I am on a mission in 2009 to be more prepared in the kitchen. I don't even want to think about all the take out and eating out we do because I am not prepared. So, 1 of my New year's Resolutions is to eat at home more often. And the "SMART" (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reachable, Timeline) way I am doing this breaks down like this.
1. Crock Pot Meal - once a week - eat it twice
2. Cook Double what I need Once - Eat Twice -- BY FREEZING
3. Planning meals at least a week in advance.
I feel such a relief because it is working well so far. I have 2 meals in my Freezer (Chicken Rice Casserole and a Meatloaf) that I have prepared and another one to add this week (chicken pot pie).
And, I used my crockpot for a pork roast last week and used the leftovers in spaghetii -- how cool is that! And, I made an entire chicken last night and tonight I will be using the leftovers in Chicken Pot Pie.
The biggest breakthrough here is about planning. It isn't hard when I lay out the plan. I have meals PLANNED through the rest of January. It is so much less stressful having the plan. I have changed so much. I used to be a fly by the seat of my pants type...
6 comments:
There is nothing like 4:00 rolling around and not having to stress about what's for dinner! Grocery shopping is my least favorite chore, so I do my best to plan plan plan as well. If only someone could come up with a solution so that I could actually plan meals for the whole month, shop once and not set foot in the store again. But I guess until milk doesn't spoil, bread doesn't get moldy and fruit doesn't turn brown, that just won't be my reality:) It would be nice to have a venue for sharing family-friendly, easy meals though... I'm all about ones that cook everything in one pot and freeze well!
I actually LOVE meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking. It's somehow very satisfying to me. It's kind of like a game for me to see how little I can spend and still stock our pantry and fridge adequetly for the week. I have lists of what I need to buy, lists of what I have to make (so I don't forget about something I've bought), and I put on our calendar when things expire to help me plan when to cook/freeze what. I've also gotten pretty big into coupons lately too. I think the Crock Pot is one of the best inventions ever. I also use those frozen homestyle meatballs you told me about that we had at your mom's back in the summer.
julie.....I'm loving your blogging frequency lately....keep it up.
Yay for crock pots and casseroles and families who will eat whatever I fix! ;)
Hey, just found your blog. LOVE IT!!!!! I would love to try to get a more better plan in the kitchen. How is it working for you???
Hey, just found your blog. LOVE IT!!! I love the whole planning thing. HOw is it working for you? I need to work on my budgeting of groceries--I find myself way out of hand in that area. Keep blogging it is great!!!!
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