11.05.08

homeWork:Meal Planning

Posted in home management at 2:23 pm by trisha

 

An important part of stewardship involves food. At the end of the article is a special request. I need your help!

Planning is everything with meals in our family. I can’t afford to go to the store every couple of days with four little children. If you live in an urban center or have a small place, it does make sense to shop for your meals every couple days. But, for our big family, every two weeks I set down with my cookbooks and three sheets of paper. I have about 30 meals that I know my family will enjoy. I have my newspaper ads and coupons on the table. Depending on the top deals on meat, pastas, vegetables, or seafood, I incorporate those items into the menu plan. On the first sheet I write down 10 dinners. Eight are a variety of meals. One is leftover night and another is breakfast dinner. As I write down each meal, I write down the ingredients on the other paper for either the Costco, Safeway, or Trader Joe’s lists. I go to Costco every two weeks, Safeway once a week, Trader Joe’s once a month and Double D meats (great place for a huge variety of nitrate free deli meat $3.49 a pound) once a month. I used to schedule the meals on the calendar, but I have realized over the years that we sometimes aren’t hungry for what is planned. So, I post the list of meals on the side of the fridge and occasionally check in with my husband to see if he would like to choose the dinner based on the list. In addition to the 10 meals, I add 2 desserts on the list. One for our family and another for hospitality; either us taking a dessert to someone or for our dinner guests. Lunches and breakfasts also go on the lists. I don’t plan those, I just always have 3 or 4 options for the kids for either breakfast or lunch. I buy produce once a week, because we go through so much fruit and veggies every day. 

Tips for “thinking ahead” with food preparation:

1. Brown 2 meals worth of hamburger at a time, freeze the second portion.
2.  When making chili or a casserole, or baking bread, make 2!
3. Freeze one or take dinner to a friend!
4.  If you have children, have them do the fun things. Crushing graham crackers in a ziploc? Have them stomp on them. Anything that requires shaking, crushing, rolling, etc. My kids love to help in the kitchen. They are too young to work with the stove or cutting food, but there is plenty to do with them.
5. If there are items in your cabinet or fridge that someone may munch on and you need it for a recipe. Label it “for recipe”! This has happened to me a lot, until I realized I can just label those few items that can’t be eaten!
6. Love leftovers. If you don’t like leftovers, then stay away from casseroles and large portioned food, which will waste your money. If you do like leftovers, think about what can be reused. For example, if we have leftover flank steak, I like to use it the next day in corn and cilantro tacos.
7. Have fun recipe ingredients on hand: special desserts, soups, drinks, snacks to fill in the menu gaps!

 I have a friend who has taught me a lot about being a Godly planner. She has developed a great resource for our church and taught it to many ladies who are starting out with meal planning.  The following content is from her:Meal Planning:Experts say that planning meals can cut grocery budgets by up to 20% (going back to the Proverbs – that’s profit.)  Here’s my step by step plan to menu planning.   If this is new to you, just start with one week.    Review what you already have on hand – no sense in buying it if you already own itLOOK at the Ad’s – don’t throw them out.

1. Circle the items that your family buys regularly
2. Circle items that you would plan a meal around
3. Review your recipes.   Look at your master list and match it up with what’s on sale this week.   Be flexible. If you can plan around what’s on sale you will cut your budget by more.
4. Get out your menu planning sheet and write in your family’s personal commitments for the week.
5. Now write out the menu plan.
6. If you are on a budget, you will want to limit meat main dishes, and learn to stretch meat portions beyond one meal.
7. Plan to use seafood and fresh veggies closest to your grocery shopping day.
8. Learn what the longer lasting veggies are.

Grocery Shop with a purpose! Time to make a list.   Many of you may have shopped with a list in the past but if you have not built it off of a menu plan, your list is useless.   You still find yourself at the store more than you wanted and forgetting items that you needed.   Take heart! This experience will be different because you are prepared.Here is a step by step process for list making:

1. Review your menu plan and write down the items you need to buy.   Remember to check it against what you might already have on hand.
2. Organize your list – this will lessen the backtracking through the store.
3. Write down what you’d be willing to pay for that item, add it up.   You’ll know where you are at the end of your list:  under budget or over.
4. Head to the store on a full stomach, and try and go at the same time every week. 
5. Get to know your butcher and produce manager.
6. Stick to your list.   If this has been hard for you in the past, try shopping with cash and leave the cards and checkbook home.  

Tips:

• Buy items with versatility; simpler, one ingredient items. 
• Make a list of  “staples” for reference – what does this look like for your family?
• Watch the prices on items you buy regularly by building a price book.
• Only use a coupon for items you would normally buy. Store brands are almost always cheaper than name brands with a  coupon.
• Check your receipt in the car.
• Which is the best store the one that you can find that works best for your family needs?  

Shopping Costco/Sam’s without breaking the budget: 

• Make a date to just go in and shop without buying.  Write down the prices of the items you will be purchasing on a regular basis.
• Costco is great for large families but their prices can be beat by in store loss leaders.
• Not everything is a good deal; Bigger doesn’t always mean cheaper.
• Skip the non-food items 

 Other:

• double cooking  
(one for now, one for the freezer)
• buying meat in bulk
• cooking club
• hospitality cooking – planning for guests, budget
• produce co-op in the summer, if it is right for your family
• bread stores

I hope that this is inspiring to you and you believe that God is faithful to show you how to steward what He gives you. Plan, Plan, Plan!!!!

What are you top 3 recipes? Recipes that people always ask for? Also, any websites for recipes that you really like. Email trisha@workandworship.com and I will compile and categorize the recipes and publish them in a few weeks. Also, if you have food allergies, I would love to have a category for gluten free and dairy free meals. Fun!!

Permalink