That being said, I've been trying to find ways to maximize my time w/ my children and alleviate those high-stress periods throughout the day, primarily the chaos that ensues at meal times and during meal prep. Also, my husband and I have been talking about some big dreams which includes really sticking to a budget, and I know one of the quickest ways to reduce spending is to plan and prepare meals at home so that I'm not tempted to pick up carry out or order a pizza. Thanks to the inspiration of several blogs I follow, I decided to start doing a monthly meal plan that includes preparing freezer foods and meals. I particularly like what Erica at Confessions of a Homeschooler uses, so I adopted her model.
I spent four hours last night planning and preparing (there's a big learning curve initially if you're like me and tend to plan one or two days out but often find that you're flying by the seat of your pants). I began by creating a master list of meals and foods that I commonly prepare and/or want to add to my repertoire (I hope to post several of those recipes eventually). From there I looked at which ones had common ingredients and could be prepared in bulk as freezer meals. Knowing your family's weekly activities is key, so I planned a big pasta lunch for Sundays after church and simple meals for Tuesday evenings since I attend a women's group then. And of course, planning meals that will have enough leftovers for lunch is a huge time saver.
You'll note that I have breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner posted each weekday. Weekends often include travel and social events, so I left those open for leftovers or using a freezer meal. I plan to do my grocery shopping on Friday mornings and freezer meals prep on the weekends. (Friday is also our trash day, so it's a great day to make sure leftovers are used up and the fridge is cleaned out. Like I said, there's so much to consider when starting this journey!) And just because it's on the menu doesn't mean I can't be flexible. I'm sure as the month goes on, we'll have things come up that will force me to modify as we go.
So I went grocery shopping early this morning sans kids (thanks to my awesome hubby), came home and cut up and froze three pounds of strawberries, threw a whole chicken in the crockpot (I'll debone it and cut the meat up to freeze for casserole use), and have another crockpot of soup cooking (also a freezer meal). And now it's 10:15 and I'm sitting down with my coffee in hand and kiddos on either side as we enjoy Sesame Street.
So now that you know a little bit about my planning process, here's my menu! Enjoy and modify for your own use!
Click here to download your Monthly Meal Plan, March 2013 (Word document, editable)
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