Meal Planning

I love to cook & I admit that I am a Food Network Junkie! In addition to that, I collect cookbooks and am always on the look-out for new recipes! So, you might be wondering..so?...what's wrong with that? Well, I am a good cook (or so I am told), but I am lacking in the "Meal Planning" department and when I don't plan well, I end up spending and wasting more. Anyone in this situation too? With the new year, I am going to try to combine my interest in trying new recipes & love of cooking with some real meal planning. I am going to select recipes each week to build my meal plan and shopping list around. Now, I don't plan on cooking 7 dinners a week since it's just my hubby and I at home most evenings now. We usually have leftovers from whatever I make and thank goodness he likes them. I'm going to start by planning 3-4 meals a week, allowing for a couple of evenings out and making planned use of leftovers and/or freezing meals. Flexibility is the key here. On the weekends, we may have our family or friends in or we may take food to a friend's house for an evening of euchre. After I prepare a new recipe, I'll try to post our "review" of it!