Menu Planning Tips for Busy Moms

Between taking care of the house, the kids, and all of the other tasks that fall to mom, sometimes there’s just not enough energy left to fix dinner.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though.

You can avoid those last minute trips through the drive-thru by using a few of the tips in these 25 blogs, which cover everything from where to start menu planning to how to create the perfect grocery list and everything in between.

Check the Weekly Grocery Store Ads

Planning menus can be daunting, but having a simple place to start makes it a much easier task. Start by taking out your weekly grocery store ads to find out what’s on sale for the week. Then you can plan your menus around what’s cheapest. For instance, if whole chickens are on sale, plan to roast a chicken or two and use the meat for other meals throughout the week. Planning your meals this way can save you a bundle of money at the register. For more ideas on how to get started menu planning, check these five blogs.          

• Menu Planning Tips for Busy Moms
• Menu Planning: Save Time in the Kitchen
• 6 Food and Menu Planning Tips for Busy Moms…
• Menu Planning for the Busy Mom
• Meal Planning Made Simple

Planning Techniques

Now that you know which meats are on sale, you can start actually planning your menus. Take a look at these five blogs to get an idea of how to put together your meals into a weekly or bi-monthly menu. Some people like to print out their recipes for the week and keep them with their menu plans so everything is together when it’s time to make dinner, while others like to keep their menus loose by just deciding what type of food they are going to fix that night, like Italian, instead of using a specific recipe.

• Menu Planning: For Busy People!
• Busy Mom Menu Planning Tips
• Dinner is Served! Meal Prep Tips for Busy Moms
• Meal Planning and the Busy Mom
• Make-Ahead Meal Plan for Busy Families

Sample Menu Ideas

Knowing what’s on sale and which meals you want to fix is only half the battle; you’ll also need an arsenal of meals that you can fix in a hurry. These five blogs share some sample weekly menus with recipes to get you started. You may even want to use these menus for your family or sprinkle some of the meal ideas in with some of your family favorites.

• Menu Planning Monday
• Six Sisters’ Weekly Menu Plan #32
• Menu Planning – Apples
• Menu Plan Monday
• Busy Mom’s Menu Plan

Grocery Shopping

Once you’ve decided what meals you are going to have on your menu, you’ll need to go to the grocery store and get the food.  Sounds simple enough, but you want to make sure that you buy everything that you need for the week.  These five blogs will share techniques for creating grocery lists that will save you time and hassle at the grocery store.

• Menu Planning for Busy Moms: Grocery Shopping Planning and Preparation
• Mastering Meal Planning
• The Only Grocery List You Ever Need
• Real Food on a Budget—Meal Planning & Make a Shopping List
• Grocery Shopping & Menu Planning/ With Printable

Online Meal Planning Services

There’s no doubt that creating a menu takes some time to plan.  If you don’t enjoy planning your own menus or you just don’t have the time to mess with it, there are online services that will do your menu planning for you.  Most will even create menus around any dietary restrictions that you and your family may have.  Take a look at these online meal planning services; some even have sample menus you can check out for free. 

• Love the Meals.  Leave the Planning
• Menu Planning Central
• Once a Month Mom
• Meal Planner
• Meal Planning Made Easy

Thanks to Sandra McAubre