Getting started:

a.      Write down as many meals as you can think of that your family enjoys in 5 minutes

b.      Then pick 13 of those meals and locate the recipes make sure its a good variety of meals, meal #14 is left over night (for example not 12 Italian meals)

c.       Write out 3 desserts

d.      Add 2 breakfast items (like casseroles, Breakfast burritos not cereal)

e.       Add an appetizer

f.        Continue adding meals until you have at least 30-60 meals to choose from (you can add and subtract meals from your list as your family and cooking skills grow and change)

g.      Take out your family calendar and see what events you have during the week or two weeks for which you are planning. (For example if you have hope group each Wednesday and Koinonia and dinner with the McVays then you only need to plan for 10 meals at home instead of 14!)

1.      Set weekly items such as church you want to plan for crock-pot recipes, quick can recipe etc

2.      Hope Group Wednesday

3.      Weekly Sports, Activities Etc. (You have practice on Tu-Th so you need to make freezable meals the week before to cover your busy days. So you get home toss it into the oven, bathe kids get them ready for bed an tada homemade dinner is served!)

4.      Slow days If you like to cook today is the day Id make sweet and sour pork with fried rice etc.

h.      Review the ads - Wal-Mart will match the competitors ads. So you no longer have to go store to store to get the best deals. Wal-Mart does not match % off!

i.      Purchase coupons or cut coupons (I purchase coupons from www.Marysworld.com ) 

Meal Planning list

Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die." Genesis 27:4

a.      This is a list of all of the meals on your meal planning grocery-shopping list. You can either write the date cooked or check them off as you make them so you avoid repeating meals with a few days or weeks of each other!