Meal Plans: The Key To Stress-Free Weeks

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Starting out each week with a meal plan is an excellent way to manage your time and resources. Being deliberate about what you and your family will eat over the course of the week allows you to stretch both your grocery budget as well reduces the stress of having to come up with a meal each night at the last minute. You can write up your menus prior to creating a shopping list, but here are some ideas for making your week’s plan economical and fun.

The Key to Meal Planning1. Cook foods that can be stretched over the course of few meals. Roasting a chicken or preparing roast beef offers a main course one evening, with leftovers available for soups and sandwiches.

2. Think of your freezer as your friend. If you are making a batch of chili, double the recipe and freeze the remainder in small containers that can serve 1-2 folks, combining those containers when you need to feed more mouths.

3. Research and have at the ready, a handful of meals that you can prepare quickly, in a pinch. One night of the week doesn’t have to be fully planned, but have a suite of ingredients on hand that best allows you to make a meal quickly and easily.

4. After you have eaten, put away your leftovers, making a mental note of how you might use them the next day for breakfast or lunch. Leftovers, properly stored and used, stretch your dollar.

Shopping and preparing meals is a chore to many, but with a solid week-long meal plan you can focus on getting your groceries one day and even preparing some items in advance. During the week, the previously stressful act of meal preparation eases to allow more time enjoying the food and each other’s company.

Source: Food Renegade

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