Just In Time! Family Meal Planning Challenge!

There are many of you out there who completely agree that meal planning is a good idea, but there are those of you who struggle to actually do it. When I started meal planning years ago, we noticed a dramatically different change for the better not just in our in our grocery budget but in our family meal times.

Still, sometimes it isn’t always easy.  Each family goes through different periods of time where things in life happen and our routines change. Meal Planning can be flexible for your family. If you’ve never meal planned or started meal planning and gave up, here’s a way to get inspired to give it another try.

Just Do It! Family Meal Planning Challenge

 No more stressing out at 5pm  about what to eat. No more compromise meals that are only sort of healthy because you weren’t thinking ahead enough to make something truly wholesome and nourishing. No more last-minute expenses for things you’ve run out of that so easily blow your budget.

The 6-Week Just In Time! Family Meal Planning Challenge

Just In Time! was inspired by rummaging through some old cookbooks, new cookbooks and some of my favorite family recipes. I had already been brainstorming on the idea of a challenge that helped to inspire us to meal plan, by coming up with 15-minute meal plans that are just as tasty but cook faster, 30-minute meal plans to get in and out of the kitchen and 60-minute meal plans for those nights where we just want to enjoy a lazy day when you actually can spend more time in the kitchen.

The basic idea? To encourage and help each other as we plan out regular, weekly meal plans for our families.

The goals? To serve healthier more enjoyable foods to our family, reduce our grocery budgets, and put meals on the table with a smile.

Since this is only a weekly event, we’ll do it for 42 days, or 6 weeks.

How does the challenge work?

Every Monday morning, you can expect to come to Noel’s Kitchen Tips to find my own meal plan for the week, including recipe links and one new recipe each week. (I’ll have my links up on the home page.)

There will also be a link up, for all those who blog and want to share their own meal plans. For those who don’t, this will also be a great place for you to find menu inspiration and new recipes to add to your family collection!

Ways to get involved and be a part of this challenge:

:: Join our Facebook group, Family Meals Matter Cooking Club, where we will be sharing recipes, meal ideas, inspiration, encouragement, our own progress updates and more. To join, just click on this link and near the top of the page, click on Like to Join Group.

:: Use the Twitter hashtag #mealplan to join in at any time with other challenge participants. We’ll share recipes and ideas, let each other how we’re doing, and just chat about simple and family-friendly meals in general.

:: For all bloggers, share your meal plan every Monday and join the link up here at Noel’s Kitchen Tips. This will happen every Monday, starting January 30th, and go for the whole 6 weeks of the challenge. If you’re lacking inspiration and ideas, this will be the perfect place to visit every Monday!

As we get ready…

Remember, the point of this challenge is to help and encourage you in this challenge to meal plan. And PLEASE, don’t hesitate to share your struggles. We all have them.

Make sure to check back later next week, as I will be sharing some helpful resources for learning how to meal plan, different methods of meal planning, places to find wholesome and family-friendly recipes and more.

And the week after that? Monday, January 30th, we’ll get cracking. I’m excited to do this with you!

So, who’s with me? Are you ready to tackle this 6-week Just In Time! menu planning challenge?