Step 1: Look at the calendar. Look at nights that you have events after school, someone is working late or out of town, etc. Also I also think about how much work I want to put into each meal on a specific day. Last week, I shared that by Thursday I am tired so because of that I always schedule something easy to dump into a Crock Pot or Instant Pot.
Step 2: Clean out your fridge. Throw away old food. Put leftovers in the freezer. This is a really important step for me. Wasted food means wasted money. By having a clean fridge, I know exactly what I have when I am shopping and what ingredients need to be used first.
Step 3: Check out what you have lurking in your fridge. Sometimes I have ingredients leftover from other meals or we have ingredients from a skipped meal. I hate throwing away a bag of spinach or a full box of cherry tomatoes. I use what I have to start off my meal plans or by making something that can be put in the freezer for a later date.
Step 4: What do I want to eat and what do my kids need to eat. We're in a really picky stage of eating for our kids, so I think about what they like and how to combine it with what I like. Typically, they eat a deconstructed version of what I eat. Rice Bowls also are great solution for meeting everyone's needs.
Step 5: Make my grocery list and shop. Stick to your list, don't get tempted by something you see.
Step 6: Put your daily dinners everywhere- Google Calendar, Planner, Family Calendar. Here's why. If you see it all the time, it's part of the schedule. You can't talk yourself out of it and order dinner out instead.
