tips to reduce eating out #1

I am looking forward to see how much we reduced our eating out this week. I have found a few things that have helped make this process easier.

1) Planning a menu has helped me to not have to stress about what is for dinner. I did this before I went to the grocery store last week. First, I am working to complete the Pantry Challenge. I made an inventory of all our food. I noted what was close to expiration to avoid food waste. Then, I noted what was a staple. From there I created a list of meals that I could put together. I imagine that we have probably 20 meal combination's in all. I will be working over the next few weeks to clean out all the food that isn't a staple. I have been reading a variety of cooking blogs and everyone says that it is important to have a variety of staples in the pantry. Real Simple posted a great list to get you started.

2) Return to the old habit of making a grocery list. I am working to make my list and stick to it when shopping. Once I get back on track, I may consider returning to clipping coupons. Right now, I really don't have the energy. If you are a app user like myself, you should look at MiMeals for the iPhone. It got rave reviews once the bugs were all resolved. Unfortunately, the MiMeal is exclusively for the iPhone. Everything I read on this app made me miss my iPhone (sigh). This app allows you to enter your recipes into a database and upload to your phone. You can select your recipes for the week and ta-da.... your ingredients are added to your shopping list. I downloaded two new apps for the droid that helps with grocery organization. The ipantry is only 1.99 and the Grocery King was 4.99. I think that the Grocery King will be the one I use regularly. If you are looking for something that is very basic, then the ipantry is the one I would recommend. I will let you know how I like it.

3)Preparing part of the dinner before hand has made a big difference. On days where I am booked back to back, this has really helped. Utilizing the crock-pot for the main portion of our meal has added variety.