Perhaps you don’t always have the time to prepare a meal each and every evening, or perhaps you’re a little disturbed by your recent food bills or how much food you have been throwing out. One of the single best ways to get in control of your food and your food budget is to start planning your meals. Here, we’re going to look at a few tips that can help you be more mindful about how you organize food in your family.
Spend one day planning out your meals
Before you head out grocery shopping, spend 30 minutes sitting with the family or your spouse, thinking about what meals you will make ahead of time. With the help of a meal planning app, you can think up some simple meals and start looking at meals that use the same ingredients. This way, you can buy fewer ingredients to spread between meals, and you won’t end up with as many ingredients lying in the fridge or cupboards. Of course, you should take stock of what you already have in the home and incorporate them into some meals, so you don’t have to buy as much.
Make meals that you can cook in the future
Getting all of the ingredients you need for the next few days is one thing. You can also save time and energy by finding meals that are perfect for cooking in large batches and then storing them in the fridge so that you can make yourself lunch and dinner for the next day, or even two if you make enough. Recipes like this slow cooker hashbrown casserole are excellent for making a big stock of meals that you can quickly heat up for days to come. In general, casseroles tend to be pretty excellent for this, so learning how to make a variety will greatly help with meal planning. Just make sure you know what ingredients are and aren’t safe to keep overnight.
Know how to use your leftovers
One of the easiest ways to benefit from meal planning is to waste fewer ingredients, thanks to the more managed approach to shopping for and using ingredients. However, you’re still likely to have some leftovers you will want to use before you throw them out. Take a look at some of the many leftovers friendly meal recipes you can use; you can salvage all kinds of ingredients from your meals, turning them into a delicious and still nutritious lunch for the next day. If you’re not inclined to finish a meal left in the fridge, repurpose it into something you will eat instead.
Even missing a single meal can have consequences for your health. Meal planning, as mentioned above, can ensure this doesn’t happen. You might be able to keep the family happy, healthy, and well-fed without half of the work using the tips above.
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