Meal Plans

Okay I need organization in my home. I need help creating a day to day chart of chores and a weekly meal plan. I have been trying to do it on my own but I have no idea where to start. Do any of you create outfits ahead of time for your children. I have a four year old daughter who attends school all day so I wonder if setting out clothes a week in advance will do any help or cause morning conflict with the weather. I also need some help with healthy snacks. I have lots of cook books but no time to go through them on a daily basis. Please let me know how you create these things and if you stick with them down to the wire.
I would really appreciate all the input as much as possible please.

 

• I have 10 or so recipes that I use most of the time. I try to have those items on hand at all times, which makes grocery shopping quite routine.
• I use the crock pot once-twice a week. I chop up all the vegetables/meat after the kids go to bed, then, in the morning, I just throw everything in and turn it on.
• I also cook double/triple batches of meat. Last night I threw 9 chicken breasts in the oven. Takes the same amount of time as cooking 2. I put 3 in the frig for dinner tonight. I shredded 3 more and put in a ziploc in the freezer. The others went into a casserole for the freezer (I always have at least one casserole in the freezer).
• My last line of defense in meal-planning is "QUICK GRABS". Every day I make one of the following items to keep on hand for quick-grab lunches or dinner on the go: rice, pasta with sauce, hard boiled eggs, tuna salad. I always make sure there is fresh fruit washed, sliced, and ready to eat (or it goes bad sitting on the counter). These things can all be done in a flash and help save time when the kids are whining and 15-minutes past the point of being patient.
• As soon as I put the kids down for nap/bed I spend 30-minutes doing meal prep. for future meals. I assume that once the kids get older they'll be more patient, but for now this is what's working for us.

As for your 4-yo, could you make it a game? Have her look at the weather forecast and decide what clothes she should wear for the next 5 days for the weather?

 

Hey There,

I plan my meals weekly and I have a bunch of regular meals that I like. I keep the recipes for my favourites in a binder that's organized into different sections... ie: salads, appetizers, beef chicken etc.... Every weekend, i go through my binder and pick what we'll have for every night of the week. I usually have one or two nights where we have easy stuff that's cooked from frozen. Every week or two I try something new. I love reading cookbooks and recipes and trying new things out.

I think the first step is figuring out what some of your favourite meals are. Then keep the recipes in an easy to access area and write a list out before you go shopping. I find if I don't go with a list, it's a complete waste of time.

For snacks, I try and have a stock of fresh fruit, dried fruit, cheese, crackers, yogurt etc....

Good luck with your planning!

p.s. the clothing idea sounds ambitious! I know where I live the weather is too unpredictable for that one....

 

I love Dine Without Whine, it's a website where they send meal plans, a shopping list and the recipies each week. It helps make it easy for dinner prep, nice and easy to print our shopping list too.

 

Before each major grocery trip, I plan 10 dinners. I then have a list of 10 dinners that I have the ingredients ready for. I don't really like to plan what we will eat each night. That way, if I have more time one day, I might make one of the meals that takes more effort. If we are running short on time, there is always something a bit simpler that I can make. This adds an element of flexibility to my 'plan'.

I don't plan breakfasts and lunches. I just make sure we always have lots of hot and cold cereal, eggs, pancake stuff, smoothie ingredients, fruit etc... and stuff for sandwiches and lunchboxes.

So, I go on a big shopping trip every 10-14 days and fill in with things like fruit, bread, eggs, juice (our milk is delivered), in between.

My other suggestion is to make sure you plan things you really do eat. For instance, if you are a quick meal sort of gal, don't make the mistake of planning super complicated dinners for your first dinner plan. I don't hesitate to sometimes put a quick quiche, or pancakes on the dinner menu, because sometimes that's what we eat!

This works really well for me!

Oh, no suggestions for the outfit plan. I have boys and it's pretty easy to pair jeans with a long sleeve shirt each day!
I also don't have a housecleaning plan. I clean when it's dirty, and am obsessive about putting dishes in the dishwasher, cleaning up after meals, etc... For me, it's more about having a bit of a routine daily then having a big weekly cleaning plan. I really like flylady though, for her plan and reasonable approach to keeping a clean, comfortable house.
HTH!

 

Check out Flylady online. I have been doing her program and it has had a major impact on our family and on me. If you sign up, be prepared for tons of emails. I delete most, but the idea behind her program will add order and organization to your life.

 

OMG flylady.com is a life saver. well i am about to try it for the first time. step one shine your sink hehe i am all excited!!!!

 

You should also check out the Cooking Forum here at TS. Many of the women give their weekly meal plans which is a great resource for ideas and suggestions.

 

QUOTE(NicoleT @ Oct 24 2007, 12:11 PM) [snapback]465165[/snapback]
You should also check out the Cooking Forum here at TS. Many of the women give their weekly meal plans whihc is a great resource for ideas and suggestions.


I was going to suggest this too.

As for the clothes, we choose my oldest DD's clothes for school the night before and lay them out.