The best way to be efficient is to..........

I have found that the best way to be efficient and maximize productivity is to be VERY prepared.  One of the best ways I have learned to prepared for a great week is through meal preparation.  The first step in this process is to create a weekly menu.  There are many ways in which you can create and post your menu and there are also many ways to come up with your meal ideas.  Here are a few of the things that have worked best for me.  First, one night each week one of my kids gets to choose the meal (and since I have 3 kids this automatically fills up half of the week).  Second, I always have a built in leftover night.  I realize that not everyone loves leftovers, but if they are from the current week they will still be fresh and I cannot handle just throwing away the leftovers.  Another good idea for using leftovers is to build them into another meal.  For example, if we grill chicken on Sunday, I will use the leftovers to make fajitas later in the week.  Third, I make my biggest and most time intensive meals on days when I have more time (aka Saturday and Sunday).  Forth, this family only gets to eat out once per week (unless it's a birthday week or we have special guests visiting us).  My reason for this is two fold.  I know that when eating out, we often eat more and the food is never as healthy as home cooked meals.  I also think that spending a ton of money eating out is not the best use of anyone's hard earned cash.

Another key to meal preparation and being ready for the whole week is to make ONE grocery run for the bulk of all the supplies sometime during the week.  I go to the store on either Friday or Saturday for an hour and get everything I need.  I have a very organized list that is in the order of the aisles.  I also go to the same store every time so that I know exactly where everything is.  For me, wandering around a grocery store looking for items is frustrating and not efficient.  I also make one big trip because constantly going back to the store for items is tough to fit into a busy schedule.

When it comes to posting my menu for everyone to see, I went quite BIG when I moved into my new house last year.  I decided to paint my pantry doors with chalk paint and then I use one side for the weekly menu and I use the other side for my grocery list.  If this is not an option in your house, you could use a dry erase board, chalk board, paper, etc.  Remember, everyone needs to eat and being prepared is the best way to have healthy and tasty meals that everyone will enjoy :)