How To Do Wednesday: Prepare Weekly Meals

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As a working, full-time parent, I know how hard it can be to balance your time between work and home and get the things done that you need to do. To lessen my load of chores, I tend to prepare meals on Sundays for the week.

While I am obviously not the originator of weekly meal preparation, I have learned a few tips on doing this method efficiently and of course, I want to share them with you!

Prepare Your Menu
Of course, the first step to planning meals is choosing what food you want to eat for the week! You can make it fancy and write it out somewhere for the family to see if you are feeling ambitious. Or, write a note to yourself but stick to your menu.

Grocery Shop Often
I hate going grocery shopping more than anyone but luckily, more and more retailers are selling food. Although, you are going to pay more in some instances like for produce at Target, it's convenient and available. I tend to buy food items once a week.

Prioritize Your List
Only buy what you need for the week! And, limit how many snacks per week that you buy if you do purchase them. I have really strayed away from heavy grocery shopping because I realized that I was filling my cart with more junk than ingredients to make meals. Buy the items that you need for your weekly meals only if possible. This will also help your budget.

Buy Sale Items
When you can get items on sale, like meats; seasoning packets; noodles; or canned goods, buy them. If you have these items on hand, it will be easier to whip up meals like spaghetti without having to take a trip to the grocery store. You can also use websites or apps like My Fridge Food to enter items that you have to find quick recipes.

Freeze Your Leftovers
You can freeze pancakes, french toast, sauces, lasagna, soups, stews, and more! Stop wasting your food and freeze it for future use. To see a chart on what foods you can freeze, click here.

Add Cooking to Your Weekly Routine
Pick a day to cook and break it down! Stick with this day. Encourage your family to stick with the meal plan. Limit snacks to encourage use of the routine. If it works with your schedule and you decide to cook everyday, plan family mealtimes and eat together!

**Happy Cooking! What is you cooking style? Do you cook everyday? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!**