IF You Would like to download my Menu Click Here: Monthly Menu Meal Ideas
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Monthly Menu Meal Ideas
Ok, so yesterday I posted about the importance of having a menu to save yourself time and money while grocery shopping. Here are my meals for the month, I hope this inspires you with your monthly menu!!!
Later this week I will be making the "BIG" Sandwich which is Clint's favorite, I will post pics and the recipe later for you to try at home. I am sure it will be a family favorite!! Happy Planning!!!
IF You Would like to download my Menu Click Here: Monthly Menu Meal Ideas
IF You Would like to download my Menu Click Here: Monthly Menu Meal Ideas
Monday, August 19, 2013
Organization = Relaxation
I have always been a semi-organized person but since my life has become extremely busy being a new mom I find that being organized actually saves me time and money!!
How I Save Time:
One thing that I hate is the horrid question of " What's for Dinner?" .....this question holds a long battle of "what do you want?.... I don't know what do you want?" This question lingers on and on and before you know it you have spent 20 minutes trying to figure what you want to cook instead of actually cooking. So before I go grocery shopping each month I plan out my menu for the month. Not only does this save me money grocery shopping, it eliminates the need to go to the grocery store everyday/week for dinner items when you already know you have the items in the house. Now I know a lot of people that think "how do I know what I am going to be hungry for a week from now?" well it is not written in stone, your monthly menu is really just 30 different options that you have for the month. If you want to have Saturday's dinner on Monday go ahead, just plan Monday's meal accordingly. I always like to give myself a couple of extra menu meals in case I am in one of those moods where nothing sounds good to me. Along with that I also like to think up a couple of lunch and breakfast ideas as well.
Leftovers Go A Long Ways:
When planning out my menu, I like to think of ways to use my time to the fullest seeing how there is never enough of it and being a mom of a toddler I now have a little person that is eating whatever I eat, so I try to eliminate my old go-tos of hot dogs and mac & cheese and try to focus on more healthy options. For example if I am cooking up pork steaks I might throw in one more than we normally eat, take that piece and cut it up, throw it in the freezer for when I get the urge to have pork chop suey. This way I have just eliminated a step for another day. I also like to plan breakfast and lunch meals the same way, I know everyone knows that the biggest way to save money is to take your own lunch to work so our left overs rarely get thrown out, but I also like to incorporate them into breakfast. For example, if I make chicken fajitas with Spanish rice for dinner, then for breakfast I may make a breakfast burrito with Spanish rice, eggs, peppers and cheese.
How I Save Money:
I save money by cutting out daily/weekly impulse buys at the grocery store by avoiding it all together. How many times do you run into the grocery store for milk and come out $50 poorer and forgot the milk you originally ran in for? If you can plan out your month and your meals then you can avoid the extra cost of time and money of having to grocery shop every day. Even with this routine I still have to run weekly (Especially with a toddler) for my staple items like milk and fruit, but I keep my eyes on the prize and avoid any unnecessary purchases.
Another way to save money on your monthly grocery bill is to FREEZE, FREEZE, FREEZE!! Coming from a small town sometimes when you have to run into a grocery store for items like cheese or bread it can end up costing you double what you could get from a bigger grocery store. So when I go on my monthly shopping trips I stock up on bread, cheese, coffee creamer, butter, etc. that I can buy excess of and throw in the freezer to pull out when needed for the month.
Healthy is Key:
I like to pack healthy snacks in my lunch and try to avoid to many unfulfilling "snack" items, especially for my toddler at home. Alot of times if you can take some time out of your Sunday (Nap time is usually good for this) and pre-pack your lunch for the week you can give yourself and your family lots of easy grab snack options. Such as: cheese & crackers, fruit, yogurt, trail mix, veggie sticks, nuts and cottage cheese.
Planning not only saves you stress, it saves you money!! Before you take your next shopping trip try planning out at least a week of meals ahead of time if doing the whole month is overwhelming to you. Later this week I will post a list of Menu Ideas that you can use when planning your monthly menu. Happy Organizing!!!
How I Save Time:
One thing that I hate is the horrid question of " What's for Dinner?" .....this question holds a long battle of "what do you want?.... I don't know what do you want?" This question lingers on and on and before you know it you have spent 20 minutes trying to figure what you want to cook instead of actually cooking. So before I go grocery shopping each month I plan out my menu for the month. Not only does this save me money grocery shopping, it eliminates the need to go to the grocery store everyday/week for dinner items when you already know you have the items in the house. Now I know a lot of people that think "how do I know what I am going to be hungry for a week from now?" well it is not written in stone, your monthly menu is really just 30 different options that you have for the month. If you want to have Saturday's dinner on Monday go ahead, just plan Monday's meal accordingly. I always like to give myself a couple of extra menu meals in case I am in one of those moods where nothing sounds good to me. Along with that I also like to think up a couple of lunch and breakfast ideas as well.
Leftovers Go A Long Ways:
When planning out my menu, I like to think of ways to use my time to the fullest seeing how there is never enough of it and being a mom of a toddler I now have a little person that is eating whatever I eat, so I try to eliminate my old go-tos of hot dogs and mac & cheese and try to focus on more healthy options. For example if I am cooking up pork steaks I might throw in one more than we normally eat, take that piece and cut it up, throw it in the freezer for when I get the urge to have pork chop suey. This way I have just eliminated a step for another day. I also like to plan breakfast and lunch meals the same way, I know everyone knows that the biggest way to save money is to take your own lunch to work so our left overs rarely get thrown out, but I also like to incorporate them into breakfast. For example, if I make chicken fajitas with Spanish rice for dinner, then for breakfast I may make a breakfast burrito with Spanish rice, eggs, peppers and cheese.
How I Save Money:
I save money by cutting out daily/weekly impulse buys at the grocery store by avoiding it all together. How many times do you run into the grocery store for milk and come out $50 poorer and forgot the milk you originally ran in for? If you can plan out your month and your meals then you can avoid the extra cost of time and money of having to grocery shop every day. Even with this routine I still have to run weekly (Especially with a toddler) for my staple items like milk and fruit, but I keep my eyes on the prize and avoid any unnecessary purchases.
Another way to save money on your monthly grocery bill is to FREEZE, FREEZE, FREEZE!! Coming from a small town sometimes when you have to run into a grocery store for items like cheese or bread it can end up costing you double what you could get from a bigger grocery store. So when I go on my monthly shopping trips I stock up on bread, cheese, coffee creamer, butter, etc. that I can buy excess of and throw in the freezer to pull out when needed for the month.
Healthy is Key:
I like to pack healthy snacks in my lunch and try to avoid to many unfulfilling "snack" items, especially for my toddler at home. Alot of times if you can take some time out of your Sunday (Nap time is usually good for this) and pre-pack your lunch for the week you can give yourself and your family lots of easy grab snack options. Such as: cheese & crackers, fruit, yogurt, trail mix, veggie sticks, nuts and cottage cheese.
Planning not only saves you stress, it saves you money!! Before you take your next shopping trip try planning out at least a week of meals ahead of time if doing the whole month is overwhelming to you. Later this week I will post a list of Menu Ideas that you can use when planning your monthly menu. Happy Organizing!!!
Friday, August 16, 2013
Welcome to My Life....
I have been married to my wonderful husband Clint for 4 years and we have two children; Cooper who is 2 and our newest addition Kensley who is 8 wks. Between chasing after a toddler, adjusting to a newborn, work, laundry, dinner, grocery shopping, bills, and all the other responsibilities that come with being a mom I have quite the busy life. Aside from my household and parental responsibilities I enjoy bargain hunting, cooking, crafts, photography, and when I find the time relaxing. This is my blog about all the different aspects and interests of my life and how I find the time to get to them all.
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