I started brainstorming a bunch of ideas for tips on meal planning. Not that I am the best meal planner, or that I have a great grasp on this thing called motherhood, but sometimes when you do something a lot, you forget the nitty gritty details that come naturally to you. These details need to be spelled out to others. In my case, I am horrible at technology. I need every detail!:)
One of the things I like to do is lists in general. Every morning I have a make-shift to do list that has things I need to get done that day, as well as things that could be done within the next several days to weeks. One thing I like to do in my down time, is to write companies for coupons. Since our family buys a lot of natural products, these oftentimes do not have coupons as readily available as non-natural products. One of the great products I regularly write to is Method. This company has been gracious to send me lots of coupons for their products. I do write more than once, as they only send a specific amount.
With that being said, I like to stock up on supplies that our family regularly uses while I grocery shop. For example, if I see a coupon for yeast, I pick up some yeast jars, even though I may not be making any breads in the next week. That way, I buy when it's on sale, and have the products on hand when I need them, avoiding to pay full price.
Another great tip is to always have an easy prep meal on hand for those days you do run out of food, or you are just too tired to cook. One of the things I like having on hand is a box of whole wheat pasta, some frozen vegetables and a jar of natural spaghetti sauce. I try to avoid brands that contain any refined sugar. If your grocery store is having a sale, coupled with some great coupons, you have yourself a nice stock of easy prep meals at hand.
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Fall potluck ideas
Seg-waying off of the last topic, one thing to keep in mind for fall is potlucks. Everyone loves the idea of a nice hot-dish/casserole filled with cheesy goodness, or a nice pot of chili in the fall. A lot of people like to have football parties and fall get togethers for the sole purpose of enjoying great comfort food with their friends.
Our church has a fellowship meal every last Sunday of the month. I like to have a few ideas of what I would like to bring. Three things I keep in mind are 1) cheap, 2) easy, and 3) healthy. Our city has a natural foods store with bulk bins. One of the bins I love is the vegetarian chili mix. It's about $3 for the mix (enough to make one batch) and about $2 for the remaining ingredients (two cans of beans...I use black, the recipe calls for kidney). All you do is add water and the ingredients and you have a delicious pot of chili that feeds about 5-7 people. If you're bringing it to a potluck, chances are not everyone will be eating some of the chili. The idea is to pick and take a little of everything...at least that's my opinion:) I encourage you to take a trip to your local natural foods store and explore around and visit their bulk bins. A lot of these stores have their own recipes in the store or online.
Another great recipe I recently made with wild rice pilaf with squash. I got the recipe off of Whole Foods' website. This recipe is gluten-free and vegan. The total cost of my meal was about $6 total.
I hope all these tips helped. I think the key to any success is planning.
Just like as Christians, we prepare for the day that we see God. Careful planning means making time to spend with him daily, reading His Word, prayer, studying scripture and memorizing scripture. Our time is important. It's not how much time you spend doing x,y,z, but how you spent the time you're given. God bless everyone and happy cooking!!!
