A Guide to Easy Meal Planning and Preparation The Lazy Housewife's Transformation Series

When my husband and I were dating I confessed to him that I really didn't know how to cook. Growing up in my house as the younger sister, I was usually assigned to making the salad or washing the dishes. Now, I should admit that I didn't have much interest in cooking.

I would rather have been in my room reading or making up new stories of my own. I preferred losing myself in my imagination to being in a cramped and overheated kitchen learning how to cook. Years later, I have had to use my imagination to create new (and easy) ways to feed my family. In this article I will present some simple ways I've come up with to help get me motivated in the kitchen.

Meal preparation needs to begin with a plan. Creating a menu has been a tremendous help. I can lay out a plan for the week (or two weeks) for what I would like to prepare for dinner. This helps me to determine how many times we might have a lean meat that week or how long it has been since we've had spaghetti.

Knowing ahead of time what I'm going to prepare really takes the pressure off because honestly, sometimes I just don't feel like figuring out what to make for dinner. If I already have a plan, there's so much less to think about that day. An added bonus is that if I have this menu written out on the refrigerator, I can use it to determine how old those leftovers are when I can't seem to remember what day it was that I made that chili.

Make sure my arsenal is well stocked. First, I plan the menu. Then, I need to make sure I actually will have everything needed to make the meals. There is nothing more annoying in the late afternoon than finding out that I have everything I need but one item to make what I've already started to prepare for dinner. Grocery shopping becomes less of a burden when I've used my menu to plan out my shopping needs. Before leaving for the store I do a quick inventory of what I already have that will be used for the meals I've planned.

If Monday comes and I don't really feel like making what I've jotted down for that day, I can switch with another day and know that I still have the items needed to make both dishes. Planning my grocery shopping has saved me time and money. I know exactly what I need when going to the store. It is a money-saver because if I wasn't aware of what I had in stock, I may buy more than I need when making a grocery run. For more tips on planning out your grocery shopping, check out my article about trying to shop with young children!

Trade recipes with your family and friends. Recipe exchanges can be done as simply as sending an email to those on your address list. You can initiate the exchange by sending the following email to everyone you think would be willing to participate:

You've been invited to be a part of a recipe exchange. Please send a recipe to the person whose name is listed in the number 1 position above (even if you don't know them) and it should preferably be something quick, easy, and without rare ingredients. Actually, the best one is one you know in your head and can type out and send right now.

Then, copy this letter into a new e-mail, move my name to the number 1 position and put your name in the number 2 position. Only my name and your name should show when you send your e-mail. Send to 10 friends. If you cannot do this within 5 days, let me know so it will be fair to those participating. You should receive many recipes! It's fun to see where they come from!! Seldom does anyone drop out because we can all use new recipes. The turn around is fast because only 2 names are on the list.

Other places to participate in a recipe exchange may be at a mom's group, Bible study, wedding shower, baby shower, etc. If someone else doesn't suggest it first, take a step out there. And don't worry if you don't have some special from scratch recipe. You'll be surprised at how many others don't. Just copy a recipe you find somewhere that you think would be tasty.

Find great recipes online. Companies like Betty Crocker and Kraft have many recipes available on their websites. The countless shows on The Food Network also boast a healthy variety of recipes for you to emulate. Personally, I find some of those ideas to be a bit more creative (with ingredients that are more costly) than I would like but there are some quick and easy recipes, too. One of the things I really enjoy about finding online recipes is that many of them will have user reviews.

Those who review them share what modifications they've made as well as their personal struggles with trying to make the recipe. It has helped me to learn how others change up a recipe to suit the needs of their family, their finances, or simply their perceived cooking abilities. There are additional websites in the valuable links section of this article.

Make your own cookbook. Now that you have a nice supply of recipes try to organize them in your own cookbook. I am not very creative so I simply made one with a trip to Wal-Mart. I bought a notebook with a clear pocket cover for easily labeling the notebook. I also bought sheet protectors and colored dividers. After figuring out what categories I wanted to mark on my dividers (poultry, pork, beef, dessert, etc.) I began to print my recipes out.

Inserting them in the page protectors makes for an easy clean-up of any food splatters and protects the paper from any moisture on your counter. As I make something I just jot any notes or changes right on the paper so I remember what I did for the next time I make that dish. I can add more to my cookbook at any time and can always rearrange the recipes currently in it.

The crock pot is my new best friend. I have found so much satisfaction in using this little miracle worker. Starting dinner early in the day when the kids and I are fresh is so much nicer than trying to start it late in the afternoon when we've all had a long day. There are tons of ideas available online.

And, no, they are not all just soups! Just about anything you can think of to make in your oven or on your stovetop can be made in the crock pot. Do a quick search and you'll find some great ideas! For an entertaining look at the glorious crock pot check out my friend Angela's article here.

Meal preparation saves you money. If meals are planned out and all the necessary items are available for making the meals, then we don't feel as tempted to suggest Chinese or pizza. If the crock pot has been simmering away all day we know that dinner will be hot and ready when my husband calls to say he's on his way home.

Meals planned ahead of time mean leftovers are available for lunch the next day. This keeps both my husband and I from grabbing lunch while out the next day. If I've got the kids out all day I know that there's lunch waiting for us in the fridge so I can just pass on by that McDonald's and go home.

Preparation and planning of meals can be better for your family's health. Yes, it is convenient for the lazy housewife to have prepackaged meals. But have you ever read the sodium content on those packages? Have you ever translated the ingredients list into your native language for easy understanding? Do you want French fries to be your child's favorite vegetable? I don't think you do. Let's get a little creative and do a little bit of work for the sake of our family!

After my confession my husband graciously let me know that it was no big deal that I didn't really know how to cook. He didn't either and he suggested we just figure things out together. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. We just ate whatever meal we ruined. We gradually learned to cook some things and it made for some sweet and funny moments together. Now with almost three kids to feed there are more demands when it comes to meal preparation and more of a workload than I sometimes want.

But I am making efforts to make life easier for my family and myself. There is a great quote credited to Benjamin Franklin that says For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned. When it comes to valuing the time I have with my kids and making my house a better retreat for us all, I've really begun to take that thought to heart. I hope you will, too.



By Rebecca L. Wire