Sitting down on the weekend and planning your meals for the next week, and then going grocery shopping with a list, accomplishes several things.
- During the week, you don’t have to worry about what to cook or if you have the supplies in the house. They’re already there!
- When you get home from work, you shouldn’t have to rush back out to the grocery store for supplies.
- You will be more likely to eat healthy food and less likely to stop at your local restaurant or for a takeout meal.
- Cooking at home is better for your wallet and your waistline.
- Sitting down as a family and eating supper together is a great activity and opportunity to share time together.
Here are some tips for meal planning:
- Choose recipes that are quick and easy to make.
- Purchase foods that reduce preparation time, such as pre-cooked chicken pieces or salad kits.
- Involve everyone in meal preparation. It can be fun and shares the workload to have a different family member cook every night, or to have someone responsible for the salad, another person responsible for the main part of the meal, and someone setting the table.
- Theme nights are a lot of fun. Meals like pizza and tacos can be easily customized by each member of the family.
- Cook ahead, either by preparing enough extra food that you can freeze one meal, or by cooking ahead on a day off.
