I must start this section by saying that one of my awesome past brides/friend, Bandi, was the one who got me started doing this. I thought it was genius and still use some of the recipes she shared in this blog post.
My Tips:
1) Set your budget and shop your pantry. What do you already have in there? Rice? Noodles? Spaghetti sauce? Using these staples can really save you some $$ when planning your recipes.
2) Make your meal plan. You can buy one online (just google once-a-month meal plan), or make up your own out of your favorite recipes or others. I have most of our favorites pinned on my Pinterest board HERE.
If you are just starting out, I would suggest looking at your calendar and deciding just how many nights you will actually need a meal. Don't make more than you need to- and don't make too little- should you get sick of having the same thing over and over! I am usually planning about 20 to 25 meals- which usually falls around 4-5 recipes, quadrupled. If we are planning on eating at home 4 nights per week, I like having the option of 5 different meals, so we aren't eating the same exact thing every week.
Choose recipes that will work well with freezing- I once thought it would be cool to do fish tacos...and that's when I learned that defrosted cabbage is DISGUSTING and to mix the marinade for the fish separately, then combine when cooking. Trust me on this one :)
I would also suggest limiting yourself to 2 meals that require pre-cooking. For example, I love chicken spaghetti, but you have to cook the chicken before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients and putting it in the casserole dish. The same goes with anything that requires ground beef or turkey. Crock pot chicken recipes like one of our favorites, French Chicken, just require me to throw the already frozen chicken breast in the bag with the other ingredients, and freeze. WAAAAY faster.
After you have decided on your recipes, don't forget foil pans/foil, muffin liners, ziploc freezer bags, etc. I have found foil pans at Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree for pretty cheap. The foil pans (and not having to wash dishes) are SO worth buying those new each month.
Also, don't forget your sides! You can stock up on frozen veggies here and things like crusty bread which freeze well and make for easy side dishes.
3) Make your shopping list. You will first need to decide how many of each recipe you will be making (I usually quadruple recipes- so 4 of each recipe). Then I make a list of all of my recipes in a word document and convert all of the measurements to fit with the amount of meals I'm making. (AHHHH- MATH!!!) So, if the original recipe calls for 1 cup of flour, I change it to 4 cups.
Also, you'll want to check the serving sizes- I will take "family" recipes that feed 8 and split them into two meals (4 servings each). This usually gives at least one of us leftovers for the next day.
I do my shopping list very simply- writing out the ingredients I need recipe by recipe, changing the quantities as I go.Then I go back through and decide which items I can buy at Sam's or Costco and which I will go to the grocery store for. I can also frequently find good coupons for canned tomatoes/seasonings/frozen items at Target.
Side Note: I do my best to find recipes that are meat/veggie based, although I LOVE carbs and noodles and potatoes (very prevalent in many freezer recipes). I also always use ground turkey instead of beef- just our preference!
