Sometimes the creative juices just aren’t flowing, and you need to streamline your system. That’s where theme nights come in. Taco Tuesday, Thai Thursday and Pizza Friday can get you into a groove that’s easy to plan.
Pull out your calendar (or a scrap of paper with the days of the week written on it), and jot down the meals you’re expecting to make on each day. This schedule doesn't have to be set in stone—sometimes you’re just not in the mood for whatever you’d planned on making—but it gives you a guideline that can help you stay on track. It helps to write down the ingredients you need by each entry, so you’re prepared when it comes time to make your grocery list.
Once you have your meals picked out for the week, head to your fridge before you go to the store to shop, check off any items that you already have on hand, and use this as a way to tweak your planned meals if you have some ingredients that may go bad quickly.
Grab the sales circular from the newspaper or your mailbox, and see what’s on sale for the week while you’re planning your calendar. If there’s a screamin' deal on chicken breast, you could always go for chicken alfredo instead of meatballs in tomato sauce to save a little moola.
Santa isn’t the only one who needs to make a list and check it twice. It’s easy to make a grocery list, but it doesn’t help you much unless you stick to it at the store. The single biggest money-saver at the supermarket is cutting down on impulse purchases.
Besides saving money (always a bonus!) your meal planning lets you get creative in the kitchen more often. Embrace that outlet for your originality, and enjoy dining in style!