Life is busy.  Between kids activities, jobs, maintaining the house, getting meals on the table, giving your family your attention and love, most of us are pretty pressed for time.

I remember growing up one of the first things my brothers and I would ask my mom when she walked in the door after work was, “What’s for supper?”  My mom dreaded it(and we knew it pushed her buttons), but we still asked every night.

I too dreaded the question when my husband and I were first married.  I love my fruits and veggies; my husband is a meat and potato man.  He was hard to cook for and I found myself scrambling each night after work.

Over the past two years I’ve danced around with the idea of menu planning.  Some women run when I say those two little words.  At first, I did too.  It wasn’t until about a year ago after our second child was born that it was music to my ears.

You see, that second little baby added a lot to my plate.  More than I ever imagined having another child(our first was only 20 months old) ever would add!  My husband worked long hours and wasn’t around a whole lot to help with the adjustment.  Thankfully we received meals from the gracious friends at church, but when they ended I had to have a plan.

And that is exactly what I did.  I started a menu plan.  I’m giving you 5 reasons I think you too should start a menu plan!

• Your stress level will be less because you already have a plan and don’t have to scramble to get a meal on the table.  It’ll probably be on the table around the same time most nights!
• You will eat healthier because you’ll put more thought into what you’re feeding your family, and you’ll be more likely to prepare a balanced meal.
• It will eliminate the dreaded question, “What’s for dinner tonight?”  They’ll have it in front of them(yes, we have our menu plan on our fridge).
• You’ll save more money because you’ll start planning the meals based on what is on sale for the week.
• Fewer desperate drives through the local McDonald’s because you didn’t have a plan or any food in the house.

Now dinner time is a lot less stressful, and we’ve saved a ton of money.  My husband knows ahead of time what we’re having and can request to swap meals during the week(as long as he gives me a days notice!).  Life is much easier, and I get to enjoy every evening meal with my family!

Do any of you menu plan?  I would highly recommend starting.  Start small by planning Monday-Friday.

Enjoy this video on menu planning.  It includes 5 meals(quite a few more if you have a smaller family) for around $35.00.

Email me with any questions or deals!

danielle at milehighmamas dot com

Twitter ID: @denvermetromoms

Image from Flickr, royaltygirl