Cooking at Home: Day 2

It's hard to get back into cooking at home when you don't have a plan.  So, my biggest piece of advice to stop eating out and starting cooking for yourself is to have a plan.  Plan a weekly menu.  It doesn't have to be elaborate, you don't have to cook Lobster Thermidor or Boeuf Bourguignon.  You just need to cook what you like, but plan it ahead of time.  Planning it out helps save you time and money because you don't have to fly by the seat of your pants.  You know what is coming, but you can also change it up if you want to.

Here are 3 easy steps to implementing an easy menu.

1.  Cook what you like.  Write down the recipes that you and your family like and then pick from that list.  Using tried and true recipes helps make menu planning and grocery shopping easy.  If you want to be adventurous and try out a new recipe then write those down on a separate list.  I would pick one new recipe to try out a week.  You will easily become discouraged if that recipe doesn't turn out well and you still have more new recipes to try out for the week.  Sticking to just one new recipe makes it easier on you and the family.

2.  Write it down.  I made a big chalkboard that I write our menu down on, and it hangs in the kitchen where my husband and I can see it every day.  Writing it down somewhere that is in your face helps to keep you on track.  You can know what to expect every day and you don't have to wonder what is for dinner.  This also helps my husband know what is expected of him.  I try to pick recipes on days that he is off that he can help cook.  I know that he can't make homemade macaroni and cheese, but he can make bacon cheeseburgers.  Getting your family involved will make dinner easier on you and help you stick with it.

3.  Go grocery shopping once.  After you plan your menu, make a list of what you need to complete the menu.  Doing this helps keep you from making daily trips to the grocery store and keeps your cost down.  This won't guarantee that you won't end up making an emergency grocery store run, but it will keep you from going four or five times a week, which is just exhausting.

Following those simple steps will help keep the pressure off of you in the kitchen and make it more likely that you will stick with it.  Going into a week with a meal plan is one less thing that you have to worry about during the week.  No one will have to ask what's for dinner again.

Here are some fun links to help you plan your menu:
I Heart Organizing
Organized Home 
Food on the Table