Plan and Prep!

Good Morning All,
It's a rainy Wednesday morning here on the coast of Maine and being the last week of April would we really expect any less? April showers bring May flowers! In our neck of the woods we are just happy it isn't snow.
I wanted to take some time to go over meal planning. In my facebook group, I am tackling Meal Plan May. I will go over easy, quick dinner ideas to keep you on a healthy, budget conscious path. So I wanted to blog about the many ways you can be successful in your efforts.
When I sit down to make a meal plan, sometimes for the entire month but mostly two weeks at a time, I have one important thing in front of me. My calendar. If you don't have a planner of any sort, at least jot down your committments so you know when you have busy mealtimes. For moms, make sure you are writing in all practices, games, meetings, fitness classes, etc.

Then, take a look at what you currently have on hand. We have a freezer with meats we bought locally, so those will be on my meal plan for May to try and save some money. I will add in grocery store meats as needed. Always check your pantry staples as well. If you don't you will inevitably end up with 8 boxes of pasta, and nothing to make a sauce. Been there done that.

Once you have an idea of what you have, check the sale flyers for good deals and coupons. (this is more of a meal planning refresher but back in the beginning of my blogging days are posts on strict budgets and ways to stretch your groceries, go check it out)
Is chicken on sale? Is haddock on sale? Well then it's time to get planning.
If you feel like you lack creativity in the cooking department, try sites like allrecipes.com or Pinterest. What is great about those is you can enter in almost any ingredient and get dozens of ways to use it. So when you are trying to stay on a budget, use everything you have on hand.
Also, sheet pan dinners are easy, affordable and can easily adjust to the number in your family.
You can add so much variety to something as simple as chicken breasts and veggies.
Write down all of your meal ideas and the ingredients you will need. If you are like me, that list will be according to the layout of the grocery store. (I know, I know)

After you have a list of meal ideas. Plan a trip to the grocery store, pick a budget and stick to it.
If you are a compulsive buyer, take cash. You can only spend what you budgeted for that way. No room for the items you don't need right now. Grab your ingredients, trying to keep fresh and less processed foods in mind.

When you arrive home, take the time to prep! That really is the key to success both on your waistline and your wallet. If you have foods that are ready to cook or better yet, all cooked and ready for you and your family to eat. You will resist the phone call for take out.
I usually prep my veggies on Sunday afternoons or evenings. Little containers for snacking, meal kits and sometimes get the meats for the next day marinading. I will cook off chicken for salads and boil eggs...whatever I can do to set us up for a good week of healthy eating and have less chaos for me at dinnertime is important.

Fail to plan and plan to fail. This is in my head all of the time and I do believe it is a step to success.
Now, go make a list and save some dimes!