Meal Planning...in a doable way

Plan one or two weeks of meals so you can decrease the trips to the store!

Getting Started:

• Make a list of "Tried and True" meals that you've made and you know your family loves
• Include simple meals, too, such as grilled cheese, and you can also include side dishes
• Make a list of recipes you want to try
• This is where you add variety! Incorporate a few from this list every month so it's not overwhelming. If they're not good, cross them off! If they are good, move them to your "Tried and True" list!
• Optional: categorize your lists
• You can sort according to type of food, where the recipe is from, or what ethnicity of food, etc.
• Decide if you want to have any food goals, such as trying a dish with rice every week or serving vegetables with each meal.
• Determine your time frame: Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc. 
• Decide this based on how often you want to shop. If you plan for two weeks, you should aim to buy what you need for those two weeks (except maybe produce) to limit trips to the store.

Multiple ways to approach it:

1. CALENDAR APPROACH: Assign a meal or specific leftovers for each day, written on a calendar. Make sure to plan breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, desserts, etc.-whatever your family eats, you should plan (at least generally plan..."PBJ for lunches" at least!) You can also use the calendar approach for dinners and the second approach for breakfast and lunches.
• PROS: everything is planned and you don't have to worry about making any decisions, no surprise trips to the store
• CONS: sometimes you just don't feel like eating what you planned, not as flexible
2. PICK IT DAILY APPROACH: Plan enough meals for your family for your time frame, but meals are not assigned, so you can pick what meal to make form your list for that day. MAke sure to plan breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, desserts, etc.-whatever your family eats, you should plan (at least generally plan..."PBJ for lunches" at least!)
• PROS: more flexible, accommodates what sounds better that day, 
• CONS: still need to decide day of or day before what meal you want to make

The Shopping part of it:

• Go through the recipes (check, even if you know it by heart!) and write down what you need. Checking the recipes will eliminate a lot of extra trips for forgotten things!
• Plan enough meals for your time frame (week, two weeks, etc.), then double your shopping list for meals to cover twice as long
• OR plan out a longer time (2 weeks, month, etc.) with different meals
• Plan things to use in your cupboard but make sure to restock to keep ingredients on hand and for basic food storage

Tips, Tips, Tips...

• Plan meals that use fresh produce near the beginning of the week, or closer to your shopping day. Plan meals that use cooked or frozen produce later in the week so they don't need to be as fresh.
• Plan a variety, but work with what you are using. If you're making a chicken dish and defrosted a big thing of chicken, make a chicken dish the next meal too.
• Don't forget to plan for lunches! You can plan general food, such as lunch meats, bread, cheese, peanut butter, etc. to have on hand
• Also plan snacks and desserts because we all need those...and you don't want to make a midnight run to the store for those things either!
• You can either plan to make a meal and have the leftovers the next night, too, or you can make a new meal for two nights in a row and then have the leftovers for two more nights. This allows you to still alternate meals and not have the same things multiple nights in a row.
• When you plan a meal, double the recipe and freeze the leftovers for a night that you don't have time to cook or something comes up (freezer bags work great, even for soups!)
• Keep a list of recipes you want to try (on your fridge or wherever you'll see it...on a "Notes" list!! see below) so you can incorporate it into your meal planning
• MAKE SURE TO WRITE DOWN YOUR PLAN! If you don't, you'll get home from the store and think, "What did I think I could make with all this stuff?!?" However you do it, just make sure to write down your plan!! Options:
• Use a normal monthly calendar to plan long-term meals and write down planned activities that may include meals (school/church dinners, etc.)
• Have a two-week calendar that you fill out
• Fill out just dinner or all meals of the day
• Make a penciled calendar for two weeks so you make sure enough meals are planned, but then list the meals as a list so you can pick what sounds good that day or the day before and cross them off as you make them
• Meal plan however is EASIEST for you! You're going to loathe cooking unless you ENJOY IT!! Make it fun, involve your kids, give them a day to be in charge of or help cook, etc. Cooking is something hard to avoid, so MAKE IT FUN!

To-Do Listing

There are numerous ways to do or not to "to-do" lists, but here's what I think works quite well and can be adjusted to whatever your brain needs!

I use the "Notes" app that comes with an iTouch (possibly an iPhone too...not cool enough for one of those yet!!) but whatever list-making medium you actually use is going to work best. Under that application, I've created a number of separate "notes" that organize my brain for me.  Use this as a place to gather all your lists...make it the master list! That way, you have a reason to check it consistently, and you'll see the stuff you wrote down yesterday and would have forgotten if it was on a scrap of paper that accidentally got thrown away with your receipts or something!

The two main notes:

"TODAY" and "TO-DO"

"TODAY" holds the list of things that floods my brain at night that I need to remember to do the next day. I write it in there at night and sleep peacefully, forming a habit to check that list throughout the day. It's a lot easier to check a to-do list for that day if you always know it's in the same place!

Example of things on my "TODAY" list:

Go to post office

Text Michelle

Call about doc appt.

Clean mirror

Return Target stuff

Put stroller back in car

"TO-DO" holds all the stuff I need to do, but I don't want to overload myself, and let's be realistic-I can't do everything today! Nor do I want to...then what would I do tomorrow?!? This list has things that I don't want to forget about, but I don't need to focus on them today. That way, I can feel productive about deciding what I can do today and clearing up that "TODAY" list! That way you're not bogged down by those things that don't leave your list for months, and you can separate the "get done now" from the "get done soon/sometime".

Example of my "TO-DO" list:

Pay auto insurance

Return clothes that didn't fit

Come up with invitations for baby shower

Order a birth certificate

Renew driver's license

Other lists on my "Notes" include:

• Waiting on (things that I'm waiting for, such as a rebate/reimbursement/insurance card in the mail/etc. Things that I don't need to do anything about, but if they never arrive I don't want to forget I was keeping an eye out for them!)
• Thank You's to write (you'd be surprised how often you use this!)
• Project List (things I have started or want to do, just so I don't forget to finish them)
• Books/songs/etc. that people recommend (while I'm out and need to write them down)
• Things to write in my son's journal
• Current Goals (If I have a stroke of inspiration for a future goal, I'll have a place to write it down and not forget it!)
• Misc. Shopping list (I use a different grocery shopping list app, but this would be more for random stores or items I wouldn't normally buy)

This usually covers what I need! Make "Notes" according to what you usually need to write down. The key is in always having it in one place so you can make a habit of checking it frequently and not worrying you've forgotten something. The other important part is prioritizing what needs to be done today and what can wait! Be realistic so you can feel you've achieved something everyday rather than just noticing what's still on your list.

A Few Notes on Prioritizing

"Prioritizing" can be a somewhat general term, but here are the basics...

• Focus on a specific area (such as household, homework, work tasks, etc.)
• List the things that need to be done in that area (don't list more than 8-10...keep it do-able)
• Mark each task according to:
• It's importance (mark low/med/high)
• It's urgency (mark low/med/high)
• It's difficulty (effort required-mark low/med/high)
• Look over the tasks and decide which things are most important for a task...
• Ex. writing a paper for school requires a lot of effort, but it's due tomorrow=HIGH priority!
• Ex. The internet bill needs to be paid an takes little effort, but it's not due for two more weeks=MED/LOW priority....WRITE YOUR PAPER!! Paying bills or other things are marking things off your list, but they are just keeping you away from being productive according to what really needs to be done
• If your priorities on your list aren't clear right away, try to highlight which items have higher importance and urgency with a lower difficulty, hopefully resulting in being able to accomplish more things with the time you have and eliminating the things that really aren't as important or can wait.

**On your "Notes" lists, you can organize within the lists by priority if you desire. As you list things for "TODAY", have 2-3 sections according to priority, etc.

Easy Creamy Garlic Alfredo Sauce

Amazing Alfredo sauce you can throw together without heavy cream and 10 pounds of butter!

Creamy Garlic Alfredo Sauce

Mel’s Kitchen Café Blog

Yields: 2 cups

Note from Mel's Kitchen Cafe: I've only ever used 1% milk in this sauce and it works great for our tastes. Also, I've made it with regular and

low-fat cream cheese. The low-fat cream cheese gives it a slightly, very slightly grainy texture, but the cut in calories is worth it, in my opinion, although the full-fat cream cheese offers a luxurious, creamy texture that can't be beat. You choose! (we use Neufchatel and it works great- not grainy and not quite as bad...)

2 TB butter

3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press

4 oz. cream cheese, softened and cut into 6 pieces (see note above)

1 c. milk (see note above)

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt, more to taste, if needed

In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to let the garlic burn. Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it should come together to form a smooth, creamy paste. Add the milk gradually, about 1/4 c. at a time, whisking quickly and constantly until each addition is incorporated fully into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency. Cook for 2-3 minutes for a thicker sauce or remove right after the cheese is melted for a thinner sauce. Serve immediately over hot, cooked noodles.

Frozen Fruit

Kathy W.

Yield: 12 servings

6-8 grapefruit

1 pkg. raspberries or strawberries (10 -12 oz., with or without juice)

1 can crushed pineapple (16-24 oz.)

1 c. sugar

½ c. water

Scoop out grapefruits into a large bowl, including juice squeezed out at the end. Add berries and pineapple and mix well. On the stove, boil water and sugar together. Pour over mixed fruit and divide into freezer bags. Lay flat to freeze. Remove from freezer at least 30 minutes before serving. Break up frozen fruit and divide slush into cups. Serve with 7-up or Sprite poured on top.

Krispy Karo Treats

Krispy Karo Treats

Amanda B.

Yield: one 13x18 or 9x13 pan

1 c sugar

1 c karo syrup

1 c peanut butter – melt & remove from heat

6 c. rice krispies

1 c. chocolate chips

1 c. butterscotch chips (optional-or do 2 c. choc. chips)

Melt sugar, karo syrup, and peanut butter on stove. Mix in rice krispies. Spread on greased 13x18 cookie sheet (thinner...I like using this better) or 9x13 pan (thicker). Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips on the stove and spread to cover.