Menu Planning Basics
February 16, 2008
Welcome Moms! Please register as a user and feel free to submit your posts and comments often! We are link friendly and super excited about what you have to say!
The time spent preparing nutritious meals for the family is time well spent. Preparing and sharing meals is good way to have a positive impact on children and on relationships. Food is such a central element in our socialization that we can use preparing food as a fun activity for the family rather than a chore.
A family that cooks together gets healthy together. Spending time putting a menu plan together will result in positive time spent with the family. Planning a sit down meal in the evening for the entire family is a lost tradition but is important to the family structure. Avoid complicated menus, start your menu planning with fun easy to prepare meals. Decide on a plan that is easy to implement and just do it.
A menu plan saves time and money. One family prepares a week of meals on the weekend. Pre planning meals provides away to prepare fresh meals daily without the hassle. You can avoid last minute trips to the market or a frantic search for some unknown frozen item in the freezer.
Utilize time saving appliances like the slow cooker microwave and broilers. More than 805 of American households have a slow cooker. Use it to prepare spaghetti sauces and chili, stews and homemade sauces.
The benefit of a menu plan is that it conserves your most valuable resources that are time and energy.
To start your healthy menu plan, you should list the family’s favorite foods. If these are high calorie fried foods, make a mental note to turn these high calorie meals into healthier choices by substituting ingredients.
Try to make your menu plan and shopping list the day the food ads appear. Some local food chains send out weekly flyers or glossy brochures that include recipes as well as food items that are on sale.
Use these resources to plan your meals. Your task is to shop efficiently and cost effectively for a 6-day menu plan. On some days, you may plan for leftovers that are disguised as a new dish.
The Basics of Menu Planning
Here’s the overview of the process:
Make a list of your family’s favorite meals.
Make a rough draft of the ingredients needed to replicate the 6 meals and 6 breakfast meals. Substitute healthy cooking or low fat varieties of the meals.
With your list in hand of the ingredients required for six dinners and six breakfast meals you’re off to the grocery store.
Before you go shopping:
Check your pantry and refrigerator for items on hand.
Throw out overly processed foods, sugary snacks and molded whole bread.
Add the needed items to your shopping list.
Make salad, vegetables and fruits a staple on your shopping list.
Be ready to substitute ingredients and meals if you find a great price on alternate meal
After Shopping is completed:
Return home and stack ingredients in the pantry that will be used per meal.
Let the family know that fruits and vegetables are in the refrigerator for snacks.
Put the weekly menu plan on the refrigerator door so the family can help you start to prepare the daily menu if they arrive home first.
As for the breakfast menu keep it simple.
Make the breakfast menu flexible but healthy.
Children should be able to choose from 3 items that will keep them energetic and alert during school.
Avoid sugary breakfast cereals
Breakfast should always include a fruit, milk and carbohydrate.
Refer to your menu plan during the coming week as you prepare meals. Make notes of those meals that were the family favorite.
Susanne Myers is the owner of Healthy Menu Mailer - a weekly menu planning service that focuses on helping you prepare healthy meals for your family. If you would like some help with your weekly menu planning visit www.healthymenumailer.com and sign up for your free 7-day trial to the Healthy Menu Mailer.
To learn more, check out the Mom’s Talk eBook’s Freezing It & Loving It!
Posted by Tishia | Filed Under Food & Drink
Similar Posts
Comments
(Join our Ad Spinner)
How to finally bring a hot meal to the table every night of the week - even if you work full time or think you have the craziest schedule on earth!