Planning Your Vegetarian Menus Ahead of Time Saves You Time and Money
It happens to everyone at some point: it's nearly dinner time, you have a hungry family waiting for some food, but you have no idea what to cook. If your family is vegetarian, it can be difficult to just throw together a healthy and tasty meal on short notice. One way to avoid this type of problem is to make vegetarian menus ahead of time.
Vegetarian menus can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. Your vegetarian menus can revolve around a few staple foods or meals that your family loves, or you can vow to try a new food or new meal every week. The important thing is to plan ahead to let your vegetarian menus eliminate those days when you just can't decide what to make.
When making up your vegetarian menus, decide how far ahead you'd like them to go. Do you want vegetarian menus to plan out every meal for a month? Or do you only want them to cover a week in advance so that you know what to shop for and can adjust the menu for what you have on hand every week?
Get your family's input when you are making up your vegetarian menus. They will no doubt have some helpful advice for you regarding what type of meals they'd like to see on the menu. If your family has a favorite meal (or two or three), try to incorporate their tastes into your vegetarian menus. Even if it means making vegetarian tacos once a week, your family will thank you for the effort you put in to make them happy.
Saving Money and Reducing Waste
Vegetarian menus are not only helpful for avoiding the creative dinner block; they are also great for helping you save money. When you plan your vegetarian menus out ahead of time, you always know what you need at the grocery store for the following week (or however long your menu covers). You can plan your shopping to take advantage of sales, and you can also be sure to buy only the food you need. You'll reduce food waste and always be on top of your family's grocery budget.
In order to be accurate, your vegetarian menus should include all of the meals and snacks your family will eat at home. Don't forget to add in a treat once in a while! Even when you're being frugal and planning ahead, you deserve to take an evening to treat yourself to a glass of wine or a slice of cake after dinner.
