I’ve been attempting to put together a list of meals for two weeks at a time and well, let’s just say I keep getting sidetracked. So yesterday I spent an hour online to seek help. I found lots of sites that require you to buy a subscription or sign up for an account, but I knew there had to be some free sites out there too. Here’s what I found-

Meals for a Year
What a coincidence, while I was searching the Web I stumbled across a story from Good Morning America about a mom in Texas who’s planned out a year’s worth of meals. Wow, I thought and I can’t even manage two weeks. I might not achieve what she has but here’s a link to the story because she has some good money saving tips http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/parenting/mom-plans-meals-entire-year.story?id=9618348

Quick Meals
Here’s a site I liked a lot www.mealsmatter.org It has a good selection of quick meals.

Aldi
Remember me saying a trip to Aldi supermarket was on my list of must-do’s this year? I discovered they have a Web site dedicated to meal planning www.aldimeals.com

Mom Knows Best
And here’s another great site www.momsmenu.com, click on ‘meal planning’

Credit Crunch Meals
It’s not just people in the US that are looking to save money now. I stumbled upon this site from the UK all about recipes to make during the credit crunch. They have a two week menu along with recipes. I’m going to try a few out this week. www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/266969/credit-crunch-weekly-meal-planner

Meals for You
This site’s name just about sums it up www.mealsforyou.com

Cooking is A Chore
And this site had lots of good stuff and not all cooking related so it’s definitely worth checking out. www.successfulfamilychores.com, click on ‘meal planning’

Eating Well
I also like this site www.eatrealgood.com/meal-planner.html

Tips for Meal Planning
Here are some tips I’ve found work for me when I do get around to planning meals.

Cookbooks
I always keep cookbooks close by so I can check what recipes we liked and what was quick and easy. Yes, here’s another tip when I try out a recipe I’ll make a note of if we liked it, what I’d change and if it was quick or time consuming.

Supermarket Flyers
One of the goals of meal planning is to save money. I always check my local supermarket flyer to see what’s on sale and plan meals around those items.

Plan for A Quick Change
I always have stand by meal ideas on my list just in case something crops up and I can’t spend too much time cooking. These will be meals like pasta, stir frys etc.

Rely on Leftovers
I always count on having a couple of days (usually Sundays) where I’ll rely on leftovers for meals. It’s also a good way to clean out the fridge!

Cook Ahead
I’m getting into the habit of cooking ingredients on one day so I can use them thoughout the week. For example, today I’m cooking beans in the slow cooker. I’ll freeze them and use them in soups, chili etc. I’m also roasting garlic that I’ll use for garlic bread and soups.

Plates
And here’s something I bought many years ago…can’t remember exactly where. But anytime I have leftovers, like mashed potatoes, vegetables, fish etc. I put them on these plates and then use my food saver machine. It’s a great way to make ready-made meals from items you’ve already cooked. I also made up meals for my mom when she was taking chemotherapy and didn’t feel like cooking. She’d put them in the freezer and then microwave them. If you can find them, they’re a wise buy.