HI!! I'm back and quickly gone again. I wanted to post one last blog post in 2016. I have been so busy with Christmas and our remodel that I haven't had a chance to blog lately. Every January I usually do a series on healthy habits. This instead of putting together lists of things you should do I decided I would dive deeper into a few things that make my life simplier. For me the #1 is Meal Planning.
A few years ago I decided to start meal planning for the week. I was fairly good about it, but now with a baby I am dilgent about meal planning. I won't lie it takes a little bit of work to meal plan. So I am going to dive into how I do it and give you a sample meal plan schedule. The next 4 weeks I'll be sharing a new weekly meal plan for you to test out. But first you have to know the meal planning process.
Step 1: PLAN!! I usually do my grocery shopping on Sunday cause I like to make Sunday dinners. But depending on my husband schedule it sometimes happens Monday. Sunday morning I will sit down with a cup of coffee while my little one plays on the floor and write out our meals for the week. I usually only plan lunch and dinner Sunday-Friday as I always have breakfast supplies on hand. Jay and I tend to go out alot so I plan to eat out on the weekends. I hate food going to waste and if we decide to stay in I can always run to the store to grab a quick meal for Satruday. But most weekends we are busy with friends and family that we are usually eating out.
Step 2: GROCERY LIST! Everyone does list differently I tend to do my lists by meal. So I write the meal name then always start with produce first, then meat, than if I need any dairy products and then the dry ingredients of that meal.. It is easier for me to grocery list this way as this is the way I shop at the grocery store. But I know everyone has a way they prefer to do their grocery lists.
Step 3: UNLOAD THE GROCERIES- Agh my least favorite part but this means I'm almost done for the whole week.
Step 4: COOK AND RELAX- WOO-HOO no more stressing out at 4pm what is for dinner. You have your WHOLE WEEK PLANNED. Yes there is a little bit of upfront work but it is totally worth it. When we Jay was in Med School and Residency we tended to eat out for lunch and dinner quite alot. So I wanted to break that habit before the baby came so thats when we really got into meal planning. It takes one thing off my list for the week.
So here is a sample food schedule at our house. I will post one each week for a month so you guys can see how truly easy it is to meal plan!
Step 1: PLAN!! I usually do my grocery shopping on Sunday cause I like to make Sunday dinners. But depending on my husband schedule it sometimes happens Monday. Sunday morning I will sit down with a cup of coffee while my little one plays on the floor and write out our meals for the week. I usually only plan lunch and dinner Sunday-Friday as I always have breakfast supplies on hand. Jay and I tend to go out alot so I plan to eat out on the weekends. I hate food going to waste and if we decide to stay in I can always run to the store to grab a quick meal for Satruday. But most weekends we are busy with friends and family that we are usually eating out.
Step 2: GROCERY LIST! Everyone does list differently I tend to do my lists by meal. So I write the meal name then always start with produce first, then meat, than if I need any dairy products and then the dry ingredients of that meal.. It is easier for me to grocery list this way as this is the way I shop at the grocery store. But I know everyone has a way they prefer to do their grocery lists.
Step 3: UNLOAD THE GROCERIES- Agh my least favorite part but this means I'm almost done for the whole week.
Step 4: COOK AND RELAX- WOO-HOO no more stressing out at 4pm what is for dinner. You have your WHOLE WEEK PLANNED. Yes there is a little bit of upfront work but it is totally worth it. When we Jay was in Med School and Residency we tended to eat out for lunch and dinner quite alot. So I wanted to break that habit before the baby came so thats when we really got into meal planning. It takes one thing off my list for the week.
So here is a sample food schedule at our house. I will post one each week for a month so you guys can see how truly easy it is to meal plan!
We are off to enjoy a little vacation and bring in 2017 with friends. So once we get back I promise no more long blogging breaks!
Lastly, thank you to everyone who has continued to read my blog in 2016. It is such a fun creative outlet for me and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you again.
Cheers,
Jess
Lastly, thank you to everyone who has continued to read my blog in 2016. It is such a fun creative outlet for me and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you again.
Cheers,
Jess
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