Have you ever had dinner time creep up on you and you have no idea what to make? Are you so tired by the end of the day that you don’t want to think about putting a meal together?  Do you find that you have a lot of groceries in your house but nothing that will make a good meal? I can definitely say that I have had all of these situations happen to me. 

I used to go to the grocery store without a list and buy a bunch of groceries. I would spend a lot of money. When I got home and tried to make a meal I would realize I was missing at least one key ingredient from anything I wanted to make. It was super frustrating. 

I realized I needed a better system. I started meal planning. On Sundays I would sit down and look through all my cookbooks (this was before the internet ;) ) and find 3 or 4 recipes I wanted to make that week. I would look at the ingredient list and create a shopping list with exactly what I needed to buy. 

Meal planning helped me in so many ways. 

• It gave me clarity on what meals I was going to make and on which day. This helped reduce dinner time fatigue from the relentless question, “what’s for dinner tonight?” 

• It helped me to reduce my spending on groceries each week. Because I had a list, I was able to get exactly what I needed without all the extras I was buying. 

• I started eating healthier. I had a plan and didn’t end up making whatever was fastest because I was starving. 

• It helped create variety in what I was making each week. Before meal planning, I would get to the store and the only ingredients I could think to get were for the same meals that I would make week in and week out. 

• During the pandemic, meal planning has helped me with not only dinner, but with lunch as well. Having to be a short order cook for two meals a day is exhausting. Often, we can take ingredients from a dinner and remake them into a completely new meal for lunch.

• It helped me stop wasting food. Groceries never end up in the back of my fridge forgotten about. 

• It helps with meal prep. Since everyone in the house knows what we are having for dinner that night they can start prepping so that meal time gets even easier. 

Overall, meal planning has simplified my life. 

I have been meal planning for a long time now. I keep a running list of staples that we need and then add to it whatever else I need for my meal planning. It truly is a life habit that I could not do without. 

Are you ready to simplify your life? Give meal planning a try and then let me know how it goes!