If someone would have said 10 years ago that I would have six children and cook every single meal at home I would have laughed from the hysteria of six children. And when I finished that burst of calorie burning, I would have enjoyed more comic relief by thinking about how I, Ann Harold, the world's worst cook, would be cooking for a family of eight.
If you have children then meal planning will be your sanity saver. With the birth of our fourth son, I lost my grip on scheduling. The smallest task, such as putting on shoes, became a 15 minute production. We found ourselves getting take-out almost nightly and grabbing breakfast bars to cram down during the morning commute. It was becoming chaos. Unhealthy chaos. Then we had twins and we experienced true chaos. We had three children in school, one in preschool and two "surprise" babies that were rocking my world 24/7. I didn't have time to think about dinner. It's safe to say that cooking it was completely off the table! Then my mother-in-law gave me the best gift ever; an evening chef for 1 year. As I watched the chef rotate meals, prep for tomorrow's dinner, and plan the grocery lists for the next week's meals I realized where I went wrong. I wasn't planning... anything! As the sand slipped through the hourglass and the time with our beloved chef grew to an end, I began to search for something, anything!, that would help me plan the way she did.
I live in the great state of California. I could call it the great state for many reasons. However today, I call it the great state for one reason: http://www.mealsmatter.org/ ,the answer to my prayers. The state of California's dairy council set up the most resourceful website for families, couples, or individuals alike to help promote healthy eating. It's a meal planner! And it's free.
Highlights of Meals Matter
- Free Online Meal Planner
- Extensive Recipe Database; searchable by ingredient, meal, type of food, etc.
- E-Grocery List; a list of the ingredients you need to make your meals
- Fitness & Nutritional Planners
- Online Cookbook; list your favorite recipes & include the ones you find.
Now that you know about the great features Mealsmatter.org has to offer let me tell you why meal planning is the real cat's meow!
- Healthier
- Saves time
- Saves money
2. Using a meal planner, like http://www.mealsmatter.org/, can save you from the frustration of deciding what's for dinner. Plan meals in advance, use rotating menus and avoid wasting time staring blankly in the freezer. Look at the upcoming day, thaw any meats or prep any ingredients needed for the next day, and watch cooking become less of a chore.
3. Planning a menu can save you hundreds, or even thousands of dollars each year. You can completely cut the costs of eating out from your budget. The average meal, when cooked at home will run between 2-3 dollars per person. You can't even buy fast food for that. In comparison, the national average for a restaurant meal cost approximately 12-18 dollars per person. Planning meals will save money by allowing you to split ingredients. Example: if you have a recipe that calls for one half of an onion, instead of letting that onion go to waste plan to use a recipe one evening that week to use the other half. If you roast a turkey, chicken, or other meat plan to use the leftover to make a soup or stew another evening. It's simple and it works.
Make 2010 a healthy one, menu plan and cook for your family this year.
Wishing you a wonderful 2010,
Ann
Harold Family Cooking Extraordinaire
2 comments:
I registered this morning... this is simply fantastic!!
Fantastic Tiffany! I hope you enjoy it.
I also began using this when I received Ann's post and this was our first week implementing the menu! LOVE IT!! Try the Cowboy Quiche, it's delish!
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