Creative Homemaking . . . Dedicated to your homemaking needs
~   Meal planning, decluttering, checklists, time management, tips to organize your home   ~
CLEANING HOME DECORATING COOKING GARDENING HOLIDAYS ORGANIZE FRUGAL LIVING
Craft Supplies
Wooden Letters
ORGANIZE
Bedrooms
Clothes and Closets
Clutter Control
Chore Charts
Crafts and Hobbies
Home Office
Kids' Clutter
Kitchen and Cooking
Meal Planning
Time Management
Home => Menu and Meal Planning => 8 Steps to Organized Meal Planning
Related Articles: Simplify Your Menu Planning | What are the Benefits of Weekly Meal Planning?

8 Steps to Organized Meal Planning
by Barbara Collins-Myers

Description: Ideas for organized meal planning.

Sponsors:

1. Keep an ongoing grocery list. Most people can start one about 5 minutes after returning from the grocery store. Post it so everyone in the family can use it.

2. Take a sheet of paper and make three columns. First, list seven to 21 of your favorite quick and easy entrees. You might include grilled pork chops, chicken pot pie and several crock pot dishes. Keep a supply of beef, chicken and pork in the freezer.

3. Then list the vegetables your family enjoys on a regular basis. Frozen and canned varieties are the easiest to store. Include potatoes as well. Make sure you keep a good supply of each vegetable in your pantry/kitchen.

4. Finally, list bread possibilities. Refrigerated and frozen bread (dinner rolls and loaves) stay fresh for weeks. Just check the expiration dates before buying.

5. Before weekly grocery shopping, choose seven entrees for the week. Check your freezer inventory. Buy in bulk during sales to save money and time.

6. Keep in stock the basics you use regularly: broth, mushroom soup, rice, pasta sauce and jars of gravy. You will always be able to whip up a quick meal.

7. When your inventory is low on any item, add it to your grocery list. Buy more than one at a time to avoid running out.

8. Since your pantry/kitchen stays well-stocked, you can easily make a meal using your list. Throw some chops on the grill, heat up the oven for dinner rolls and warm a bag of frozen corn on the stove. Bon appetit!

Barbara Myers is a professional organizer and author. Receive free tips and articles to help you take control of your time by organizing your life. Visit http://www.ineedmoretime.com.

Check out Barbara's E-Books: Simply Organize Your Home, Simply Organize Your Kids, Simply Organize Your Office, Manage Your Wardrobe System, and The Complete Guide to Organized Parenting. Click here for more information.


Comment on this article or submit your tip to CreativeHomemaking.com.
Click here for a printer friendly version of this page.
Receive new article links via the Web, SMS, or instant messages via Twitter!
Recommend this article to a friend!
Search our article archives.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
FamilyStickers.com offers one of the largest selections of family stickers, family car decals, and stick family stickers. These easy to apply vinyl window family car stickers are available in several themes and sizes or customized to your request.

Google
 





Reprint Articles | Privacy Policy | Submit Article | Advertise | Affiliate Program | Contact Us
Copyright 1998 - 2009, Creative Homemaking, LLC. Clipart from CountryClipArt.com.