Meals for the Week

since i'm staying home now, i have had to find ways to save money since we're not making what we used to... we used to overspend at the grocery store, without a doubt, and to be honest, there were weeks we'd go to the store, drop $150, and i couldn't figure out a meal from what we bought to save my life...
i knew our spending habits had to change...

so, in my faithful blog stalking adventures, i came across some ladies (like Little Home) who post a weekly meal plan for their families. what a great idea! :) so, i decided to start doing the same thing... i had the time to plan out meals, and to be honest, making a decent and nice home-cooked meal is a little theraputic for me... :)

i started by making a list of our old "standby" favorites. i keep this list in my notebook... i am always interested in new recipes and good ideas (like from my very talented "blog friend" at "Whatever" - who has 5 kids and i remain amazed at her organization and creativity ), so i copy/paste recipes into emails and send them to myself... i also have written recipes in my notebook...

on the weekends, i sit down and write the days of the week on each line in my notebook... we pick our meals (or i mostly do, but i ask ry if he has any special hungers or wants for meals), and i plan them out. i try to put meals that are "more involved" on days where i know it will be a little less stressful. i also try to make a "bigger" meal on the weekend so that we can have left overs during the week. then, once i plan the menu, i make a grocery list... so, we stick to the meals, for the most part, and we don't overspend at the grocery store.

granted, we have days when the meal doesn't happen for whatever reason. the great part of that is that, then, we have the ingredients on hand for another day... and, i always keep "stand by" meals available that are quicker or less involved in case the plan for that day just doesn't happen... our stand bys - breaded chicken (usually tysons), spaghetti, soup, etc. - basically things we have on hand all of the time...

so far, it has been wonderful! has helped us in more ways than just financially... we were the classic couple saying, "what do you want for dinner?...i don't know...what do you want? i don't know..." meanwhile, we were standing there snacking on anything we could find... :) we don't have to do that any more... :)

well, i have decided to post my meal plans... mostly for the good of others (assuming others read the blog :))... i know other ppl's blog help me come up with ideas...and i have gathered some really delicious recipes from seeing other meal plans... :) (like from my new "blog friend," Sarah)

so, if you read my blog, i hope you can find a recipe that you'd like to try...or i help you come up with ideas for eating during your week... but mostly, i'm posting because it's important for us, together, to try and make our lives easier...and it would be fabulous and a priviledge if i could make it more possible for you gather around your dinner table, with your family and/or friends, and have a nice, delicious meal without working up too much of a sweat... :)

eat well! :)