Menu Planning

As I said earlier this week, one of my goals for 2011 is to start menu planning.

Menu planning can save you time when deciding what to make for dinner. The last thing I want to worry about after a long day of work is what I'm going to cook. If I have a menu plan set at the beginning of the week, I'll know ahead of time what I need to defrost or what I still need to get from the store. This post isn't just for the ladies - did you hear that guys? Yes, men can cook too!

Trust me, this is just a rough outline. It just helps to have a plan in order to resist the urge to go out to eat (trying to limit how often I do that). If you want to use things out of the freezer or pantry that have been sitting there, Recipe Key is a great tool.

Here is the tentative plan for the upcoming week:

Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Spaghetti with Pesto and Grilled Garlic Shrimp
Wednesday - Crock pot steak with brown rice
Thursday - Black Bean Sliders (Thanks Baked Bree for the recipe!)
Friday - Tri tip with roasted sweet potatoes

Satuday and Sunday are more flexible because I have more time on my hands. If you are exhausted after work, like I am, a crock pot is a great investment. Just place all your ingredients in before you leave for work and by the time you get back, it's ready to eat!

I'll try to post the recipes for the spaghetti and tri tip - so fast and easy!

Tips for Saving Time (While You're Trying to Save Money)

Lately, I've been doing some posts about joining e-mail lists in order to receive coupons for free products, or special discounts. Sometimes, in order to take advantage of a deal, you have to fill out forms in order to get that item (or sometimes rebate) shipped to you.

I spend less than 10 seconds filling out forms or subscribing to different eclubs. This is all possible with the Google Toolbar. There's an autofill option on the right hand side that you have all of your information stored in. Just click that button and the form will "AutoFill" for you in a second.

Next, I have a "junk email" account designated for all the clubs I join or whenever I am asked to provide it in order to score a specific deal. I check this maybe 3 times a week to make sure it doesn't get completely out of control. Having this account allows my primary email is left for personal and work related items and not get bombarded with emails that aren't time sensitive.

I'm all about efficiency, so even if I can shave off 5 minutes off something I regularly do everyday, that's more than a half hour a week! Granted, I'll probably spend that time rotting my brain with something on E! but someday I will turn that half hour into something productive...