Planning meals out for the week can be fun and stressful at the same time. I love setting up menus featuring different styles and cultures, all the while keeping in mind a variety of meats, grains and flavors. Add on top of that, trying to incorporate schedules and planning meals can turn into one huge puzzle.
Pinterest has undoubtedly changed the way we look at the world, from designing our perfect wardrobes, to planning the ultimate wedding. I definitely use Pinterest as a source for inspiration for weekly menus. From healthy spins on sweet treats to inventive Crockpot recipes, you’re bound to find something interesting to include on your grocery list. Be careful to make sure, however, that images you are re-pinning are actually attached to recipe links! I hate scrolling though my “Foodie Goodie” board and realizing a recipe I was dying to try wasn’t actually linked to the pin!
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I love magazines. I have years worth of Cooking Light magazines stacked in our bookcase (I’m not a hoarder, I promise!). I love flipping through the glossy pages and drooling over the photography. If I’m ever stuck for inspiration for our meals, I pull out one of my dozens of Cooking Light magazines and find something fun and different. Whether it’s a new spin on an old favorite, or a flavor combo I haven’t tried before, Cooking Light is sure to provide me with healthy, fast and easy recipes.
Here are some of my weekly menu planning tips & grocery staples:
Crockpot: I love our crockpot. I plan about 1 crockpot meal a week for a simple solution on busy days. My favorite crockpot recipe right now is pulled pork bbq from Skinny Mom – this is seriously the easiest pulled pork bbq recipe ever – All you do is stick some pork tenderloin in the crockpot with a bottle of diet root beer!
Sweet Treats: By planning 1 dessert/sweet treat into our weekly menu, I can satisfy my nagging sweet tooth. I personally love making homemade ice cream and am currently working my way through Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home – Yum!
Breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it can so easily go overlooked with busy schedules. I like to plan one special breakfast each week to have on hand like baked egg cups or ingredients for a smoothie.
Snacks: Kevin and I go through a lot of granola bars. Instead of spending gobs of money on snack bars everytime we hit the store, I decided to make some at home! These oatmeal muffins from Sugar-Free Mom are really satisfying and are stored in the freezer so you don’t have to worry about eating them before they go bad!
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What are some of your menu planning tips? I’d love to hear them! Happy eating : )
