Meals on the Fridge!

Lately, I haven't been too diligent about the meal planning, and I've felt a pang more anxiety as a result. While I don't mind playing 'Iron Chef' with what's left in my fridge every once in a while, I find myself more relaxed when I have a nightly dinner plan. And I think my husband does too.

So, this week I made a concerted effort to set aside ~15 minutes to make a game plan for food. In the past,  I usually do this on Sundays or Mondays.


To recap, this is how I do it:
1. Look what's in my fridge and take stock of what I should use up for the week. 
2. Plan out what I want each nite for dinner. If I have time, review dinners in a cookbook or online at TWFD, or Eating Well . I also think about times I'll be home late, etc and plan accordingly.
3. Write a Safeway and TJ's list for the basics and any 'special' ingredients needed for the week, also thinking about lunches and snacks (think about my workouts too and what will work for snacks). 
4. Write my meals out on this handy chart below, and stick on the fridge for Family to see

4. Shop for just the items on my list1

Tah-dah! It's been great so far this week. I did switch salmon for tilapia tonite, but that's fine. I have a plan and it makes me actually enjoy the cooking process too. It's fun to take my teacher lesson planning skills and apply them to the household. How do you go about your meals for the week?