The Way I Meal Plan

Meal planning in general is an awesome option for getting more organized and also for taking control of your grocery budget.

I meal plan much the way I cook -- fast and loose. Okay, that was a little dorky... but true. Based on the way my family eats, I pretty much only plan for about 4 dinners each week. The remaining nights are generally a combination of leftovers. I don't normally assign specific meals to specific days, either. Oddly, I feel like it puts too much pressure on me dinner. Instead, when it comes time to prep for dinner, I decide which meal on my list I feel like making or eating. If it's a day when I know I will be especially pressed for time, I might choose a slowcooker recipe (if I have one on the menu), or some kind of yummy (and EASY) sandwiches.

This is just what works for me, and it is way more organized than what I was doing before. I know people have lots of different ways they plan, and I think it really is a matter of what works best for you and your family.  I admire the women who are able to plan a month in advance. Maybe someday I'll give that a try, probably around the same time I'm finally organized enough to prepare all those freezer meals I keep pinning. Not any time soon, though.

I had a blogger friend who scheduled a meal for each day of the week and loved how easy it made things for her busy family. For instance, every Friday was Pizza, every Monday was pasta, every Wednesday was Mexican. She is able to use different meals each week while keeping the theme for each day the same.

Do you meal plan? What tips or tricks do you swear by? Any favorite recipes you'd like to share? And have you done freezer meals? Monthly meal prep seems awesome to me, so we'll see if I ever get to that point.