If you are trying to save money and time on meals, leftovers and your own "tv" dinners are the answer. Having quick access to healthy meals can make eating right a convenience instead of a hindrance. We use this method and let me tell you, it works fantastic. 

The whole idea started when I met my husband and he was working shift work. If any of you have ever worked shift work, you would know that when you are working, your days consist of working and sleeping with little time in between to get anything else done, including cooking. Well, with the effort to get healthier and lose some weight, we decided to make our own "tv" dinners on a regular basis. Here is what we do:

1. We make a menu plan each two week period. For the nights we know we will be eating together we decide on which recipes or meals we would like to eat. We then build our grocery list around these recipes which allows us to only have to go to the grocery store about twice a month. 

2. Then we cook each recipe with the intention of leftovers. Most recipes result in more than 2 servings but if it doesn't we double the ingredients to ensure we have leftovers. 

3. Then we package up the leftovers each night after dinner. We use Ziploc containers. This allows us to portion control as well as stack easy in our freezer. Each Ziploc container is labelled with the meal name and the date it is frozen. Then it is logged on our freezer inventory sheet. This way we can keep track of what we have and how many. After that, the meals are loaded into the freezer to be enjoyed later on. 

Benefits:

1. Variety. Because we have a variety of different meals frozen, we are never stuck eating the same thing day after day. My husband can work a 4 day stretch and not have one meal repeated. That way our healthy eating routine does not get boring so we don't loose our motivation. 

2. Convenience. A hot healthy meal is only a minutes away from being enjoyed. It doesn't matter if we are tired, on the go, or in a hurry, we have cooked meals ready to eat. 

3. Money savings. Instead of going and getting take out because we are not sure what to eat or what groceries we have in the house, all we need to do is check the freezer inventory. We save the money we would have spent on fast food and we are able to enjoy a healthy meal. 

So give this method a try. I can swear to you that it will make you life easier and yet still ensure you are eating a healthy diet. Let us know how it goes. 

Have any other tips to share? 

If you are trying to save money and time on meals, leftovers and your own “tv” dinners are the answer. Having quick access to healthy meals can make eating right a convenience instead of a hindrance. We use this method and let me tell you, it works fantastic. 


The whole idea started when I met my husband and he was working shift work. If any of you have ever worked shift work, you would know that when you are working, your days consist of working and sleeping with little time in between to get anything else done, including cooking. Well, with the effort to get healthier and lose some weight, we decided to make our own “tv” dinners on a regular basis. Here is what we do:


1. We make a menu plan each two week period. For the nights we know we will be eating together we decide on which recipes or meals we would like to eat. We then build our grocery list around these recipes which allows us to only have to go to the grocery store about twice a month. 


2. Then we cook each recipe with the intention of leftovers. Most recipes result in more than 2 servings but if it doesn’t we double the ingredients to ensure we have leftovers. 


3. Then we package up the leftovers each night after dinner. We use Ziploc containers. This allows us to portion control as well as stack easy in our freezer. Each Ziploc container is labelled with the meal name and the date it is frozen. Then it is logged on our freezer inventory sheet. This way we can keep track of what we have and how many. After that, the meals are loaded into the freezer to be enjoyed later on. 


Benefits:


1. Variety. Because we have a variety of different meals frozen, we are never stuck eating the same thing day after day. My husband can work a 4 day stretch and not have one meal repeated. That way our healthy eating routine does not get boring so we don’t loose our motivation. 


2. Convenience. A hot healthy meal is only a minutes away from being enjoyed. It doesn’t matter if we are tired, on the go, or in a hurry, we have cooked meals ready to eat. 


3. Money savings. Instead of going and getting take out because we are not sure what to eat or what groceries we have in the house, all we need to do is check the freezer inventory. We save the money we would have spent on fast food and we are able to enjoy a healthy meal. 


So give this method a try. I can swear to you that it will make you life easier and yet still ensure you are eating a healthy diet. Let us know how it goes. 


Have any other tips to share?