Meal Planning Ideas

With the start of school back in session, everyone is probably feeling the grind and rush of the dinner hour creeping back in. The end of summer means more schedules, soccer practice, homework, dance recitals, and anything else you might be able to squeeze in your short evenings at home.  And now is the time to start thinking about your game plan for dinner.

If you’ve ever tried making freezer meals, this can be a helpful de-stressor to that question we often dread… ‘ What’s for dinner?’ Sometimes, you just don’t know what’s for dinner! So you start praying for a box of mac and cheese or some hot dogs that you can put in front of the family. Freezer meals are one way to provide healthy meals without all the stress, and to fill the tummies in your house with quality food.

If you can find a weekend to make some meals that you can freeze for later that week, this can be an ideal time to prepare. Sometimes, you may only be able to put together part of a meal in the freezer (chopping vegetables and cooking chicken), but these two items will save you time in the long run. Look ahead to your schedule for the week, and when you know you’ll have some busy days, you’ll have meals you can pull out the night before that are virtually ready to just put in the oven.

Another option for meal planning is having a type of food schedule, and varying it with recipes. For example, your Monday thru Sunday meal plan might include: Grilling, Pasta, Mexican, Sandwiches, Tacos, Dinner Out, Pizza. Within each category, determine what type of meal you want to cook. Maybe one week you grill kabobs and the next week you grill chicken. One week you can make tortellini with pesto and chicken, and the next week you can make spaghetti with marinara sauce. Having categories at least focuses your mind (and as you search your cabinets and refrigerator), but still allows for variation with different dishes.

How do you handle the dinner hour at your house now that school is back in session?