This topic came up the other night in the Live chat session and I realized that it was a great topic to blog about.  This is one of the most challenging areas of my life.  I am busy, hungry, and just want something NOW.  My New Year's resolution was to be more official about meal planning so I signed up on the website E-mealz.  It is an awesome meal planning website that let's you pick what type of diet you eat (I chose the 2 person Weight Watchers plan). It even lets you pick what store you mainly shop at, and gives you a weekly meal plan based on store sales.  The average shopping trip on the E-mealz is around $50.00 per week.  The service costs $1.25 a week which for me is worth it.  I love to try new foods, but I will be the first to admit I am not a great chef, so this makes it really easy for me to prepare and have ready for when my family gets home.  I unfortunately have also been slacking lately, but am getting back on track this week :)  My sample meal plan for the week is below.  Yes, there are foods I will substitute, this usually just acts like a "guide" for me.  Most menus are kid friendly.

MEAL PLAN WEEK OF 3/27

This is my usual routine:

1. I print my meal plan.
2. I walk through the kitchen and check out what items I have on hand.  Do I *need* to use something up this week that I can substitute an ingredient for?  
3. I look at Kroger's sales.  If there are large meat items (roast, pork chops, etc) that I don't have on hand I wait until Thursday to purchase those (when my store does the manager markdowns).  You can read my post about manager markdowns HERE.
4. I shop... with Coupons of course!

Since the cold weather is back this week I am making this soup today in the crockpot and will eat for a few lunches this week.

Roasted Red Pepper and Sweet Corn Soup:

1. Combine 4 cups soup, 1 1/2 cups corn kernels, 1 can diced tomatoes, and 2 Tbsp pesto in a large sauce pan.
2. Cover and bring to just boiling.
3. Reduce heat and simmer 3 mins.
4. Ladle into bowl and top with dollop of yogurt.

I would LOVE to hear any tips on meal planning, or recipes you'd love to share!