Of all the DoAhead Dining tips the one that keeps this chick from the crazies is meal planning!

Is it totally sweet to have a meal fully prepared in the freezer? Yes!

Do I love “shopping” from my very own pantry whenever I need groceries? You bet!

But it’s knowing what’s for supper that has kept our household from experiencing major melt-downs more than once!

Today’s Doahead Dining captures five VERY simple tips when it comes to meal-planning.

Tip #1

Start one week at a time. You can work your way into 2 and even 4 week planning.

Tip #2

Start with with just the evening meal.

Mapping out what’s for breakfast and/or lunch is also helpful but the major stress reducer for most families is getting a handle on the evening meal.

Tip # 3

Allow for a trip to the grocery store that will cover a week of food needs.

Tip #4

Whether it’s a ½ day of extra cooking or a tripled recipe one evening, take steps to make sure it happens by laying out ingredients and/or thawing out necessary food items the day before.

Tip #5

Make it a family affair! All but very small children are able to help in some way. They can chop veggies, fry meat, mix quick dough or help with the dishes!