Eating Green: Weekly Menu Planning

Meal planning, even for those who enjoy cooking, can become a chore if adequate forethought and planning isn't applied (unless of course you are French). I have always loved cooking and started to really plan our family meals when our son switched to solids and haven't looked back. For me, it works best to do this weekly, but you certainly can plan monthly or bi-weekly, depending on your level of organization. I find this helps me avoid the "what are we having for lunch/ dinner/ fill in the blank" apathy that sometimes hits at the end of a full day. Plus, in our household, it coincides with the weekly grocery run and farmers markets, which means there's more opportunity to eat seasonally and not waste good produce.

All you truly need is access to your cookbooks or online recipes where you can build up a database as well as collect inspiration for you own creations. I use a Delicious account, where I save any and all recipes for use during my meal planning sessions. To keep it green, you can also store your menu selections electronically (I use Google Calendar with a tab for meals but you can also try an Excel document). The best thing about the whole process is that you can then create a grocery list a the same time from your chosen recipes - so you are not stuck at the grocery store buying things you don't need.

Weekly meal planning helps you:

• Save Time - Since you know what you are making in advance, you can prepare a meal knowing exactly what the preparation and clean-up entails. You can also spend less time agonising over a take-out menu or running through every aisle in the grocery store looking for something that whets your appetite. 
• Save Money - You know exactly what you are buying at the grocery store so you are not buying things you don't need. You'll also save money on delivery and take-out, not to mention from the home-cooked packed lunches the next day. 
• Reduce Waste - Again, you only buy what you need for the week so you aren't left with throwing food out because it went bad. You aren't using tons of take-out and pizza boxes. 
• Eat Healthier - Avoid last minute unhealthy decisions and you can make sure you have a balanced diet and are getting the nutrients you need throughout the day. As a side note, since we participate in Meatless Mondays, I am always assured I have exactly what I need to have a nutritious, vegetarian dinner.

What are your experiences with meal planning? Any recommendations? Please leave your comments here!