Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping

Certainly anyone can plan a meal and go out and buy all of the ingredients. Yet in my experience, that method corners you into buying something not on sale and even worse, something you might never use again (so says the rice flour I bought for one recipe and have yet to use again...although I am determined to do so !)

However, I have found one of the big advantages of monthly meal planning is the ability to grocery shop more efficiently and save time and money down the line. If you can see the larger picture of how you will be using the food you buy, you tend not to waste what you have and you buy what you only truly need. It's been a long time since I have thrown out something I bought that got forgotten in the fridge.

Here's my method. Most grocery stores publish at least one weekly circular that is in the newspaper, mailed to a home or available online. If you're like me and have one favorite store, check what that store has on sale that week in their produce, butcher and dairy sections first. These tend to be the building blocks of your meals and are the key ingredients to start with when planning a meal. In my post on cooking chicken 3 ways I mentioned I took advantage of a sale on chicken to plan some meals. It's as simple as that, ESPECIALLY when it's a great deal. Once you know you have chicken, you can look for recipes that have chicken as a main ingredient AND take advantage of what you already have on hand or look closer at what's on sale in produce and dairy and choose some of those items. The beauty of the Internet is you can Google "chicken and cheese and rice" and come up with about 1,000 options!

Another example, let's say steaks are on a super sale. It's easy (and I often do it) to write "steaks" on the menu and pick a good day for indoor or outdoor grilling. Lettuce is on sale and so are potatoes so...great steak, salad and baked potato. But since you are planning for the month think about what else those steaks could be used for in another week or sometime else during the month: fajitas? steak sandwiches? a mixed grill?  Or maybe you can't think of anything right at the moment so you buy the extras and freeze them. Then wait until the next planning session and say, "hey I have steaks in the freezer!"

The key, and it takes practice, is to take advantage of the sales AND what's in season, especially when you are talking about produce. Not only are they more flavorful, but they're cheaper too! Try this link for a quick guide to seasonal fruits and vegetables. Happy shopping!