Meal Planning = UGH!

So in the last post I alluded to meal planning. UGH! What a chore!  I found myself daily coming to the "witching hour" (that hour just before your husband comes home. The kids are a mess. The house is a mess and you simply can't hold it all together!) with no meal plan.

First I simply want to say (and always remember this!) cereal is a MEAL! Yes, cereal is a meal. It's fortified and whatever else. Yes, mommas, it counts. If all you can do some days is have your children pick their favorite cereal, get a bowl, a spoon and some milk - it's ok!  Cereal is a meal!

Through the years I have learned the key to meal planning. Yes, I poured over cook books. I would try to plan out a menu. I would look at what is on sale for the week.  I'd list ideas. I looked at Once a Month Cooking. Mind you I just looked, I never did.  But nothing ever worked. EVER. The best laid intentions and nothing. 4 p.m.! Witching hour. No clue what was for dinner.

I can't recall how or when I came up with this idea but for me, it WORKED! Finally.  It was probably Kathi Lipp who has this book that helped me get to where I needed to be!!!

So what did I do?

I started thinking about dinner/supper FIRST thing in the morning. BAM!!! No more last minute defrosting. No more scrounging. I starting thinking about it before 7 a.m. And you know what? It worked! It almost always on my to do list. When I don't think about it, guess what? I come back to 4 p.m. witching hour scrambling.

This way I can use the crock pot if needed. Oh the crock pot is my friend. Especially as the children have grown older and their are sports activities, activities to pick them up from, meetings, etc.  It's always nice to know dinner is ready when you need it.

Not sure what to serve? Come back soon for another post on meal planning!