Last month I wrote about not waiting until the New Year to improve your life. Even small changes, like always pairing your socks before putting them away, can actually make your life tremendously better.
It’s a new month and it’s time for a new month’s resolution. Don’t worry about last month (unless you want to continue a new good habit).
August is the month I prep for school. I’ve tons of things on my to-do list from ordering textbooks to organizing the school day, from updating my daily routine for housework to going through fall clothes so my school year doesn’t come to a complete halt the day the temps don’t get above 70 degress (will this heat ever really stop though?).
But my new month’s resolution is this:
- Plan my dinner menu for the month of September
- Purchase all the non-fresh ingredients for the menu for the entire month (I have the freezer and pantry space)
- Prepare and freeze food for at least 8 days (2 meals per week)
- Make a grocery list for each week for all the fresh ingredients required for the menu.
The planning of the menu and the grocery lists won’t take very long to do. I’ll do the shopping as an extra trip next week when Bill is on leave.
Even the prep time for the 8 meals won’t be that bad. One meal that we have once a week (most weeks) is tacos, since everybody likes them. I’ll spend a few hours browning and seasoning about 6 pounds of ground meat which I’ll freeze in 1 1/2 pound batches – that’s 4 meals. Ten minutes in the microwave while I chop or shred tomatoes, lettuce and cheese, and dinner will be served with little cleanup required. And if the meat is thawed, the toppings prepared earlier in the day, and soft tortillas used, dinner can be on the table before the crowd even finishes washing their hands. This is a meal I plan for days when we have sports or some other activity either right before or right after dinner.
So, what’s your new month’s resolution?
Reit This Way 
Have you heard of group cooking Michelle? That’s when women get together and plan to make a certain number of dishes and buy the ingredients in bulk and cook them and then freeze them. Sounds like a good idea. But I like to do what you are doing and cook ahead. But maybe some moms out there might benefit from doing it together.Blessings!KM
Well, my resolution is more stomach crunches. After I read your post about < HREF="http://mreitemeyer.blogspot.com/2006/07/lesson-in-humility.html" REL="nofollow">tummy bulge humility<> I got to thinking I needed to address this remnant of child bearing.
Michelle! Your new month’s resolution is FOUR RESOLUTIONS! *pause while I gasp for air* Ahhhhh. So I must join you in resolving to cook ahead more, though I think I may be halfway through the month before I get to a success level worth talking about…
My new month’s resolution is…excuse me while I take a deep breath…to go to bed by 9:30 each night and wake before the children, cup of coffee in hand and happy face on.I love the idea of pre-cooking. Having only three small children and one who isn’t on solids yet, I haven’t had the need. But, we are well on our way to being busy enough to justify having a “Cooking Day”. Better go now. It’s 9:04pm. Only 26 minutes of (productive) awake time left!
KM – I’d love to do group cooking, but my kids are too finicky and my husband isn’t supposed to eat pasta, potatoes or rice. Just makes things a bit more difficult.CM – you go girl!Sarah – notice that in August I’m planning SEPTEMBER’S Menu…August is still hit or miss!HWWTMB – I can’t wait for the time change so I can get my kids (at least the littler ones) to bed by 8 pm, so I can go to bed at a reasonable hour too! Good luck.