I love organization! OK...chances are that if you are reading this blog then you already know this. Anyway, every Sunday afternoon I sit down to clip coupons & plan my week. I created the sheet below to help prepare for each week.
I fill in any meetings, appointments, or events we have going on, then plan a meal for each night. Do I always make what I've planned for dinner...no. Sometimes we want pizza or Chinese, sometimes we have leftovers that need to be eaten, and sometimes I'm just too lazy to cook {smile}. But, more times than not I make what I've planned to cook. This helps me (1)save money because we eat what we have instead of eating out or ordering take out so often and (2)save time by preparing a grocery list for the week.
I especially like this when I need to clean out the pantry, fridge, & freezer (like this week). For example, here's our meal plan this week:
Sunday - Veggie & Beef Soup
I used leftover pot roast (that I bought 50% off at Harris Teeter a while back) & veggies in the freezer from several weeks ago, added a can of green beans & a can of hearty tomato soup from the pantry, and some frozen broccoli from the freezer. I even toasted a few leftover hamburger buns from last week in an attempt to use those up.
All we had to buy was beef stock.
Monday - Buffalo Chicken Wings & Bleu Cheese Potatoes/Broccoli
I'm using chicken wings I bought on super sale a few weeks ago that are in the deep freezer, bleu cheese & half a bag of potatoes leftover from last week, and broccoli that's in the freezer.
The only item we had to buy was Buffalo Wing Seasong Packet.
I'm using pasta I bought a few weeks ago and Italian Sausage Big J accidentally bought instead of breakfast sausage when I sent him to the grocery store yesterday.
All we had to buy was Red & Yellow Bell Peppers.
Wednesday - Baked Chicken with Green Beans & Mashed Potatoes
We always have all these ingredients on hand...frozen chicken breasts, marinade, green beans, & boxed mashed potatoes (quick & easy!).
No need for more groceries!
Thursday - Taco Casserole over Saffron Rice
I had leftover browned ground beef that I froze last week, salsa & cheese in the fridge, and a packet of saffron rice in the pantry.
Groceries needed were can of black beans and sour cream.
We are headed to Raleigh on Friday, so no need for more meals this week! In case you were not keeping count, I only needed 6 items for 5 dinners this week. And we'll eat leftovers for lunch. That's a great savings of money (and time!!).
Sorry grandparents...no pictures of Little J today. He was too busy trying to crawl all over the place to snap any. He did get to ride in his big boy carseat for the first time today...I think he liked it! He gets to sit up so straight in this new one (don't worry...we don't have the cow-print). Although I bet he'll be so happy when he can turn around to face forward because his legs are kicking the seat. Wonder where he got those long legs from...
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