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The Haute Girl On A Budget : Meal Planning

The Haute Girl On A Budget : Meal Planning

 
Hi Guys! Happy Monday. If you are one of my U.S readers who served your country Happy Veterans Day !!! Last Week we spoke about Grocery Shopping , since you bought the groceries its now time to plan your meals. I know most people will say "hey times are hard and we really don't have time to be planning meals" But! Follow the jump to see how easy and economical it can be to plan your meals.


Get a Meal Planner/ Diary: This is quite similar to a food journal , weight loss journal etc... the point is get something where you can write stuff down. This can be a simple Meal Planner you can download online or one of those fancy magnetic ones you can hang in your kitchen. Think of meals you would like for a 7 day week and write them down. Ensure that you've include foods from as many food groups as you can or the ones that you lack. For example I lack protein and iron therefore i focus on getting foods that are high in these groups. You do not have to spend what you don't have to get a good meal.


Purchase Only Those Items: Last week i spoke about making a Grocery List. In the first point i mentioned writing down things you think you will need for a week, so ONLY get those meals. Please bear in mind the main point here is to save money and have healthy meals throughout the week. Believe it or not, people tend to overspend when they go to to Supermarket if they don't have a clear idea of the items they need.



Include more Home Cooked Meals: Try to plan for at least 4 Home Cooked Meals out of a 7 day week. Sure it might differ depending on your Lifestyle and Cooking Skills. Some People might have a fast paced life which finds them on the road more than they are home and will center their meal planning around take out while others might be able to cook at least 4 home cooked meals. For my fast paced Lifestylers, here is an alternative,try to at least have 4 cooked breakfasts at home.

Cook Perishable Items First: Get things you know will spoil quickly out of the way at the beginning of the week. Meat , Poultry, Shellfish, Dairy and Fish .. get them all out of the way as soon as you can!

Season in Advance: Another time saving trick is to season all your meats in advance. This is not one of the most fun things to do but it saves so much time. Pick a Saturday or Sunday to season all your meats for the week, store them in your fridge and you are set for the week. Not only will it save you time, but your meats will be extremely flavorful!

I hope that these tips helped at least ONE person. 
Please share your Meal Planning in the comments section below.

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