Meal Time Organization

In following my post on organizing, meal time is a high priority for our family. Even when not every member is able to eat together, it's still important that we have healthy prepared dinners.

Meal planning is hard to do, and I have to admit that I am not always “on it” as I should be. When I have my act together and plan my meals, life tends to go much smoother at the dinner hour! One technique that worked great for me for a long while was setting up a certain type of food for each night of the week. This was what I did:

Monday – Big salad or Sandwich night (panini’s, subs, grilled cheese & soup,…)

Tuesday – “Taco Tuesday” – any Mexican food

Wednesday – Asian night pr Something new night

Thursday – Italian night

Friday – Kid’s Choice night

Weekends – wing it! Left-overs

There are other techniques that I have used that work well. My mom taught me to plan according to the ads – what’s on sale is what we eat. She would always get the ad Tuesday and plan out her meals Wednesday to the next Tuesday. I still do this to a point. Another thing I have done, and still do the most when I plan, is when I do my Sunday night calendar plan I also plan out the meals at the same time. Then I know for sure what night needs to be a Crock Pot night and which nights I have a little more time for something more complex.

Some more tips for meals are:
*Make a menu  and list before going to the grocery store, it saves money (but only if you stick to it!)
*Make double portions and freeze, save as “emergency” dinners
*Keep “emergency” quick meals in the freezer (Costco and Trader Joe’s!)
*Get recipes from friends - ask for their "Top 5" meals they make and add what works for your family to your file

Do you just feel like "window shopping" on the web sometimes? I do this and end up wasting time looking at chandeliers and new furniture that I don't forsee getting anytime soon. I recently decided to "window shop" recipes to try. My favorite site is http://www.allrecipes.com/. It has tons of recipes with reviews and pictures done by people at home. You see the real deal and it lets you print or save recipes.

Do you have some tips for meal planning? I'd love to know them! Or share your favorite dinner recipe....
Here are some of my favorite cook books...
Cooking A to Z
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients
Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again
Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast: 250 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Any Time of Day (Everyday Food (Clarkson Potter))