Meal planning is one of those things that is a constant struggle for me.
I’m kind of a picky eater (a mild understatement) and I live with a 4 yr old who only eats fruits and vegetables and a 3 yr old who only eats processed meats! (My husband eats anything that doesn’t eat him first.) So coming up with something that works for us has been a little difficult.
Now add in the fact that I really need to be eating gluten-free and it’s getting REALLY difficult to come up with meals each night.
Right now I have no daily meal plan because I have no idea how to cook without noodles or bread, so we end up snacking through dinner or the boys eat PB&J, hot dogs or chicken nuggets each night (which only works for the 3 yr old).
I have a TON of recipe books and even some software to organize all of the recipes, but it takes a LOT of time to sit down each week and plan things out and then figure out what I have on hand and what I need to buy at the store.
And then…which store has the best price, go to Costco for the organic meat and Sprouts for the produce and Target for what I couldn’t find (or more likely forgot).
I spend WAY too much time and money going from store to store. So this hasn’t worked for us.
5 Dinners in 1 Hour
Recently I came across a site called 5 Dinners in 1 Hour.
This is a membership site ($15 for 3 months) where you log in each month to get the monthly meal plan. You can choose from classic, clean eating or gluten free.
I chose gluten free. I logged in and printed out a 9 page e-book that has a meal plan, grocery list and assembly directions for each week of the month.
For each week she tells you what tools you’ll need to prepare everything, which meals can be frozen and suggested sides for each meal. There aren’t too many ingredients for each meal so you’re not going to be searching for random ingredients (I hate that!)
So you gather all of your materials and assemble each meal in ONE HOUR on ONE DAY and then you’re set for the week!
Then you can just grab a meal each day from the fridge and cook it and you’re set…no prep work during the week!
I’m SOOOOO excited to try out this system! I know this will make each day a little easier by being ORGANIZED and planning ahead!
I’m off to the store while you check out 5 Dinners in 1 Hour!
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