| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
SHU MENU : Topic Main Index | Topic Site Map | SHU Home | Discussion Forums | Contact or Contribute Family Meal Planning Made Easy
As moms, we have hectic lives. Whether we work out of the home, in the home or look after the kids full time, we definitely have our jobs cut out for us. We clean, chauffer the kids around, mend scraped knees, help with homework, do laundry and on top of all that we STILL have to figure out what we're going to make for dinner each night. Here are a few tips to take the pain out family meal planning: First, choose a quiet time once a week when you have enough time to sit down and prepare your menu for the week ahead. Look through your cupboards, fridge and freezer and make a mental note of all the food you already have in there. Start with the food you'll need for dinner. Plan your next weeks dinner menu around the food you already have. So for example, if you have pasta, simply add pasta sauce and ground beef to your list. Plan as many dinner meals as you can around what you have in your kitchen already. Once you "run out" of meals then start planning new meals from scratch. Once you have all your dinner meals then move on to breakfast. In my house this is fairly easy as my kids like to have cereal and fruit or toast and fruit (they're not very adventurous at breakfast time!) Once breakfast is sorted, then move on to lunch. If you have older kids who have school lunches you don't really have much to worry about. If you have toddlers or younger children, a lot of the times they can actually have leftovers from the night before. Lastly, add snacks, fruit, juice, milk and all those little extras we always seem to need. Keep your weekly food shopping at that, once a week. Plan your weekly meals and do one shopping trip. If you have to keep going back and forth to the supermarket a few times a week, you can end up spending more money. Stick your weekly menu on your fridge so all you have to do is glance at it in the mornings and take out whatever meat needs thawing and you can also make a mental note of how much time you'll need to prepare dinner that night. I guarantee if you take the time to do this once a week, you'll actually save time and definitely save money. So it pays to plan ahead and be prepared. With a little thought and planning ahead you'll be on your way to hassle-free meal times? now if you could only get your kids to eat all their veggies! Mila Sidman is a mom of three and the creator of http://www.easy-kid-recipes.com. Looking for more family-friendly recipes, nutrition articles, meal planning tips, fun kid cooking projects and much more? Then sign up for our free Cooking for Kids ezine at http://www.easy-kid-recipes.com/free-recipe-newsletter.html.
MORE RESOURCES:
cooking - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Make It With Mint It wouldn't be summer without fresh mint in pots on the front porch and in the garden. Mint is so easy to grow, it has such a wonderful fresh scent, and it can be used for all sorts of things. Chinese Cooking Technique: Thicken "Thicken", or "Thickening" is a very common technique used in both Chinese restaurants and household kitchens. It is very easy to prepare, but if not used properly, can really mess up the presentation. 10 Simple Kitchen Organizing Tips A lot of the times we mean to get in there and finally organize the kitchen, but once things get out of control the job can seem so daunting and you just don't know where to start. These top 10 kitchen organizing tips will help make your kitchen pleasant and welcoming. All About Baking: Quick Breads The Versatile Quick BreadIt's no wonder quick breads are so popular. They are easy, fast-as the name implies, nearly foolproof, versatile, and oh, so good. Low-Budget Meals In a Minute Ever go home and look in the fridge only to find it sadly, echoingly empty? Well, look again my friend.. Family Meal Planning Made Easy As moms, we have hectic lives. Whether we work out of the home, in the home or look after the kids full time, we definitely have our jobs cut out for us. About Baking: Eight Tips for Perfect Pancakes Pancakes are easy and almost foolproof. But there are some tricks to making them perfect. Cooking -- What You Need To Know From ancient times till the nineteenth century cooking was basically a survival skill. The nineteenth century marked the division of cooking into two main categories. The Art of the Marinade It's a sad fact that these days it has become almost essential to marinade most cuts of meat, unless you intend to casserole them.I'll go into why that is the case a bit later on, but for the time being let's just examine why we use marinades at all. Don't Poke the Chicken at Your Backyard Barbecue You might be planning a home remodeling project and it includes an outdoor kitchen. A big part of that plan will be the type of grill you introduce. Cut The Take Out A long hard day at work. You get home and need dinner. Cooking Filet Mignon Filet mignon is French, of course, with filet meaning "thick slice" and mignon meaning "dainty." Filet mignon comes from the small end of the tenderloin (called the short loin) which is found on the back rib cage of the animal. How to Make Sandwich Rolls with Your Bread Machine For that next picnic or family outing, consider making sandwich rolls with your bread machine. They are quick and easy and so much better than what you buy from the stores. Two for One Dinners: Eggplant If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright "yuck," then here are some ideas to put the "zing" back into mealtime. With a little creativity your home-cooked meal can easily become a delicious meal another night. Picture Perfect Bread The secret-at least most of it-is in the rise. The most common mistake that we see in bread making is not letting the dough rise enough. Must Haves for Any At-Home Chef With the holidays on their way soon, many people will be beefing up kitchens to handle the increased demand for 'fit for a king' meals. Not being a professional Chef shouldn't stop you from being able to cook like one. Solving The 7 Most Common Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistakes Let's face it EVERY cook makes mistakes (yes, even us professional bakers make boo boo's).I'm going to list here, the 7 most common whole wheat bread baking mistakes that you're probably making, or might make if you're not forewarned, and what you can do about them. Vegetarian Cooking - Three Basics For any of the many reasons people choose to eat vegetarian food - religion, politics, finances, or health - one thing in common is that everyone prefers food that tastes delicious and provides good nutrition. There are some basic techniques to vegetarian cooking which will accomplish that. 10 Smoky Tips To BBQ Food Safely Cooking outdoors was once only a summer activity shared with family and friends. Now more than half of Americans say they are cooking outdoors year round. 10 Convenient Ways To Eliminate Food Poisoning With Your Microwave Microwave ovens can play an important role at mealtime, but special care must be taken when cooking or reheating meat, poultry, fish, and eggs to make sure they are prepared safely. Microwave ovens can cook unevenly and leave "cold spots," where harmful bacteria can survive.
|
 |
| Topic Main Index | Topic Site Map | SHU Home | Discussion Forums | Contact or Contribute |
| © 2006 Self Help University :: Helping YOU Help Yourself! |
