As a young widow with small kids, finances were often tight. There was usually more month at the end of the money, and I had to figure out how to make ends meet. I couldn’t understand where the money was going each month.
After talking with a trusted mentor, I took a hard look at my finances. There were many expenses I couldn’t do anything about - we had to have heat, we needed electricity and car insurance, but the category I knew I could do something about was food. I realized I needed to plan my grocery shopping better. I tended to buy food because it was on sale or I had a coupon, but I didn’t necessarily have a plan for that particular item I was buying. I needed a better way of doing things. So I started dipping my toe into meal-planning.
Over the next few weeks I am sharing a series on meal-planning. I know this can be a pain point for many of us, and while I don’t have this all figured out, I do have a basic routine that I like. This has evolved over time, and while some of the meals are different than when my kids were younger, the process is generally the same. I will be sharing what has worked for me, and each post will have at least one of our favorite recipes.
Full disclosure - I don’t always do this well. The strategies I use are what work for me, and when I stick to them, the benefits far outway the time it takes. But let’s be real. Sometimes I just don’t feel like doing it.
Let’s look at some of the benefits of meal planning:
- I know what we’re going to eat! It helps eliminate decision fatigue.
- It helps us eat healthy meals.
- I save money and don’t waste ingredients. Things still get lost in the back of the fridge sometimes, but it happens much less frequently if I have a plan for what I buy.
These three things are HUGE in my book. As moms, we have so many decisions we have to make, so why wouldn’t we make it easier on ourselves?
If you’ve been around for a while, you know that healthy eating is very important to me. My late husband died of cancer, and while food choices may not have contributed to his illness, we weren't eating very healthy at that time. Nutritious food could have supported his body better as he went through treatments and surgeries. Good nutrition helps keep inflammation down, supports overall wellness, and let’s be honest, we just feel better when we’re eating healthy meals. I can remember so many times I had to clean out the fridge or pantry and throw away unused or spoiled ingredients. It’s literally money down the drain! Meal planning has definitely minimized our waste.
Here’s my meal planning in a nutshell:
1. I plan two weeks at a time (less shopping = less spending). I used to have FOMO (fear of missing out) on sales, but I have let that go. The amount I save shopping less, far surpasses any savings I would get from a sale.
2. Look in my pantry, fridge and freezer to see what’s there and meal plan around what I already have.
3. Look to see what meat and produce is on sale (I tend not to buy processed food).
4. Choose recipes based on the sale items that I will use (I don’t just put something on the list because it’s on sale - it has to have a purpose).
In the next blog post, I will share some of the resources that make meal planning easier and some tips for grocery shopping.
Simple Roasted Veggies
(pictured above is roasted sweet potatoes)
Peel and chop your choice of veggies:
- butternut squash
- sweet potatoes
- onion
- carrots
- beets
You can roast these altogether or roast them separately.
Place chopped veggies on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and drizzle with avocado oil. Toss the veggies in the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 425 for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
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