Making Plans Week by Week

We are all busy. Whether it's working, caring for our children, going to school, running errands, exercising, volunteering, or a combination of all of these, we are all busy. That's what has made cooking such a challenge. The busyness of life leaves us tired and unprepared to cook a meal. Which then leads to frozen meals, ordering a pizza, or a quick trip to a fast food or dine in restaurant. And as we all know, these meals aren't the healthiest. They have huge portion sizes, an overwhelming amount of sodium, sugar, fat and calories, with a definite shortage in vitamins, vegetables, and fiber.

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What you can do to start making a change...

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Plan Ahead-

Plan a week's worth of dinner. Fewer than 30 percent of Americans know what they're having for dinner come 4 pm. Yet, it can only take a short amount of time to plan out your meals.

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Here's what to do:

Designate a day (like every Saturday morning) that you sit down and think about your upcoming week, your plans that you have, what you already have in your freezer or fridge, and what your family likes to eat.

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Then plan out the week's worth of menus, make sure you leave one night for pizza night. (Because of my family's schedule we have every Tuesday night that we eat pizza and salad and pop in a movie.)

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At the same time, write out your grocery list. The typical American shopper goes to the grocery store at least twice a week. So by making a grocery list you can save yourself last minute trips to the store, chances to impulse shop, and opportunities to get seduced by those junk food isles.

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Now post the list of menus on the kitchen refrigerator or bulletin board so it's the first thing you see when you get home. No more thinking ahead. Just follow your own instructions. It's that easy!
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Here is a typical weekly menu for my house. The lunches are so big because my husband is a big man that needs alot of food and nourishment. I usually don't plan out my breakfast and snacks on my menu, but I thought I would include it as an example of 5 meals a day.

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Monday-
Breakfast:
Cereal w/ low-fat milk

Snack:
Banana

Lunch:
- Turkey Sandwich
- Chips
- Trail Mix
- Apple

Snack:
Cottage cheese w/ peaches

Dinner:
- Meatloaf
- Homemade Mac & Cheese
- String Green Beans



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Tuesday-
Breakfast:
Mini whole wheat bagel w/ peanut butter & honey

Snack:
Applesauce

Lunch:
Meatloaf Leftovers

Snack:
Fiber One bar

Dinner:
-Pizza
-Salad



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Wednesday-
Breakfast:
Oatmeal and piece of whole wheat toast

Snack:
String Cheese

Lunch:
- Tuna Sandwich
- Pretzels
- String Cheese
- Grapes

Snack:
Banana

Dinner:
- Swiss Steak w/ veggies
- Mashed Potatoes
- Crescent Rolls



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Thursday-
Breakfast:
Mini whole wheat bagel w/ peanut butter & honey

Snack:
Yogurt

Lunch:
- Turkey Sandwich
- Chips
- Carrots w/ low-fat ranch
- Banana

Snack:
Grapes

Dinner:
- Chicken & Rice Casserole
- Broccoli


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Friday-
Breakfast:
Cereal w/ low-fat milk

Snack:
Apple slices w/ peanut butter

Lunch:
Casserole Leftovers

Snack:
Trail Mix

Dinner:
Swiss Steak Leftovers