In a previous article, I wrote about some tips to get started with Menu Planning. Menu Planning takes a while to become a habit. But after seeing how much time and money we have saved, Quennie and I make it a point to have a menu plan at the start of the week. The week goes more organized and less stressful.

Here’s why you should start committing to a regular menu plan too and reap the benefits of menu planning.

6 Benefits of Menu Planning

1. Healthier Meals. If we haven’t properly planned for the week, our tendency is to buy quick and convenient meals like instant noodles, canned goods, and processed meats. These are full of preservatives, fat, sodium and other ingredients that are not healthy.

But when you have a menu plan, you easily avoid these traps by buying healthier options and fresher meals. You also are able to avoid junk foods since your meals make you feel fuller and helps you resists unnecessary cravings.

Learned how to make a Vegetable Samosa

2. Avoid Long Lines. Part of menu planning is finding the most convenient time to do the shopping. Thus, I was able to find the best time when there are fewer shoppers and when the freshest produce arrives. Doing grocery becomes easier and less stressful when you avoid the rush hour at the supermarket.

3. Lesser unplanned trips. I hate it when I miss an item at the grocery. And I would always remember it when I am at home, or worst when I am about to prepare the meal. It is such a waste of time. But with menu planning, we can avoid these unplanned trips back to the supermarket since we have everything need for the meal listed down.

4. Save money. Dining out is expensive but with menu planning, you will eat out. Menu planning also means you need to budget. So you can adjust what meals to prepare based on what you can afford. Menu planning also lessens impulsive buying and prevents overspending.

5. Add variety. From one recipe to the next, you will have lots of ideas to spice up the next meal. It can mean cooking something new every week with a new found recipe. Or make a simple chicken adobo more special with new cooking techniques or new ingredients being added.

Classic Chicken Adobo gets a makeover using an Electric Slow Cooker

6. Less Waste. You remove the guesswork with menu planning. Gone are the days that you go to the grocery and toss anything on the shopping cart only to end up in a trash.

These are a lot of benefits of menu planning.  As you can see, food bonds family together. Make it more meaningful and less stressful by regularly making a menu plan. You’ll be surprised with how much time and money you can save and spend them on what really matters instead.

With the Electrolux Philippines Do More With Less campaign, I became aware of how little changes can create a big impact on time and money. I also become more conscious with what I buy and with what I do since I know there could be a better way to do it with something less.

By using the right kitchen tools and appliances, you can also achieve more.  It is often worth investing in new technologies that have energy saving features.  Just like how smartphones have made a lot of things more convenient, today’s appliances have smart features that can make kitchen tasks faster and easier.  They help you do more with less.

Perfect toasted bread in less time with a new Electrolux Bread Toaster.

You can also #DoMoreWithLess. It just takes a little creativity and resourcefulness. You’ll be surprised with the results.  For inspiration on how to #DoMoreWithLess, visit Electrolux PH’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You may also visit www.electrolux.com.ph.

Electrolux Philippines is encouraging families to Do More With Less.  Less wastage, less clutter, and less stress means more savings and more time with the family.

I apply this when I do some menu planning for my family. Menu Planning or Meal Planning is about organizing what to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the snacks in between. It is the plan that is made before going to the grocery to shop. If you keep on asking yourself, “What’s for dinner?” or “What’s are we going to cook tomorrow?”, then a menu plan will help you answer these.

Making a menu plan has its benefits. It saves the guess work on what to cook and what to serve. It saves time from going back and forth to the grocery when you missed an ingredient. And menu planning helps improve nutrition by realizing unhealthy foods that goes often in the home menu.  Menu planning will also maximize the food being bought by having the right portions, proper storage and having ideas for leftovers.

When planning for a menu, it really depends on what is convenient and effective for you. You can plan for the whole week or the whole month. Or you can even plan twice a week if you love visiting the fresh market like I do.

Here are some ideas for a successful Menu Planning

1. Commit to Make a Menu Plan. Making a menu plan can be tedious and time consuming. You may need to research on recipes, write down several revisions, check on availability and what is still in stock at the cabinets. But it is worth the effort. You will save a lot of time and money by starting with a menu plan.

2. Look for recipes. Spend time looking for recipes. Find recipes that suit your taste. For beginner, I would suggest simple recipes with fewer ingredients. Then as you become more comfortable with menu planning, explore more challenging recipes.

Food magazines and cookbook are good places to get menu ideas

Save these recipes in a system that you prefer. You can print it out and place in a folder, save in an online cloud, or place sticky notes in cookbooks and food magazine. I prefer Pinterest. You can follow my Pinterest Boards for some ideas.

DADDY TIP: I often find recipes that have similar ingredients for a particular week. This reduces the number of items I look for when I shop and thus lessen the time. For example, if a menu on Monday will have string beans, I would look for a meal that has string beans for Tuesday.

3. Ask for suggestions. If you are cooking for a family or for other persons, be sure to include their suggestions. I would feel bad if I cook something only to find out that Gab doesn’t like to eat the food. So I always ask Gab if there is something he likes to eat for the week.

This will also make menu planning much faster since more people are involve. You can also get inspiration on what other recipes to include for the menu plan.

4. Make a calendar. Now that you have a list of recipes, write down what you will cook for the next few days or the next few weeks. Fill up all what you will eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can make the calendar using pen and paper or something electronic like an Excel Sheet or in Google Calendar.

5. Make a shopping list and schedule a shopping day. From the calendar, you need to write down what needs to be bought. Be sure to check the recipes for the complete ingredients so you don’t keep on going back to the grocery. It will also be nice to organize the shopping list into sections based on the supermarket layout. It will make your shopping faster and efficient.

Here’s my post in making a grocery list and why you should make one regularly.

DADDY TIP: Make a generic list so that you don’t need to write down the same item all over again. The generic list are the regular items bought like milk, eggs, bread, chicken and others.

Once the shopping list is complete, schedule a shopping day that is most convenient for you. It will also be a good idea to make the shopping day close to when the fresh stocks arrives at the supermarket or stores.

Find time to shop

Once you are finished with the shopping, post the menu plan on a fridge or a place where it is visible for everyone to see. So when someone asks, what’s for lunch, just point them to the menu plan. That was easy now.

6. Store properly. After the shopping, store your items properly. You can start shredding, slicing, or chopping then store them in plastic containers in the fridge. Wash the fruits and vegetables. Set aside portions for the meat before freezing. You can also arrange them on the fridge based on what is needed first over what will be cooked last.

It is also important not to overstuff the refrigerator. It may not be able to maintain its proper temperature and could spoil whatever is inside.

7. Plan for leftovers. I hate it when the family does not consume everything that I have served. But it does happen. Thus, I add leftovers in the menu planning. Usually, what is not fully consumed on Monday and Tuesday becomes breakfast and dinner for Wednesday. Or some dishes can be recreated into something new like leftover fried chicken becomes shredded pieces for a chicken soup.

Yesterday’s Beef Chucks becomes Pulled Beef Barbeque Sandwich

8. Recycle Menu Plans. Make menu planning easier by recycling menu plans. So for next week, you can just follow the same menu plan. Just add or replace with new recipes. You can also use the same menu plan for the future by cycling them every 3 months or every 6 months.

You’d be surprise by how simple and more efficient you will be when you practice menu planning. You save a lot of time and money as well. That is doing more, with less.

For more #DoMoreWithLess tips, visit Electrolux PH’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You may also visit www.electrolux.com.ph.

Going to a grocery isle is like getting inside a toy store where I just wish I can grab anything that can fit on the shopping cart. But that is disastrous to my budget and not practical at all.

The grocery tops my list of monthly expenses. It is therefore important that I maximize whatever I buy at the grocery. I make sure nothing is wasted, most especially when it comes to food. The Environment Protection Agency estimates that Americans generate roughly 30 million tons of food waste each year. That is a lot of waste!

Here are some tips in making sure the food bought goes to nourish the family and not to the trash bin.

1. Plan ahead with a grocery list. A grocery list makes sure that you stick to the budget and leave the non-essentials behind. It also means not forgetting an ingredient for the dishes. If you miss even just one item, it adds up to a waste of time and money for going back to the store.

2. Check your fridge and shelves. After making the grocery list, be sure to check your stocks if you still have the item in house. If you still do, remove it from your grocery list to avoid overstocking.

3. Look for the expiry date. Make it a habit to check for expiry dates. Buy the newest stock that expires at a later date. And plan meals around the products that expires first. It’s good for your health and good for your pocket.

4. Buy the right amount. Buy in bulk or bigger packages doesn’t always mean you are saving. Sometimes, they are too much that they end up in the trash. If the recipe says, 2 pieces of carrots then buy exactly that.

5. Choose Frozen, Canned or Dried. If you won’t be needing them right away, it is better to buy vegetables or fruits that are frozen, canned or dried. They last longer and can be less expensive than fresh.

6. Ask to pack poultry and meat in portions. Buying poultry and meat in bulk can be a good idea since you can simply freeze the extra portion to make it last longer. But ask the butcher or sales person to pack them to your desired portions. This saves you time from thawing them whole and refreezing those that you don’t need.

For more #DoMoreWithLess tips, visit Electrolux PH’s Facebook (link to: https://www.facebook.com/thelittlewhitebook), Twitter (link to: https://twitter.com/electroluxph) and Instagram (link to: https://instagram.com/electroluxph/). You may also visit www.electrolux.com.ph.