Let’s trim down your to do list and anxiety by saving you some time and money with a simple meal plan.

Why meal plan?

The benefits of meal planning are easy… Preserve your sanity. Save time and money. Prevent food waste (save more money). Know the age old question “what’s for dinner?” (again, your sanity)

Choose a few main dishes to repurpose throughout the week.

One of my favorite things to do is toss a bunch of pork shoulder in the crockpot or oven. Boom. Now I have shredded pork for BBQ sandwiches, add some taco seasonings to create some killer tacos, shredded pork as a breakfast hash with potatoes/veggies and a fried egg on top is beyond easy.

You can easily do this with a roast or chicken as well!

Plan around a few key ingredients.

Craving some hot peppers, cilantro and lime for a Mexican dish? Cool, me too. Plan a Thai inspired dish later in the week to use up the rest of those ingredients so they don’t go to waste.

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Even if you just plan on enchiladas one day and a giant pot of tortilla soup for later in the week, it makes planning easier.

Simplify. Don’t go all out gourmet!

One pan meals, entree salads, soups and stews are all your friends.

I personally LOVE roasting off a huge batch of veggies all at once. I can serve them with multiple meals, toss them in salads and put them in my work lunches. Have some of your favorite sauces/spices handy so you can jazz up your veggies in different ways for different meals.

Try tossing cubed sweet potatoes and halved new potatoes in a little olive oil and seasoning of your choice then tossing in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes on a sheet pan. Meanwhile, chop some cauliflower and broccoli and toss with a bit of oil and seasonings. Add to a separate sheet pan and cook for another 20 minutes. Voila! Everything is done at the same time with minimal clean up.

Those go great with fish, chicken… you name it! I also love how it keeps veggies separate for picky eaters.

Double batch and freeze.

If you’re going through the motions of creating a side dish or main why not double it up so you can make your life easier down the road?

Great items to freeze include; casseroles, enchiladas, soups, lasagne, stuffed chicken breasts…. all of those can be tossed in the oven and served with a garden salad. Done. Hero status.

Think about sides as well. Whipping up a batch of mashed potatoes? Double up and use for a meal later in the week or toss some in the freezer.

A great tip for freezing a meal is to line your baking dish with a sheet or two of plastic wrap in generous lengths. Fill the dish with your delicious creation and place in the freezer. Once frozen, pull the meal out of the dish and wrap in plastic, return it to the freezer. Now when you’re ready to reheat it all you have to do is unwrap it and pop it back into it’s original container!

Shop your pantry and don’t forget the freezer!

Use some of that 5 pound bag of couscous you bought on sale. Why do you need 14 bags of pasta on hand? That roast in the freezer could be tossed in the crock pot and used to make some killer roast and left over roast beef sandwiches. How long have those turkey thighs been in there? Marinate those bad boys and pop them in the oven!

Don’t forget too that items in your pantry can expire too. Keeping simmer sauces on hand is great and all… if you remember to use them!

Protein doesn’t always have to be meat.

Even I forget this from time to time.

Quinoa is not only super easy to make and goes with anything, but it also contains all 8 essential amino acids. Lentils, hummus, cheese… all contain protein.

Heck, soak some of those bulk beans you have in the pantry! Better yet, make the kids do it.

How easy is a crustless quiche? Extra.

Take some of those raw veggies you need to use up (peppers, mushrooms, onions…) salt and pepper, and sauté over medium-high heat for maybe 5 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 and grease/spray a pie dish or 8×8 oven proof dish. Add a handful of spinach or chopped kale if you’d like.

Dump your veggies into your pie dish. Sprinkle with any leftovers you may need to use up. (shredded/cubed meats, diced ham, lunch meats even.) Need to add some cheese? You can do that too.

In a bowl whisk together 8 eggs and 1 cup of milk (stock works well too) season with salt and pepper. Pour this over your veggie mix and pop it into the oven and let it cook for 40-45 minutes. You want it to set in the middle, give it a little shake to see if it’s still jiggly.

Or… go ahead and add a crust if you want…

I swear it’s like a breakfast meatloaf. LOL great way to clean out the fridge and makes a beautiful lunch with a green salad. The possibilities are ENDLESS.

Stay focused on your budget.

Please don’t shop hungry and by all means keep your eyes on your list! In fact, If there is something that really catches your eye DON’T toss it in your cart. DO jot it down on the bottom of your grocery list so that you can incorporate it into your NEXT WEEK’S plan. Wow you’re good at this planning thing!

An extra impulse spend of $10, $20, $50 per week adds up to hundreds to thousands per year not to mention possibly an equal amount of waste! —DOUBLE TROUBLE.—

Go ahead and math it out real quick… take the average “over spend” for each trip and X that by 52. Huh. That is only assuming you hit the store once per week. Oh, you shop three times per week? Multiply that number by 3.

I’ll let you catch your breath. This leads me to my next tip….

Limit store trips to just one day per week.

Save yourself time and impulse spending. Not to mention you have better things to do than run to the store am I right?

Go ahead and shop the sales. Clip a coupon if you need to. Download an app like Ibotta (my sister swears by this!) Pick your coupons on the app and scan your receipt when you’re done. Easy peasy.

Make a ritual out of it… but just ONE day per week. Use all that extra time to put your feet up or do all of the 937 other things you need to do!

What about produce?! Toss some of your produce in the freezer. Handfuls of smoothie greens will be just fine in a simple ziplock baggie if you are using them within a few days. Stick half of your fresh fruit on the counter and the other half in the crisper. Put some into popsicles. Use more perishable items first. You can do this mama!

Last but not least. The one that helps me the most…

Post what’s in the fridge.

As you’re putting your groceries away, jot down a list of the meals you now have on hand. We all know how easy it is to lose items to the back of the fridge until it’s too late. Quit dumping your cash down the drain.

I don’t have a fancy chalkboard like everyone else on Pinterest (lol) so I use a simple post-it note on my fridge. Keep it visible! This method helps keeps you on track, surprisingly reduces snacking as you know what’s ahead (extra bonus), and nothing gets wasted!

Bravo Mama!

Not only are you going to save your family A TON of cash, you’re saving yourself a LOAD of time. Plus you look like a hero (especially to us other moms!) XO

Oh and by the way, Give yourself a giant pat on the back for everything you manage to get done in a day. You’re a super woman!

Go ahead and share to your Pinterest board. Another Mama out there needs to hear this too.

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Did you calculate the amount of overspending you do at the grocery store each year? Take a deep breath and post it below. That was the OLD you. Congrats on leveling up your game!