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Meal Planning – A Great Way to Save Time and Money

You may have heard of family meal planning or perhaps have been wondering what the fuss is all about.  Well, to put it simply family meal planning means planning your family’s meal to help you save time and money.

But beyond saving time and money there are some other great reasons for family meal planning.  By planning your meals and doing your shopping ahead of time, it’s easier to make sure your family eats healthy and balanced meals.  It’s too easy to reach for the phone and order a pizza when everyone’s just gotten home from soccer practice and your fridge is empty. 

Here are Some Tips to Make Family Meal Planning Easy:

First, look through your pantry and cupboards and make a mental note of what you have.  The see if there are any foods you can use to plan your family’s meals around.  For example if you have pasta or rice then create a couple of meals including those staples. 

Then sit down and plan your week’s menu.  Write down each dinner and remember to make allowances for days you don’t have a lot of time or get home late.  If you know ahead of time Tuesdays are stressful then plan something pretty simple to make for that day or even make double on Monday and save the leftovers for Tuesday.  You can vary the meal by changing one or two things around.

Once you have your menu write a shopping list while checking your pantry, cupboards and fridge again to make sure you’re not buying something you already have.  Then add items you’ll need for breakfast, lunch and snacks.  You may not necessarily plan these meals but just make sure you include enough of the foods you usually need on your list.

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