The Secret to Simplifying Meal Planning

Who has made a goal to eat healthier this year? Or just to get better planning out your meals for the week? I've talked before about meal prep and kitchen tools you need to simplify cooking, but have never touched on meal planning. So today that is what I'm going to do, go into detail about meal planning. Simplified meal planning that is.

Many times we tend to overcomplicate things and this is so true when thinking about what to eat each week. You think that you have to get everything perfect and create these fantastic meals for your family. So, you try some new meal planning system that has way too many complicated steps and then you end up getting too overwhelmed with it all, and you give up before you get started. Or, you are on a great roll and have things planned out for a few weeks, but life happens and suddenly you find yourself behind once more. Does this sound like you? I know I've struggled with this exact thing!

Meal Prep for the Week Ahead

One thing I like to do each Sunday and/or Monday that saves me time is to do a simple meal prep. If you haven't heard of it before, meal prep is taking an hour or two once a week to get some food ready for the upcoming week. It can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be. Some people put together every.single.thing that they are going to eat and store it in the fridge. Others make several things that can be prepared many ways for the week. And still others prep 4-6 things. I fall in the last group. I've tried several things and what works for me is to prep a handful of things putting the focus on breakfast and snacks. I don't like to make everything for the week in advance because 1) We have too many leftovers that go to waste 2) I like to have my food fresh instead of re-heated the 1st time I eat it 3) I actually enjoy cooking (most days) and it's easy to turn on the rice cooker, steam veggies, or put something in the crockpot. That's why I only prep a handful of items. I also pre-plan my meals for 1-2 weeks at a time and make sure I've got all the ingredients needed. Breakfast seems to be the hardest time of the day to get a decent meal on the table for some reason and that is why I like to do a little bit of breakfast preparation ahead of time.

My New Gallery Wall

I've been wanting to do a gallery wall over the sofa for the last 13 months. Whenever I went shopping, I kept looking around for different things but could never find what I was looking for so the wall sat empty for over a year. I made a few new pillows and that inspired me to do something about that empty space. They say the first nail is the hardest and the scariest - that was defiantly true for me!

Festive Desserts for Memorial Day

I entertain a lot! We are always hosting people, having cookouts, potlucks, get-togethers, and everything in between. I'm constantly on the lookout for yummy desserts that I can whip together without spending the entire afternoon in the kitchen but will also be crowd pleasers at the same time.  With Memorial Day coming up fast I wanted to share some desserts that are festive and perfect for celebrating. Get ready for a lot of mouthwatering red, white, and blue!

No Spend May Challenge

So we are only 5 days into May and we've had several unplanned expenses that have come out of the checking account - locked myself out of my house while the husband was out of town, cavity filling for the husband, eye appt for me, new contacts, Mothers Day, and so on. We are also working on a few financial goals as well. This adds up to be one thing - let's not spend any unnecessary money this month, well the 25 remaining days that is!

Saving Money in the Kitchen

These days I've been thinking a lot about saving money. I thought that I would start sharing some ideas that I use in and around my house that help me save money each month/year. First up is the kitchen. Here are a few simple things that my family does that save us money.

A Welcoming Window Seat

A couple of months ago when I shared the new table that we got, there was a small glimpse of the kitchen window seat. You can't see it too terribly well, but there was nothing on the window seat except for a plant in an ugly basket. Inviting, no?

Quick, Easy, and Inexpensive Artwork

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Here's a quick and inexpensive idea for great looking art. Find and buy a calendar that has pretty prints in it, cut them out, frame and wa-la! Pretty art on the cheap. Now, I'm not talking about the "cute pets" or "sports cars" that are everywhere January 1st, unless that is the look you're going after. No, I'm talking about more sophisticated looking images. Here are a few ideas to get you started. (I found each of these online at Paper Source.)

Meal Plan for the Week

Something that I'm trying to do a better job of these days is meal planning. I grew up doing meal plans for my family so naturally, when I got married, it carried over. I slacked off on it when my daughter was born though and have had a tough time getting back into it. Now that she's 16 months old, I feel like she can no longer be my excuse! What I have been doing is buying the same old stuff and figuring out our meals when I go to make dinner each evening. Sounds good, but in reality it wasn't. More often than not, I would discover the chicken wasn't thawed, or I didn't have an important ingredient, or not enough time to make the dish, or we would just eat out. But finally, I'd had enough, it was high time to get back into planning out my meals and start doing a little bit of couponing to save my family some money. So that's where I am today.