We all have to eat. How you get your food on the table can vary, but food is not optional. I come from a long line of dinner makers. My mama worked full time but managed to put an amazing meal on the table each and every night. I’m not even sure what it means to not have dinner at home most nights. This has just always been a way of life for me.
Robb and I continued that tradition and now that we have Tripp it is even more important. While my mama could (and still does) throw something together at the last minute and it will be the best thing you’ve ever eaten (at least since the night before when that was the best thing you’ve ever eaten). Brandy don’t play that. I can get away with that here and there, but I need a plan.
We’re doing Baby Led Weaning with Tripp and it’s even more crucial that I plan ahead and plan well. I don’t have time to pop in the grocery store every afternoon on my way home. I don’t have time to stand at the pantry and try to figure out “what’s for dinner.” If I don’t plan, it is chaos. My whole night is out of whack and that spills over into the next day and you get the picture.
The preparation doesn’t stop with that meal plan, then I have to make a detailed grocery list and get it done as quickly (and painlessly) as possible. I’m still working on perfecting my meal planning system, but my grocery list is solid. It was a journey to get here, but I found that my planning and shopping went better if I divided my list into the categories I shop in my grocery store: Deli/Bakery, Produce, Meats, Middle, Dairy/Frozen. It goes in the natural order that I shop and saves me lots of running back and forth, back and forth.
In the beginning, I made a list and then re-listed to plan with my store. This might be the definition of insanity but then I made it even easier with a printable. I use this like it is my job, so I wanted to share it with you. When I’m meal planning and looking at my ingredients, I can simply fill them in the appropriate box and just like that, my grocery list is done! It may sound simple, and it is, but it really does have a huge impact on how I plan and shop. I can breeze through the store, mark off my list and get back home to my favorite little man as quickly and painlessly as possible. I love it when a plan works!
Feel free to download the handy dandy printable right here and give it a try next time you meal plan and shop. What works for you? What are your meal planning, grocery shopping, survival tactics? Let’s discuss! Happy planning, list making and grocery shopping!
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