Why A Meal Plan?

I have had a lot of people ask me, "why a meal plan?" Well for me there are 3 good reasons.

#1: It Saves Me Money

- I end up spending less money when I go grocery shopping because I have exactly what I need for each meal on my list, plus additional items such as snacks, cleaners and food storage. This prevents me from just grabbing whatever sounds good to me at the moment.

#2: Fewer Trips to the Grocery Store

- If I plan my menu around every 3 weeks then I make one big trip to the store every 3 weeks. Occasionally I will ask my husband to pick up a couple gallons of milk on the way home from work since usually our milk won't last that long. But doesn't one (prepared) trip every week sound easier than going to the store every single week (or more) to buy things you forgot or don't have to make your meal?

#3: Healthier Options

- If I plan ahead, then I have time to prepare a healthy, well balanced meal for my kids. I know what's on the menu for the next day and I don't have to spend the time each day looking for a recipe, only to give up and make a microwave dinner. I have healthy side options that I know are available to me in my fridge or pantry. Each night I look at my menu for what the next day holds and I stick my meat in the refrigerator so it's all set for me to go the next day.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with a 3 week grocery shopping trip, try going every 2 weeks for a while and then the jump to 3 weeks won't seem so scary, I promise ;) It also gives me a good opportunity to rotate my canned food storage. We eat all the fresh fruit and vegetable produce first with our meals so that they don't spoil and once that is gone, we rotate our canned fruits and veggies for our sides until our next grocery shopping trip. If you are finding that your fruit is starting to go bad faster than you can eat it, buy less, or the great thing about fruit is that most of it can be frozen and then put into smoothies or just eaten plain. My kids LOVE frozen grapes and frozen sliced bananas for a great after school snack.

Hopefully these tips gave you a good insight into my 3 week rotation. Come back later tonight and I will have a yummy recipe waiting for you!

- Kristin :)