Cooking With a Plan... That Is Smart!

Cooking with a plan is so much more rewarding than trying to come up with meal ideas on a whim. My family has found great enjoyment in using the Cooksmarts meal planning website for our weekly meals this past month. We've made the most flavorable meals we've ever shared as a family in our very own kitchen.

Here's how we've incorporated Cooksmarts into our family meal routine. 

I set aside one day a week (typically Saturdays) to review the upcoming CookSmarts recipes. Once I review the upcoming recipes, I select the meals that I would like to cook for the upcoming week. If there are specific meals that I know that my family will strongly oppose, I search through CookSmarts archives to find a recipe that I know my family will be receptive of based on the list of ingredients and after reviewing the comments of Cooksmarts users that have made the recipe and had success with it.

Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry

Once I have selected the meals that I plan to cook, I use CookSmarts grocery list builder to check off the ingredients that I already have in my kitchen. Next, I request that the list be emailed to my email address. It’s that simple!

I’ve been taking advantage of my local grocery store’s 24-hour store hour schedule and have been getting my grocery shopping done before my family even gets out of bed in the morning. The only people that grace the aisles in the wee hours of the morning are the employees stocking shelves. I’ve found myself grabbing items that have just arrived off the truck!

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche with Rice Crust

The one difference that I can see in dinnertime since joining CookSmarts is the excitement at our kitchen table to try something different. I can say that every meal that we’ve tried thus far has been full of flavor. My oldest has also found such joy in helping me in the kitchen. She will typically take on the starch or the salad that is part of the meal and make it all by herself using the step-by--step instructions from the CookSmart website. We also appreciate the set of Preparation instructions that are provided with each and every recipe. If I have time to prep ingredients (i.e., chopping onions, marinated the meat, etc.), I take care of doing this preparation when time permits and this cuts down on cooking time.

CookSmarts has my family’s vote for meal planning!