A system for successful meal planning in under 30 minutes!

📄Free meal planning printables!!! ⬇️

👩‍🍳Click on this link to meal plan and cook with me!

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Some of the recipes shown in this video:

Pumpkin Chili:

Mango Chicken Curry:

Maple Bacon Brussel Sprouts:

Breaded Drumsticks:

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✉️ Send me mail!
PO Box 315
Oneonta, NY 13820

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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 You CAN meal plan!
0:40 Step 1
2:22 Step 2
4:00 Step 3
6:06 3 Bonus Tips to keep your meal plan ORGANIZED

[michellem]

One of my favorite tips for leftovers: create a "soup bag" in the freezer. When you have little bits and dabs of meat, veggies, whatever left over and there's not enough to serve for a second meal, throw it in a ziploc bag in the freezer. Keep doing this for a few weeks, or until the bag is full. Then you can dump the soup bag in a big pot, and make whatever kind of soup base sounds good (tomato, creamy, broth). Spice it up to your liking. You can add pasta or rice if you want. It's a great way to use up leftovers! :)

[karenjohnson]

So glad you are back! You are one of the few people on you tube who seems so normal like one of us. Can't wait for the next video. Oh and the chili you make was a hit in our house.

[debbiemize]

I made menu cards years ago, like when my grown children were toddlers and no teens in the house (they’re now 49, 45, and 39)! I am still using those cards, and have even added a few new ones!

[alisonway]

I love how you're very real and honest, and make light of your mistakes, and don't try to pretend you're perfect and have everything sorted. It makes it easy and reassuring to watch your tips and feel relief "oh, I'm glad I'm not the only one who hasn't cleaned their oven in a while or who ate snacks for tea!"

[concernedmartian]

I'm a student at uni. I meal plan once a week before the student trip to Aldi and I freeze spare food and I'm so thankful I do this. Works out so much cheaper.

[FLMegan]

I'm FINALLY meal planning & I'm even at the bargin grocery store with app point & coupons. Girl, a budget is no joke right now. And yes, a frozen pizza IS a meal! 🤣

[laurasimmer]

I started a list similar to yours a year or two ago! I added another category... "large meals" those are meals that result in leftovers... so stuff like spaghetti, chili, potato soup, ect. I didn't think about making a category of meals that I could make with leftovers!
I know some folks don't like leftovers at all... but it saves us a lot of time & money! My husband always loves to take leftovers for his lunch at work! Sometimes we leave leftovers for dinner too if we can stand to eat it that many times in a row. Lol

[AWanderingEye]

Like homemade but at a loss for what all to use it for and find yourself thinking why bother and I have a coupon so I may as well buy store bought?

I frequently will make a batch of marinara sauce in my crockpot. That day I will use some for spaghetti. I will freeze some. I will keep some in the fridge. Then I can use it as a base for a more spicy marinara or a chili without opening up a can.

How do I make my sauce? I use a large can of tomato juice, a large can of peeled whole tomatoes and a can of paste. I add water, sliced onions, garlic, powdered white pepper and usually just basil because that is what I prefer. I go light on the salt since it is the base for future meals.

This sauce can then go either more Italian (think lasagna with additional Italian spices added) or Mexican/Spanish (think of a enchilada sauce or making up a batch of salsa for tacos). If I make a batch of chili with this I then have a base for a chili mac casserole (American goulash) to which I add some small sized noodle and corn topped with cheese. I have even put it in the blender, added some milk and called it tomato soup (heating it up after blending to cook it down to the correct consistency). If this is how you make tomato soup the family will think this is just how it is. Just set a cup along side a grilled cheese and they will dig in if they are hungry. What I am saying is preexisting tastes will need to accommodate homecooked meals since it usually is more nutritious and less processed or salty/fatty.

I can have sauce whenever I want it and I can buy relatively inexpensive components to make it. It is cheaper to buy these 3 ingredients than to buy a premium sauce in a jar. I try to have kalamara olives on hand to chop and add when I want extra fancy spaghetti sauce as well as dried mushrooms from the Asian store which I reconstitute before adding to any dish.

When I was younger I routinely bought ready made sauce but now realize that it is a really economical item and tastes better homemade. I can add as little or as much olive oil as I prefer or any other ingredient. If I want cheese in it I can add it or leave it out if I want. It is very forgiving to use sauce this way and I hope you give it a go.

Usually setting it up in the crockpot means giving a quick stir hourly and cooking on low for 4 hours to get the right consistency. I chop up the whole tomatoes rather than buying them cut up as that retains more of the tomato. I never have moldy leftovers because I freeze at least half and have a plan for the remaining jar in the fridge. You can even use a few of tablespoons to make up French dressing if you are at a loss for that last 1/2 cup in the jar. (use maple syrup and balsamic vinegar with the sauce until you hit the right tangy taste you like).

[xXDalyladollyXx]

Ive missed you, you are so genuine and your videos show the real struggle. It makes me feel am not alone

[MrsPink]

I do theme meal planning. Sunday is fun day. Monday is meatless, Tuesday is Mexican, Wednesday is meat and potatoes, Thursday is stir fry, sheet pan or instant pot, Friday is seafood or dinner out, and Saturday is FCO…fridge clean out. I use a wall calendar. The others put meals on the calendar regularly.

[cb]

🤣the fire trucks rushing to your kitchen were hilarious!

[swampsagacity]

Thank you for the FANTASTIC tips that even habitual meal planners can use.

I created a 35 block meal planner.
Days of the week (with plans, appointments, etc) across the top.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner down the far left column (one block each)

My fifth bottom row of blocks is a cut away grocery list.
I labeled each block according to my grocery store layout for maximum efficiency.

I plan my meals based on
-Weekly plans
-Dietary needs
-Food on hand
-Weekly Sales

With my block planner, I can easily & simultaneously create a menu, check what’s on hand, make a shopping list, and utilize leftovers.

I keep it on the fridge so each day I can plan, thaw, prep, or cook any portions ahead of time.

I am a visual learner, so another bonuses to the block pattern is that it works better at a glance for me than a list.

I will be adding the recommended master list of simple/favorite/ leftover meals to my folder!!!

[berrypatch]

I love the look at three days...for our large family the entire stock pot usually is two days.
1. Soups make excellent lunches the next day.
2. Chili day 1, baked potatoes with chili for lunch the next day.
3. Tacos day 1, taco soup the next day.
4. Beans and cornbread, refried bean and cheese wraps the next day.
5. Baked chicken on day 1, any chicken casserole or pot pie for day two. Chicken could be made in larger batches and frozen as well.
6. Make a freeze a months worth of beef at a time...and put in freezer baggies. I chopped onions and peppers and made hamburger base for sloppy joes, tacos, chili all at once and it has helped so much.

[maggieprice]

Yay, you’re back! I love watching your videos because you’re so relatable! Most mommy YouTubers have a particular aesthetic (you all know what I’m talking about!) and their homes look super expensive and perfectly decorated. It’s just nice to see an awesome, normal mom with a house that looks like mine - things you’d like to change, Mickey Mouse kids decor, and toys in the toddler bed and all 😂

[MsTupton]

Some pre-made frozen meals are nice too. If you're making one lasagna (or whatever freezes nicely) just make two and put one in the freezer.

[JenniferPerryMyScraproom]

I have been in one heck of a cooking rut so I started subbing to a meal planning site where the recipes are emailed to me along with a weekly grocery list. (It is another well know You Tuber) With those plans I made up 2 binders. One binder is the monthly plans and recipes and the other binder is where we put the recipes that the family loves. I like that I have 4 recipes a week that I do not have to worry about and a few open days that I can mix in family favorites and I am building a new stash of future family favorite meals. I have tried meal planning on my own and boy do I fall off of that wagon fast.

[itsacarolbthing]

Oh, the hell of meal planning! 25 years I've been planning on it, and I've never been able to maintain it. For fifteen of those years, there's only been me to plan for!
Ariel, thank you so much for those s. I've taken notes all the way through (I watched the video twice), because this is so achievable. Thank you so much. Xxx

[noracarreiro]

Your meals look great, Id love it you could provide more Dinner time is my weak point

[heathersmeather]

It’s always nice to see more ideas on meal planning. I’ve used home made meatballs I had in freezer to add to like sloppy joes when I didn’t have enough hamburger for our family of five. It was a little different but they still ate it. I’ve frozen some leftovers to reheat much later or repurpose. Or I make double the filling and freeze half, like for shepherds pie or pot pie. Or just precook protein for quicker meal prep. I mostly do this when I buy chicken or hamburger in bulk. 😁

[emmaslovelylife]

I don’t have kids but I’m obsessed with your channel! I’m definitely going to start putting meal planning in as an appointment. I’m good at planning the actual meals but terrible at remembering to buy the groceries on time 😂