Menu Planning Saves Money: By knowing what you are going to have for your meals you are able to make a complete grocery list of everything you need. This eliminates extra trips to the grocery store (more $$ spent), and buying food that you don't need. When you plan your menu you are also less likely to order takeout!
Menu Planning Saves Time: By sitting down once a week to plan (30 minutes to an hour), you aren't wasting 10-15 minutes a day trying to decide what to make. You also save time in the grocery store by being able to look at your list and not have to think about what else you might need. Time is also saved while preparing meals! Instead of waiting for the chicken to defrost in the microwave for 10 minutes, you can pull it out of the freezer in the morning and just jump right into cooking when you get home.
Menu Planning Eliminates Unnecessary Stress: By planning your menu, you never have to think about what's for dinner except for during your meal planning session! You know in the morning what needs to be done to prepare for that evening's dinner. When you get home you can just jump right into to dinner prep rather than trying to create dinner from what's in your pantry. You will have less trips to the store to get a cup of sugar or eggs, so you will have more time at home to relax.
Menu Planning is Healthier (for most): Obviously if you plan to eat junk food for dinner you won't necessarily have this benefit, but overall when you take time to think about your meals in advance you are more likely to balance what you are eating. For instance we may have pizza most Friday nights, but we always try to have large salads, and lower fat meals throughout the week. I try to balance my week by having one pasta or carb based dish, one super lean dish, one vegetarian dish, one tortilla dish (tacos, fajitas), so I'm not carb loading every single night! Just thinking ahead does wonders, and it helps me be more intentional in incorporating veggies/fruits into our meals.
Menu Planning can be Fun: This may not apply for everyone, but I have begun to carve out my menu planning time as a bit of "alone" time. Jon watches Addy, and I spend time going through recipes, sale fliers, while listening to music and come up with our menu. I may not be your ideal alone time, but I take what I can get, and it benefits everyone involved! I have also found that when I plan a menu I actually enjoy cooking more as a whole because I'm not rushed and it's not a "duty" for me every night to magically whip up something spectacular.
Planning a Menu Results in More Variety and Fun Meals: When you take the time to plan you tend to try new things you found on pinterest or in your recipes books instead of living on your staple meals every night of the week. This make dinner time more exciting, and you will most likely find new fun family favorites when you are experimenting more!
Hopefully this list has helped you see why menu planning might be worth a shot if you've never tried before!
If you missed other posts in this series you can check them out here.
I chuckled at your 'menu planning can be fun' comment. Justin thinks I'm such a dork because I love sitting down, cranking up my iPod, and mapping out our meals, grocery list and coupons. It is toally 'me' time. Being organized gives me a great high! :)
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