Storified by Jackie Lou Smith· Mon, Mar 04 2013 22:19:21
Finding Recipes
The first step toward planning meals is, naturally, recipes. Start by thinking about dinners, and sort through some video recipes, free recipes on the Internet, or cookbooks for ideas. When you’re just starting out with meal plans, it’s a good idea to stick to one pot meals (like many pasta recipes and soup recipes offer) or major dishes (like pork recipes or chicken recipes ) that are easily supplemented with a side of vegetables.
Select one dinner for every day you want to shop for. In other words, if you only want to grocery shop twice a month, plan meals for two weeks at a time. Be sure to write the name of the dish and – importantly – where you found the recipe, on a sheet of paper. If you’re using recipe videos or free recipes from online, be sure to print the recipe and stick them with your cookbooks so they are easy to find. If you’re using a cookbook recipe, write down the name of the cookbook and what page the recipe is on. Be sure to plan a nice mix of meals. This is both healthier and more apt to appeal to your varying tastes as the weeks progress. For example, one night, choose a vegetarian recipe. For another night, select comfort food, like a meatloaf recipe. For another night, choose a chicken recipe. And so on. And if you have a sweet tooth, don’t neglect to add a few dessert recipes to your list, too.
Next, on a different sheet of paper, write down all the ingredients for each meal. Even if you’re certain you have a particular ingredient in your pantry or refrigerator, take the time to double check for it. Sometimes we run out of ingredients without remembering we’ve done so, and sometimes we discover a certain ingredient has expired before we’ve used it all.
Once you have dinners taken care of, take the same steps for breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
Flexibility
Notice that you’re not assigning a certain meal for a certain day – which many people find stifling. Instead, you’re just creating a list of potential meals that you have all the ingredients for. For example, if you come home from work and find you’re too tired or just not in the mood to make a certain recipe on your list, you can choose a different meal for the day that is either quicker to prepare or more suited to your appetite at the moment.
List Keeping
Now, here’s the really important part: Put the list of meal names and where the recipes are located in an easy-to-find location. For many people, taping the list on the refrigerator works well. Or, tape the list to the inside of the pantry door.
As you make the meals on the list, be sure to cross them off. This way you’ll always know what meals you have all the ingredients for, saving you the time, frustration, and extra money of taking additional trips to the grocery store.
And, naturally, be sure to take your list of ingredients to the grocery store, crossing off the ingredients as you put them in your shopping cart.
It’s Easy!
This process is quick and simple once you’ve done it a time or two, and works just as well if you’re eating specialized diet recipes or planning a huge event that requires Thanksgiving recipes. Give it a try, and you’ll be amazed how much easier shopping is and how much money you can trim off your food budget.
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