Meal Planning Tips

Plan your meals around pre-designed menu plans. This is the best option for someone who wants to start on the path of meal planning, and is looking for a variety of pre-made menus and meals to get started. This is especially beneficial for busy families. Having weeks worth of meals already planned out can save you even more precious time to spend with your loved ones. See what Menu Planning Central can offer you.

Option #2

This is my preferred meal planning tip as it continues to prove how cost effective it is. Each week I go through advertising for main grocery store chains.
There are two grocery store chains that I use each week. I grab those two advertisements and look for their "deals". This could include deals on chicken, steaks, beef, pasta, etc...

Based on the types of food items on sale, I begin to plan my meals.

Once I determine which foods I want as a main course for dinner, I either create meals using my own original recipes or go to my favorite websites and type in the search button the main ingredient I want a recipe for. For example, chicken.

I will type the word "chicken" and tons of recipes involving chicken pop up.

I choose the one that I think will be the least expensive and/or the least time consuming to make. I go down my menu planning list until I have created a menu for the week.

In addition to the internet, I also go through my family recipes or ones that I have created.

Go to any on-line recipe websites and/or Cookbooks you have on hand and pick main course meals.

I usually pick main course meals that will cover 5-6 nights. The remaining nights are designated for leftovers, frozen pizza, treating yourself for take out or whatever your heart desires!

Based on which meals you picked, plan on making those meals throughout the week and go to your staple list to pick meals for breakfast, lunch, and snacks.