Dinnertime: The Meal List

Let's start this series first with "The Meal List."

As Matt and I have gathered recipes over the years, we have some staple dinners that we go to in a pinch.

The purpose of the meal list is to:

• Be able to pull together a quick meal at the end of a long work day.
• Ensure that we are eating natural, whole (not processed) and healthy foods.
• Keep our food budget on track.
• Eliminate the need for multiple trips to the grocery store.
• Enjoy what we cook!

You'll see some common themes in the list - we love Mexican, Italian, Asian and regular "American" meals. A lot of these types of meals have common ingredients in them - so my grocery list is simpler, and at any point during the week, I can cook at least 5 of the meals on the list.

When Matt and I are standing in the kitchen (and we're hungry and it's 7pm) and I'm ask him what he wants for dinner, I simply point him to the list and let him know which meals I have all the ingredients for. He can choose from the options and within 30-45 minutes dinner is on the table.

Of course we don't eat from the list every day! Sometimes we eat something simple like whole wheat pasta with turkey meatballs, or something more traditional like grilled chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. Each month, I like to try a brand new recipe. The list is just to provide some consistency and simplicity to our dinners!

Again, the idea is to provide some healthy, quick, and yummy options in a pinch!

Next Post: Our Grocery List (and how I save us $$)