Family Management Binder - Meals

Advanced meal planning is very important for me. Since I work so early each morning, I am usually exhausted by the time I get home. I have little motivation to throw and entire meal together. I'm finding that every little thing helps.

1. Pantry and freezer inventory. This is key as most of my meats are stored in the freezer. My pantry is necessary for beans, pasta, rice, etc.
2. List of family favorites. I love to try new recipes that I find online or from friends. I still have some childhood favorites as well as newer recipes that have become staples. 
3. The food nanny talks about themed nights such as italian, mexican, grilled, etc. I think this is a great idea to cut out the stress of deciding what to eat. Have you ever seen "Big Bang Theory"? Sheldon is very set in his ways. He insists that the same routine be followed each week. 
4. Coupons! I have been overly excited when meal coupons are released. There was one for lasagna, bread, salad, and a 2 liter of soda. I believe that if I had bought each separately, it would have been cheaper to go out to eat. With the coupon, I spent $10. I am also a HUGE fan of restaurant coupons. I have a separate email address for these promotions. I often get by one get one free coupons. It makes date night a bit more manageable.
5.  Meal planning sheet. I know that we are in a digital age. There are still things I need to see on paper. I created a meal planning sheet (see below). You can also use your family calendar (mine is too small) or dry erase board. The possibilities are endless.
6. Supplies. I have ruined several "good" plastic storage containers by freezing meals in them. I have learned that the dollar store has great options. Resealable baggies work well too. I usually just freeze the soup or sauce or anything else in the baggie placed in a pan. Once frozen, I take out the pan and have a nice flat bag. 
7. Variety. For me, there are nights that I have no time for dinner. When I know in advance of a busy day, I usually throw something in the crockpot that morning. The freezer meals are nice for the crazy days that you didn't know were coming. They do take 1 full hour to cook through. And then there are the few nights that I have plenty of time to prepare a full meal. This is were I choose to make a double batch and freeze the other half.