So, this month has been amazing. It really has. I was name one of Texarkana’s Fabulous 40 Under 40. What an honor! Like, is this real life? Read the write up here.

Apart of me look at this photo and reads this article and thinks… “but you can’t get dinner on the table most nights!” Right, I know.. guilt is the enemy. I’m my own worst critic. And that, my friends, isn’t right. I’m working on it. And today I’m sharing one of my biggest weaknesses with you: meal planning.

Ok, I am going to get really real with y’all today. Here is where I am terrible in life. This is the part I dread. The part I am not good at. Meal planning and cooking makes me understand Miranda Hillard’s face when she comes home from a long day of work and Mrs. Doubtfire has a meal set and ready for her eat with her family. Seriously, if I were to walk into a clean home and see that, I would be so overwhelmed with emotion that I would probably cry.

That would be a dream. A dream come true.

You see, I’m a good cook (I’m an even better baker, but that REALLY never happen anymore.) So, the fact that I can’t get a good system in place to cook a meal without being totally frazzled frustrates me to no end.

What I am good at is making a really good meal by pulling from my resources… but that’s stressful! You know what I’m talking about. The moment you’re looking in the pantry praying you have a certain ingredient, and when you don’t have it you google if there is a substitute for said ingredient. Yep, that’s my life.

But y’all… it’s just meal planning. It’s not rocket science. But what it also is… time consuming and life sucking. (ok, I’m a little dramatic here, but I’m just SO bad at it.) I feel like meal planning and cooking is this annoying bug that never goes away. It’s always there driving me insane.

We don’t eat out much. Why, you ask? Well, my husband eats out for lunch every single day. So, take-out sounds terrible to him for dinner. I get it. It would to be for me, too. Also, both of our moms cooked. Not only did they cook, they cooked every-single-night. So, there’s something comforting about eating at home as a family. It’s a priority in our home.

So, I am really, really, really trying to get better at it. Like, really. I have to for my sanity.

I have not mastered this yet. I repeat… I HAVE NOT MASTERED THIS YET. But I wanted to share what I am doing, and I’ll be reporting back.

1) I read and followed this guide from The Mostly Simple Life. Y’all, game changer. I follow Erin Tannehill from The Tannehill Homestead and she shared this with her followers. I feel like so much of what she says to do here is common sense that I just didn’t have. Either I missed that common sense, or I didn’t understand it until I had this guide. This is PURE GOLD for breaking down the steps for meal planning. Get the guide here!

2) Wal-Mart Grocery Pick-up. There are the obvious reasons why this is so great (like not having to go in the store and wait in line) but for meal planning it is KEY! With meal planning, I have my list for everything I need for the meals and simply add it to my cart while I’m standing in the kitchen. No more wondering if I have tomato paste or not! I can simply go look in the pantry while I’m adding items to my cart. This keeps me from over buying and ensuring that I have everything that I need for my meals that week.

Grocery Pick-up Tip: I start my cart on the app way in advance. Oh, I’m getting low on detergent: I add it right then.

3) Theme days. I have theme days for certain days of the week. For instant, on Tuesdays we have tacos (or nachos or burritos… but it’s really all the same.) On Friday, my husband grills. There are 2 days that are always decided for me. I don’t have to think about it. Those 2 are always solid in our home. So I know that I always need to have items for tacos, and potatoes and salad ingredients for the steak. Every single week. (Btw: my husband buys steak in bulk when it is on sale. I currently have a years worth of steak in my freezer. Can we please say a prayer for that freezer? If it went out… omg. $$$$$$)

This can be adjusted for your family. For instance, Monday afternoons are always busy for us. Worth and I don’t get home until after 5:30 or later. Because of this, dinner can be a serious chore on Monday. Something that I’m going to try to add to my theme days- Monday: Crock-pot meal. Again, I have not done this yet, but it is something I am going to try because it would make my long Monday go so much smoother.

 

So, there you have it. I will keep y’all updated on my progress. I really hope to nail down meal planning and have a solid system in place for 2019!

Make sure you go purchase The Mostly Simply Life’s Meal Planning guide, y’all! I pray it helps you as much as it is helping me!

 

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