So you have your pantry nice and organized…. Now the hard part: Keeping it that way!
Meal planning for our family has made a HUGE difference in our pantry and refrigerator organization. If you are someone who overbuys at the grocery store, throws out lots of expired food, or goes to the store and still can’t find anything to make for dinner the next day, meal planning is your solution.
Before you go back to the store, here are my tips on how to make your next list!
#1 Don’t make your list from memory.
Go stand in your kitchen and open those cabinets and refrigerator. I can’t even count the number of times I “thought I had ____ (fill in the blank)” and when I went to make dinner I didn’t have it. Or I thought I needed a case of water and when I got home from the store I had an entire unopened case. So frustrating! By knowing what you have before shopping, you save money and valuable SPACE in your pantry.
#2 Plan meals around items you already have.
When you are first getting started on meal planning, use up products that are about to go bad by making them a priority in your next meal. These meals might not be ideal, but get through those first couple weeks and you can start making exactly what you want. It’s amazing how many meals you can come up with when you combine odds and ends. This is essentially clearing your your pantry in order to start from scratch.
MEAL PLANNING 101
I have been meal planning for many years now. I’m definitely not an expert, but in this section I am just going to share the steps our family took in order to make a meal plan. Feel free to tweak this to fit your needs!
First, a Grocery Budget
We came up with a grocery budget. For us, this was very important because one of our main goals was to cut back our spending on groceries.
Second, Planning Your Grocery Shopping Trips
We chose how often we would go grocery shopping. For a while we were going once every 2 weeks (honestly because I strongly dislike the grocery store…) However, a loaf of bread goes bad before 2 weeks is up, and fresh produce never lasts 2 weeks. This resulted in us throwing away an embarrassing amount of food. We also found ourselves going back to the store multiple times within the 2 weeks. In the end we decided that once a week would be best.
Next, Counting the Necessary Meals
We determined how many meals our family would need each week. This is different for everyone, and can change over time (or even week to week!) For right now, our family needs dinner ingredients for 5 – 6 nights each week. I always account for one crazy/busy/stressful days when I know I won’t feel like cooking or just won’t have time. And then there is usually at least one night a week we eat leftovers.So just be honest with yourself and only buy the amount of meals that is reasonable for your family!
Finally, Plan the Meals!
Plan the meals! If you are still reading, I’m impressed. Thank you for sticking with me!
When planning meals for the week, I always pull out my recipe book, pull up Pinterest on my phone (or wherever you get recipes), and stand in the kitchen. I look through the cabinets at items that may not have gotten used, or things we have extra of and try to incorporate those into a meal first. You might have one extra package of taco seasoning… tacos it is! Maybe you have a giant can of chicken stock. What kind of soup could you make with that?
After trying your best to use items you already have, move on to other recipes. Remember to plan the main dish as well as any sides you will want with it. Don’t write down ingredients unless you are positive they are not already in your pantry!
As far as implementing the plan, I usually don’t say, “Monday is lasagna day, Tuesday is grilled cheese day, etc. There are some nights that require more planning, but for the most part I decide what to make the day of. But of course if you would feel better assigning a meal to each day, go for it!
At the end of each week, it’s amazing how empty our cabinets are! But in a good way! It is such a good feeling knowing we aren’t wasting food and our pantry stays organized and pretty, which is probably my favorite part.
Do you meal plan? How has it helped your family? Leave a comment below!
