Back when we were first married, I never made menus or clipped coupons or used a detailed grocery list. And I rarely cooked anything but French toast. I'm not exactly sure how we survived, but I think it had something to do with fast food burgers and the fact that we both worked at restaurants. I guess it was fine for us at the time, but a lot has changed since then. Thankfully.
For the past several eons, I've been creating menu plans and carefully using coupons and shopping lists. Food is a big part of our lives, and all that planning, clipping, shopping, and cooking takes up a huge chunk of my time. I feel like I'm constantly searching for systems that will enable me to spend less time on all these food related tasks, yet get better results.
I like my method of clipping and filing coupons, and I'm on my way toward using a master grocery list to quickly prepare for my shopping trips. But efficient menu planning still has me stumped. I don't like the week-at-a-time method I'm using right now, but I've struggled to come up with another system I'll stick with. I have some new ideas, but only time will tell if they'll actually work for me.
One thing I'm confident will help me out is a list of meal ideas. This weekend I'm going to rack my brain for any and all dinner items my family enjoys. I'll have a category for easy meals I make when I'm cooking for the kids and one for those special foods I reserve for when my husband is home. I'll also jot down any side dishes I can come up with. I'm no good at thinking up side dishes.
I think this list will come in handy with whatever menu planning method I finally settle on. If it cuts even a few minutes out of the process (and reduces the brain strain required), it will be worth it. I'm hopeful!
Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.
Do you enjoy Gospel Homemaking? You may want to consider subscribing to get free updates, tips, and The Daily Plan-It right in your email inbox or in your feed reader. How cool is that?
Related posts:
Branding Company