Meal Planning 101

This is the class I need. I realized this all over again after my dogma box arrived Friday afternoon. I did make risotto for my family--husband loved it, Charlie not so much--with two onions from the box. The apples were yummy, especially the earthy smell they had. I had to ask for help identifying the turnip and beets, a sobering experience. Am I such a grocery store junkie that when a box of food is dropped at my door without packaging, including no ID tags, I am unable to tell what to do with it?

Yes.

Wait! This is just another skill that I should not chastise myself for not having. We should not expect ourselves to be perfect at things we haven't practiced. We should revel in the identification and contemplation of those "missing bits" and put that energy wasted on guilt into learning.

I am getting out my cookbooks for my first lesson of meal planning 101. But first, google:

Save money and time with menu planning
at Menus4Moms.com

Now with beautiful color pictures!

Have skyrocketing food prices got you down?

Have you ever gotten home from an expensive trip to the grocery store and realized you still don't have anything to make for dinner?

Have you tried to figure out where you can cut costs but just can't seem to find any extra in the budget?

Did you know that you can spend less money at the store and less time in the kitchen with one simple tool? In fact...

You can save up to 15 hours and $120 every month by shopping and cooking with a well-crafted menu plan every week.

Irony here is that planning will reduce cost to the planet in thrown away food (and its packaging) and to the consumer in reduced money. Urban communities need to step up and provide this information since its not in the grocery industry's best interest to suggest that its customers buy less. First step, mother's groups and college students, maybe even high schoolers.