When it comes to making life more simple I think you need to start with food! How and what we're eating makes such a big impact on our lives and cause a lot of stress if we don't have a good system for menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking and eating. It's also really easy to fall into the modern trap of spending a lot of money for food that has little nutritional value and doesn't really do anything for us.
I've spent a ridiculous amount of time reading about nutrition, cooking and various plans people use to feed themselves and their families (because I'm nerdy like that and it combines my two big loves of cooking and organization!) I think a plan is really important but I don't think it should be too difficult or it's too easy to fall back into the "order a pizza trap" when you get off track! So to start of with making food more simple I really think meal planning is key.
Some of you are superstar menu planners and some of you aren't sure what that even is but hopefully we can all learn something to help us simplify the process.
My current system is working well for me and my family because:
1-I only go grocery shopping 2 times a month (1 main big trip at the beginning and a smaller trip in the middle of the month for more milk and produce.)
2-We save a lot of money when we follow this plan (we spend about $250 a month for our family of 4 the average American family spends about $600 or 3 times that amount!!)
3-It takes some time and effort to set up the monthly menu and grocery list but after that you can use them over and over again and just switch out a meal here or there as you like.
4-I don't have to use coupons or drive to more than one store
5-All my recipes are easy, take very little prep time and use mostly real, unprocessed foods.
6-Because I don't use many processed foods I don't need a ton of space to store my month supply of food.
7-It's a very flexible system so everyone can adjust it to their own needs and taste.
I'm happy to announce that I am starting Meal Planning Made Simple classes where you can get your own meal and grocery shopping plan all worked out and ready to go. Details can be found here: Upcoming Meal Planning Class
I've spent a ridiculous amount of time reading about nutrition, cooking and various plans people use to feed themselves and their families (because I'm nerdy like that and it combines my two big loves of cooking and organization!) I think a plan is really important but I don't think it should be too difficult or it's too easy to fall back into the "order a pizza trap" when you get off track! So to start of with making food more simple I really think meal planning is key.
Some of you are superstar menu planners and some of you aren't sure what that even is but hopefully we can all learn something to help us simplify the process.
My current system is working well for me and my family because:
1-I only go grocery shopping 2 times a month (1 main big trip at the beginning and a smaller trip in the middle of the month for more milk and produce.)
2-We save a lot of money when we follow this plan (we spend about $250 a month for our family of 4 the average American family spends about $600 or 3 times that amount!!)
3-It takes some time and effort to set up the monthly menu and grocery list but after that you can use them over and over again and just switch out a meal here or there as you like.
4-I don't have to use coupons or drive to more than one store
5-All my recipes are easy, take very little prep time and use mostly real, unprocessed foods.
6-Because I don't use many processed foods I don't need a ton of space to store my month supply of food.
7-It's a very flexible system so everyone can adjust it to their own needs and taste.
I'm happy to announce that I am starting Meal Planning Made Simple classes where you can get your own meal and grocery shopping plan all worked out and ready to go. Details can be found here: Upcoming Meal Planning Class
Rachel, after going to your class last month we have been using the meal plan that I put together with you. My family loves the meals! I love that they are so simple and having it planned out takes out so much stress at night when I get home from work. I love that there are different ways to cook the meals so if I don't have time to bake/crock pot, I can make the meal on the stove as well. I am amazed at how simple you have made things. I just put together my meal plan (just substituting a few meals and rearranging so we don't have chicken every night) for next month and am actually looking forward to my shopping trip. Thank you so much for helping me to make meals more simple and easy! I've never enjoyed cooking, but now I feel empowered and confident that I can put a "good" meal on the table. This is great!! Tanya M
ReplyDeleteTanya, I am so happy to hear these awesome comments! It does make a HUGE difference when you have a good, simple plan for feeding your family. It will take a few months to tweak things here and there but I think you will continue to find it helpful every month. Thanks so much for coming to the class and for your feedback!
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