Today, I'd love to show you how to make an inexpensive healthy meal plan.
Buy or make a cheap calendar
First of all, the best plan of action is to write your meal plan down. It's nearly impossible to stick with a plan unless it's written down. I like to use a traditional calendar to write out what we will have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Once you have a place to write down what you will make, you can move on to the next step.
Make a list of healthy foods your family likes
I have learned (by trial and error :)) that you will save money by buying what you know your family will eat. If your family loves bananas, apples and carrots, then spend your money buying those delicious fruits and vegetables. You can always try adding one new fruit or vegetable a week in small quantities.
Create a list of healthy meals that are inexpensive
The only way to create an inexpensive healthy meal plan is to make a list. Make a list of all the healthy meals you can think of that keep you on a budget. You may want to put google or Pinterest to use helping you find ideas. I also really like Budget Bytesfor recipes! In my household, we try to stick to a main dish, veggie side, and rice/potato side. This helps keep things on budget and simple. For example, barbecued chicken with a side of mixed veggies and baked potato.
Plan Meals around Sales
This is a very effective way at saving money on your grocery bill each week! When you look at your list of family favorite meals and your inexpensive meal ideas, also be sure to look at what's on sale that week. Pick the meals from your lists that correspond with the sales. For example, maybe oatmeal is on sale. You could buy that and eat oatmeal for breakfasts that week. Or maybe chicken thighs are on sale. Pick meals that can use those items that are on sale.
Make a shopping list
When you are meal planning healthy meals, you need a shopping list. You donât want to forget what you need to buy and it helps keep you accountable to eat the healthy meals that youâre planning. A shopping list will help you save your sanity. Write a note in your phone or jot it down on a piece of paper. Depending on the store you shop at, you can even make a shopping list in the store app.
Check out The Meal Planner! I created the printable Meal planner to help make meal planning and saving money easy! The PDF includes:
18 pages
Monthly, Weekly + Daily meal planning worksheets
Meal brainstorming worksheets
Food inventory worksheets
Grocery lists
Price matching worksheet
Party Planning worksheet
Stay on budget
When youâre planning an inexpensive healthy meal, try to stay on budget. You can do the math of what a meal will cost before you even head to the store. This will help you know how much you need to spend before you even spend it. For example, chicken is $3.99 a pound and you need 3 pounds to make this weekâs meals. Thatâs rounded to $12, which can make about 2 meals for a family of 4.
There you have it, the steps to making an inexpensive healthy meal plan for your family. Take your time, create a budget, and plan each meal out. The most important part is sticking to the meal plan that you took the time to create.
Having a well-stocked pantry can save you from unnecessary trips to the grocery store and eating out too often. Since I'm also cleaning out our kitchen cupboards this week, I thought I'd put together a basic pantry staples list that would be useful to have on hand at all times!
Stocking your kitchen with these basic pantry staples, will ensure you have your family's favorite meal ingredients on hand. It also means you will almost always have something on hand to create a simple meal for busy nights or days when you don't feel like cooking much.
These are basic, but versatile staples that are used often. They are also usually quite inexpensive and have a long shelf life if stored properly in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer.
Below my list, you'll find a Pantry Inventory printable with blank spaces that you can fill in to suit your own needs. I hope you like it!
Looking for even more kitchen help especially as life gets busy? Check out this gorgeous MEAL PLANNER â with food inventory worksheets,monthly, weekly + daily meal planning worksheets, meal brainstorming worksheets and more!
If you've spent any time at all here at Simply Frugal, then you know I sing the praises of meal planning. Taking the time to meal plan is just so sanity saving and money saving!
However, if you're anything like me, there are seasons in life when you need all the inspiration you can get.
That's why I'm excited to let you know that the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle is available once again for a couple of days!
I'm a big fan of printables so I'm especially excited about the Grocery Budget Binder and the Meal Planning Success Kit.
Since my daughter was diagnosed with many food sensitivities last year, I'm going to dig in first with the For Real: For the Love of Real Food ebook for some ideas.
If you want to simplify mealtimes, put unfussy (but still healthy) meals on the table, and ditch the frantic late afternoon craziness, then you'll definitely want to check out the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle.
I think this will be a fun week in the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas series! It’s all about food! Specifically, we’re going to plan our holiday menus. You’ll want to think about:
Christmas dinner
Christmas brunch
Christmas eve
Boxing day
And well, any meal surrounding Christmas day. My planning is quite simple. My parents cook our Christmas brunch and dinner so all I have to do is bring the cheesecakeand some baking!
For inspiration, I highly recommend taking a look through Pinterest.
While you’re planning out your dishes, be sure to start adding items to a grocery list. You don’t want to forget anything!
What will be on your holiday menu? Leave it in the comments! Any food traditions you have to uphold? How do you keep on budget?
Sign up for the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas newsletter to receive a FREE Christmas Dinner Checklist! Â This checklist is quite detailed and will help you remember all the details needed for a memory filled dinner with family and friends. Youâll also receive a weekly email with each weekâs âtaskâ.
Here are the posts in the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas series so far:
Thereâs nothing more frustrating than starting to bake or cook something delicious only to find that a key ingredient is missing. Ugh! But thereâs no need to scrub a recipe and sulk in frustration. If you know what youâre doing, you can just substitute it with something else! Here are some easy ingredient substitutions that are bound to be in everyoneâs pantry or fridge and are sure to save the day.
Read on to see the complete list, or or by clicking on the image below. (I recommend hanging it up somewhere in your kitchen for easy reference!)
Vegetable oil
Substitute with butter, margarine, coconut oil or apple sauce
Apple Cider Vinegar
Substitute with white vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar
Substitute with apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
Tomato Sauce
Substitute by mixing one part Tomato Paste and one part Water. Or substitute with canned tomatoes and adding onions, garlic and some herbs.
Baking Powder (1 tsp)
Substitute with 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Bread Crumbs
Substitute with cracker crumbs, crushed cornflakes, ground oatmeal, or even cooked quinoa.
Brown Sugar (1 Cup)
Substitute with 1 cup white sugar and 2 Tbsp molasses.
Butter
Substitute with margarine, oil or shortening
Buttermilk (1 cup)
Substitute with 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar and enough milk to make 1 cup Or substitute with 1 cup plain yogurt
Corn Syrup
Substitute with honey, maple syrup, or brown rice syrup
Ricotta Cheese
Substitute with cottage cheese or cream cheese.
Fresh herbs (1 Tbsp)
Substitute with 1 tsp dried herbs
Honey (1 Cup)
Substitute with maple syrup, corn syrup or 1 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup liquid (whatever is called for in the recipe)
Lemon Juice
Substitute with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Mayonnaise
Substitute with sour cream or plain yogurt
Wine
Substitute with beef broth, chicken broth, vegetable broth, apple cider (not vinegar), water, tomato sauce, white grape juice or non-alcoholic wine.
Yeast (1 tsp)
Substitute with 1/2 tsp Baking Soda and 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
Rice
Substitute with Quinoa. (Quinoa also provides twice as much protein and fiber which promote a healthier digestive system.)
Eggs
Substitute with 1 Tbsp ground Flax Seeds or Chia Seeds and 3 Tbsp Water. Mix until gelatinous. Or substitute with silken tofu. Or substitute with apple sauce or mashed banana
Pastry Flour (1 cup)
Substitute with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch combined with enough all-purpose flour to make a cup.
Salt
Often times, substituting salt for herbs and other seasonings like onions, lemon or lime can make a dish taste really flavourful.
Sugar
Substitute with 1 and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar.
I hope you find this easy ingredient substitutions list useful! Iâll leave you with the link to download a free printable PDF copy of the list, in case you missed it earlier in the post! đ
