| Do you have the skills to help you transition from drive | | | | Tip #3: Consolidate. One grocery trip per week period. |
| through mentality to preparing full family dinners? Yes, I | | | | Don't make life harder than it is. When in doubt, refer to |
| laughed at this concept too. The whole idea that I could | | | | Tip #2 and be diligent with that. |
| have the time or energy to make dinner for my family | | | | Tip #4: Get everyone else involved. I have two children |
| every day is laughable. Then I started implementing | | | | so they get to pick one meal every two weeks. My |
| these tips and our family life actually changed. I would | | | | daughter picks one week and then my son the next. I |
| like to share with you how to make easy dinner | | | | find a day that looks good and ask for their choice |
| recipes work for you on a daily basis. | | | | ahead of time. They get excited to for having dinner at |
| Tip #1: Get a calendar. This is an organizing tool that | | | | home because it's their choice and I don't have to |
| works for everyone I know and it's so simple you're | | | | force anyone to eat anything. |
| going to just say, "Stacy, come on. Do you think we're | | | | Tip #5: Get tech-y. Subscribe to blogs or websites that |
| simpletons?". Not at all. But when you're writing down | | | | have great recipes emailed right to you each week. I |
| all of your activities for the day, note what days are | | | | have been fortunate enough to subscribe to a |
| going to be crunches and which look not so bad. If | | | | program that helps me out tremendously. Not only |
| Tuesday looks horrid, buy a rotisserie chicken, some | | | | does it have a huge library of recipes to pick from, but |
| great rolls, a bag of Caesar salad and you've got | | | | it helps me put the recipes onto a list and then even |
| chicken sandwiches in a flash. You'll only go through | | | | makes a grocery list for me. I don't know how I ever |
| half the chicken and when Wednesday hits, you have | | | | lived without it. There are quite a few of these sites |
| the makings of a great pasta. Your calendar can be | | | | out there, but the one I use can be found here. |
| your best friend so map out your week in advance | | | | Tip #6: Be flexible. We're not perfect and even the |
| and write on each day what dinner is going to be. | | | | best laid plans sometimes fall apart. An occasional |
| Tip #2: Post a shopping list inside your pantry door. | | | | Pizza picked up in desperation is o.k.. We also have |
| This will help you remember the odd items that come | | | | scramble nights when the plan has deteriorated and |
| up (saran wrap gets me all the time) plus as you're | | | | we get to just pick anything from the pantry we want |
| doing your meal planning at the beginning of the week | | | | - from a bowl of cereal to left over steak. We're all |
| you can easily populate the items you need to make | | | | great with those evenings because we know that |
| those dinners. | | | | tomorrow we'll get back on the program. |