So often on this blog I have given this advice: Cook as much of your own food as you can, and you'll feel better. I totally agree with my own advice (of course), but I have to admit that sometimes I have a hard time following my own advice. So many nights I am faced with the 5:00 dinner prep hour and still have yet to decide what to eat or if I even have ingredients to make what sounds good to me. What usually ends up happening is that we either eat breakfast food or fast food, and although those are fine once in a while, it can get really old really fast.
The best thing I can do to eat better and be better prepared for the dinnertime rush is perhaps the simplest: make a list. If I take a few minutes before I go to the grocery store on Saturdays and jot down a quick weekly menu, I can make a more prepared grocery list and be sure to have the ingredients for those dinners I have planned for. I also feel a lot better having a plan for meals because I have a habit of letting the day get away from me and I can look at my meal for the day in the morning and sort of give myself a deadline as to when I need to start cooking dinner. I like to plan based on who is going to be home for dinner and what we have going on that night. Sometimes we need to be done eating by 7, sometimes we don't get home until 7, so I usually plan my slow cookers and quick dinners around that.
I also believe in trying to only go to the grocery store once a week. Sometimes I'll have to run back during the week for something, but I really try not to. For one, I don't have time during the week to shop, for another, I'm really trying to trim my expenses this year since I'm saving up for a grand kitchen remodel that may never happen. Nonetheless, shopping smarter is definitely on the horizon for me in 2010. What are your favorite dinnertime time savers?
Happy planning!
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I would love to only go to the grocery store once a week and while that is my goal, it NEVER seems to happen. Something vital, like milk, bread, eggs, butter, cheese, juice for hailey, or chocolate for me, seems to run out before it was supposed to.
ReplyDeleteI guess I could plan a little better, but where's the fun in that right?
I'm trying to get better at meal planning also. During the week, I try to make soups or casseroles that can carry over for lunch or dinner the next day. It doesn't always work out quite that nicely though.
ReplyDelete