Are you looking for a new way to organize your meals? Does a lot of food go to waste at your home? Are you tired of making the same meals every week? I have five strategies for meal planning that could help you during the school year.
Meal Planning
Each week before going food shopping, I sit down with my children, and we meal-plan together. I have them tell me what they want to eat the following week. Sometimes, they tell me vegetables that they would like to eat, and other weeks they tell me which grains they would like, and I round out the meals to make sure that they are balanced. Sometimes, they tell me about a whole meal, which is nice.
Have Your Kids Help
When we go to the supermarket, my children help choose and bag up produce and order from the deli and fish department. They are incredibly involved with planning, shopping, and putting away items in our pantry. When we have extra time in the afternoons or on the weekends, they also help to prepare different foods like salad, pizza, and muffins in addition to making cake pops for a holiday or family celebration. When they help prepare the food, they are excited to eat it and share it with others. Being involved in making decisions about which foods to eat helps to cut down on food being wasted.
Sticking To Our List
During the Summer, I noticed how increased food was going into the carriage each week and more would spoil before it could be eaten. I have found sticking to our list and not buying many “extras” to be helpful. I am also buying fewer pieces of fresh fruit, so we are not throwing it out instead of enjoying it. Even with eating a large number of berries, we still have many spoil each week, so we have started buying just one package instead of two or three.
Recipe Binder
When we are planning meals, I also refer to my recipe binder. I started this at my Bridal Shower and keep my recipes this way almost ten years later! At my Bridal Shower, I requested favorite recipes and put the recipe cards in plastic sleeves in a small binder. Over the years, my recipe binder has grown into a two-inch binder filled with recipes for breakfast, vegetables, snacks, dinner, holidays, and desserts. Several recipes have been retired and many more have been added from Pinterest.
Designated Snack Drawer
In the refrigerator, I have one drawer designated for snacks. I also prepare these ahead of time to expedite packing lunch daily. For a morning snack, we have cheese sticks, cheese crackers, or rice cakes. For afternoon snacks, we have pretzels, goldfish, trail mix, Cheez-Its, Wheat Thins with hummus, or Teddy Grahams. Our children can quickly choose snacks and help to pack water bottles. Allowing them to help pack up snacks and make choices at an early age helps them become more independent and responsible.
I hope that these strategies have helped you during the new school year. If you have strategies for meal planning to help other families leave them in the comments below.
