Back to the Old Grind

So. I have been meaning to get back to my blog for a while now...it's been a long while.

The most popular question I get these days is about our menu and how I prep meals for the week during the school year.  It started a few years ago when my girls and I came home from our "first day back at school" and we were STARVING! And I had no idea what we were going to eat! I swear we ate all kinds of bad, bad things before I actually figured out a game plan for dinner that evening.

In the course of the days to follow, we all brainstormed some our favorite dinners and made a menu for the next week. And we continued to do that.  It worked OK, but sometimes we didn't have what we needed and had to learn to plan what to buy at the grocery store. Sometimes making dinner took FOREVER. Sometimes school activities interfered and we had to pick up something because we had to time to cook.

Last summer, I found a cool chalkboard menu to post our menu for the week. I also revamped our menu planning. I started planning a MONTH'S worth of dinners so that I could buy all the meat and special ingredients we would need for the month on my payday. Since I only get paid once a month, I was not used to this. The first time I bought a month's worth of groceries for dinner, I almost fainted at the checkout. However, it lasted until the next payday. And I did not have to go back (at least for dinner stuff).

*It is important to inform you that when my husband gets paid (twice a month), we go get milk, cereal, eggs, etc.

Armed with my new chalkboard menu, I was then able to stick to a menu because I had posted it for the whole family to see and I had all the stuff I needed to make those meals. And the neatest thing is when they come check it to see what we are having that night and walk off saying "YES!"

Now, if the chalkboard menu is not for you, I highly urge you to go browse Pinterest for one that does suit your needs. There are a ton!

My next blog will be dedicated how I prepare my meals for the week! So until then, be happy, do a burpee or two, and try planning your menu for a week!

sjf