tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941488942240789796.post100307618796704715..comments2020-01-09T03:38:14.052-08:00Comments on KELSIE'S KITCHEN: Meal Planning MakeoversKelsiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02498550174577113038noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941488942240789796.post-58854270393765797952015-11-06T16:12:33.886-08:002015-11-06T16:12:33.886-08:00I know what you mean! I am thankful to have kids w...I know what you mean! I am thankful to have kids who are good eaters but it&#39;s sure rough on the budget! I feel like I go through stages of being really good at meal planning and then something (like holidays or illness) throw us off and it goes out the window for a week or three. I also agree with you, Trader Joes is the best and I think it is cheaper if you only buy the things you know are best there. I just have to be careful to stick to the list and not give into impulse (so many yummy cheeses!).<br /><br />Some things we do that save money: <br /><br />We only eat meat half the time (ok that&#39;s more because I don&#39;t like it and don&#39;t know what to do with it). Probably chicken breast twice a week and ground turkey or fish/shrimp once a week. And when I do use meat it&#39;s more of an ingredient than a focus (chicken enchiladas, turkey stroganoff) so we use less per person.<br /><br />We do &quot;breakfast for dinner&quot; a lot because we are never home together in the mornings and it&#39;s fun to do whole wheat waffles or omelets. <br /><br />Mexican food at least once a week because it&#39;s yummy and beans and rice are cheap. <br /><br />I try to make most of my own dinner breads, tortillas, and biscuits. I also make sauces homemade (I&#39;m sure you do to) because processed is gross and expensive.<br /><br />It also helps to have a house with zero food storage space so I can&#39;t waste money on ingredients that only work for one dish. I try to meal plan based on what I have already that needs to be used up so I can make space for more things later.<br /><br />Also, we save money by never going on dates. (Ha ha kidding - No you should not give that up! Good for you! Your date posts always inspire me that we should try to figure out how to do that too! Can you write about that secret next? Really, like do you do a child care exchange or something?)<br /><br />Interesting post! I love seeing other people&#39;s meal ideas!<br />hannah blomberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12152434917114431313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941488942240789796.post-46563495494205036932015-11-05T21:20:51.521-08:002015-11-05T21:20:51.521-08:00Love this Kelsie. I definitely only joined the mea...Love this Kelsie. I definitely only joined the meal-planning club three years ago in earnest. We do most of our shopping at Fred Meyer, Costco and Trader Joe&#39;s and it&#39;s really specific what we get where. I don&#39;t get to Trader Joe&#39;s as often so I tend to bulk purchase the stuff I buy there. <br /><br />We only meal plan a week in advance because we tend to have so much stuff come up that throws it off and then we have meat thawed in the fridge to use etc etc. Plus, I generally meal plan breakfast, lunch and dinner because otherwise it&#39;s breakfast and lunch that really throw us off. Do you always have a set plan for breakfasts and lunches - leftovers? It&#39;s overwhelming to do more than a week when you&#39;re planning all three meals. <br /><br />We definitely have the meat locker factor so in a good week, there will only be eggs to buy in the protein category. And we stay pretty basic with dairy. Once in awhile I splurge for all the flavored greek yogurts but the dairy is mostly for the boys anyway so we try to limit it to their needs. <br /><br />I like your idea of categorizing each night of the week. I&#39;ve never gotten the hang of that. Since John does the cooking, my meal plan is often more of a suggestion anyway and we mix up the dinners most weeks. It would really help me though with checking what meat we have and know which slot to fill. I&#39;ll have to try that. <br /><br />Also - have you tried the Costco brand chocolate chips . . . :Dncrozierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15518177829711841331noreply@blogger.com