Meal Planning 101!

I got to thinking about meal planning the other day when my best friend and I were talking about freezer meals. Have you ever heard of buying for a week, cooking one day and then freezing for the whole week? Or month? I don't have the freezer space right now to do it, but this got me to thinking about meal planning.
Meal planning is relatively simple, but yet, when you are cooking day in and day out, it can get overwhelming. It's very easy to fall into a rut and suddenly you have meat loaf Wednesdays. Since I have an emptying nest and Hubby is gone so much, I have gotten out of the routine of meal planning, but here is how I do it.
First, make a list of what you want to have for dinner each night for the next 7 days. Here's an example-
Sunday- Homemade chicken soup with bread
Monday- Sloppy Joes and green beans
Tuesday- Chicken cutlets with salad
Wednesday- Meatloaf and mashed potatoes
Thursday- Chicken nuggets with french fries
Friday- Take out night
Saturday- Salisbury steak with boiled potatoes

Now, you take each recipe and go through your pantry to see what you have and what you need. There's your grocery list. I find that you have less trips to the store, save money and you are prepared for the week! I like to find new recipes to try out and experiment with. Sometimes this is good, sometimes not! Do you do meal planning? Let me know in the comments!