MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT:

This week, we are excited to announce some changes taking place within the 3in30 Challenge!!

New Face: Ashley will be stepping away from 3in30 at the end of this month, and Aurie, from Our Good Life, is going to be the face behind the 3in30 Challenge beginning June 1st!!

New Place: Though the current 3in30 Challenge blog will remain “visible” through the end of June, there will not be any new content added after June 1st. Weekly linkups will be taking place at Our Good Life beginning June 1st!!

{Ashley will share more about this change on Wednesday.}

We want to encourage you to encourage others this week through our link up – make sure to stop by at least one other blog that is listed below in the link up and share the love!

{For those new to the 3in30 Challenge, we have a weekly linkup that goes live on Fridays at 8am ET and continues through Monday at 7am ET. If you don’t have a blog, or don’t want to post on your blog, feel free to just comment on the linkup post with your progress for the week!}

How are you doing with your May goals?

Remember that PROGRESS, not PERFECTION, is the definition of SUCCESS!!

How Do You Link Up?

1. Write a blog post sharing your goal progress, and add the direct link to your post (not your blog’s home page) below. OR, use the comment section on this post to share your goal progress!
2. Comment on at least the person above you in the link up, and encourage them!

Looking to stay connected?

1. Subscribe to the blog.
2. Add the 3in30 button to your blog.
3. “Like” the 3in30 Challenge Facebook Page
4. Follow @3n30 on Twitter

Got questions? We’d love to hear them! Email us: 3in30 (at) ashleypichea (dot) com

Related posts:

Sitting down to eat is such an important part of the day.  It is the place families get to talk, to connect, to bond.  However, if I could hire out one thing in my busy life, it would be the planning of what we eat.

In the words of Brian Tracy, it is the “frog” I must eat every week.

I do not like it at all, but over the course of 17 years of marriage and a good foundation from my mother {who was a master menu planner}, I have learned a few things that I would love to share with you.

Planning is EVERYTHING.

I put my menu planning and grocery list on my weekly schedule.  On the day it must be done, I don’t do anything until it is complete.

When we don’t have a plan it is so easy to just go grab a burger.  I love a good burger, but when we do that it blows 2 important things in my family’s life:  our budget and our healthy eating.

So I do not negotiate my menu planning day.  I schedule it in and if that is all I get done, then I tell myself it has been a successful day!

Use a PRE-MADE FORM.

You can find free menu forms in lots of places on the internet, but I use an easy, basic form I made on excel that has columns for Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner and Extra column for things like taking dinner to someone or a baked good to church.

With my extra column, when I go to make my grocery list, I am sure to remember what I need from the store from any extra commitments I have made.

A form helps you see at a glance what you will be making on any given day.

For me, I hang my menu form on my fridge and the first thing I do in the morning is glance at it and see what I need to take from the freezer, what I can pre-make while the children are starting school.  This goes back to planning and being prepared.  When I have my menu in mind and have things thawing out, I am a whole lot less likely to succumb to a really good burger or Chinese take-out.

Make a LIST of everything your family loves for you to cook.

This is my most favorite tip I can give you.

When I am making my menu and feel pressed for time, my mind goes blank and I cannot remember anything we like to eat. That is when this little list becomes my biggest helper! It is a running list I keep in my household notebook that I add to when we find something new we love.

It takes a little time to sit down and make it, but it is so worth the effort in the end.

I pull it out and start filling in my form, it almost feels too easy…brainless you might say.  It makes menu planning so much smoother and easier!  Give it a try!

TRY SOMETHING NEW

Always be looking for new recipes.  Cooking the same thing over and over again eventually leads to boredom for everyone, but especially the cook.

Try a new recipe once a week.

If you don’t want to buy a cookbook, there are many great food websites.  Use Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook.  Ask people what they are having for breakfast or dinner or their favorite kid friendly snack.  You would be surprised how willing people are to share what they love and you end up with a new family favorite!  Your local library always has new cookbooks available, that way you can look through it and see if it is worth the investment.

Get your KIDS INVOLVED.

I often ask one of my children to plan the meals for a whole day.  They help me add to the grocery list what is needed.  Then, when that day rolls around they help in the kitchen the entire day preparing food.  This gives you quality time with your children, as well as, teaches them how to plan a menu and cook.  What fun!

Menu planning is so important in the life of a family and I believe one of the biggest jobs a mom does.  I hope these tips will help you become more successful as you plan!

Related posts:

Many of us have mentioned cooking more at home as one of our goals.

No beef about it {pun intended}, it’s just something that helps your family save money.

Besides its frugality, I love that cooking at home is also a great way to bring your family together.

Growing up, I can remember loving dinner time (partly because I was a little food junkie, and partly because it meant daddy was home from work and our whole family was together).

But, knowing all these great things doesn’t make cooking at home or planning a menu any easier.

Here are some tips to help you in trying to achieve this goal:

Photo Credit

start small:

if this is your first time planning menus, plan one week’s worth of meals and shopping at a time. If you know you’re going to have something that will carry over for the next week, just right it down somewhere you will remember it for next week. Focus on week-sized chunks until you feel really comfortable, and then you can add two weeks and a month!

include easy meals:

no matter how long you’ve planned menus or been cooking at home, this is smart to do. Give yourself at least one or two meals a week that are easy to put together. Doing this helps keep you from getting frustrated, and helps set yourself up for menu planning success. Here are some ideas: spaghetti and salad, chili with ground turkey and beans, sloppy joes with sweet potato fries, chicken tacos, etc.

cook once, eat twice:

this is where menu planning really starts to save you time and energy. Plan your meals so that you cook once, and then can eat from that cooking at least one more time. Here are some examples: cook a big pot of ground meat (beef, chicken, or turkey), and then use it later in the week for spaghetti, tacos, and hamburger pizza; serve differenty types of steamed vegetables throughout a week, save the leftovers, and use them to make a delicious soup with vegetables; roast a chicken for Sunday lunch with lots of sides (potatoes, salad, bread, etc), shred the leftovers and use them for chicken tacos and chicken enchiladas!

cook large, eat small:

this might not work as well for those of you with large families (unless you want to do a BIG batch of cooking!), but something I’m trying to do with our family of three when I make casseroles is to use recipes that call for a 9×13 pan, and then split it into two 8×8 pans. We’ll eat one, and then freeze the other. It will last over a month in the freezer, which is enough time for us to eat it again without getting sick of it! What’s so great about this is that it’s easy to make a casserole stretch by adding in extra veggies, which is even better for your family!

make sure you include family favorites at least once a week:

while you don’t want to serve the same meal over and over, do make sure you’re including your family’s favorites. This way, you’ll be more likely to enjoy the fruits of your labors, and keep doing it!

start small:

it’s easy to see elaborate recipes online that make your mouth water, but simple meals can be just as delicious. Start off with menu plans that don’t involve a lot of cooking, and then gradually build up to harder ones. During the winter when some of our favorite veggies aren’t in season, we use a lot of frozen veggies, and I love how easy they are. During the summer when produce is fresh, we make a huge salad at the beginning of the week and use it for the next few days!

plan with friends:

I can’t tell you how many times I get inspiration from my sister or friends. Plan with others, and you’ll be more likely to not only enjoy it, but to get some great tips and recipes!

utilize your slow-cooker/crockpot:

Ladies, the crockpot is one of the world’s greatest inventions. You would be amazed at the things that you can do with it. Try to plan a crockpot meal at least once a week–it makes things so much easier on you, and your house smells amazing all day long!!

Those are just a few tips for planning menus. Once you feel confident with it, you can start working on planning for longer periods of time.

What are your best tips for planning menus?

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Want some help in pursuing your menu-planning goals? Why not check out one of our sponsors: E-Meals?!? Not only do they plan meals based on your dietary needs, they include store specific menu plans that focus on sales for each week! It doesn’t get any better than that!

Related posts:

We want to encourage you to encourage others this week through our link up – make sure to stop by at least one other blog that is listed below in the link up and share the love!

{For those new to the 3in30 Challenge, we have a weekly linkup that goes live on Fridays at 8am ET and continues through Monday at 7am ET. If you don’t have a blog, or don’t want to post on your blog, feel free to just comment on the linkup post with your progress for the week!}

How are you doing with your May goals?

Remember that PROGRESS, not PERFECTION, is the definition of SUCCESS!!

How Do You Link Up?

1. Write a blog post sharing your goal progress, and add the direct link to your post (not your blog’s home page) below. OR, use the comment section on this post to share your goal progress!
2. Comment on at least the person above you in the link up, and encourage them!

Looking to stay connected?

1. Subscribe to the blog.
2. Add the 3in30 button to your blog.
3. “Like” the 3in30 Challenge Facebook Page
4. Follow @3n30 on Twitter

Got questions? We’d love to hear them! Email us: 3in30 (at) ashleypichea (dot) com

Related posts:

Since it’s Menu Planning Month on the 3in30 Challenge blog…

…we’ve been keeping our eyes out for Menu Planning Resources on Pinterest and adding them to our Food Preparation & Planning board.

Source: holyspiritledhomeschooling.net via Ashley on Pinterest	Source: artsyfartsymama.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest
Source: heartlandpaper.typepad.com via Ashley on Pinterest	Source: burtonavenue.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest
Source: thecreativemama.com via Ashley on Pinterest	Source: sugardoodle.net via Ashley on Pinterest
Source: pocketchangegourmet.com via Ashley on Pinterest	Source: 3in30.ashleypichea.com via Ashley on Pinterest

What Menu Planning Resource Pins have you found recently?

Link them up below so we can add them to our board!

Related posts:

I have recently started making my own English muffins.

I blame the internet.

After reading over and over again about The Happy Housewife makes her own English muffins, and seeing the pictures of their enticing goodness, I had to try it for myself.   Actually, it was getting tired of spending so much money on them every week that led me to experiment with making my own.

I have learned a few things amidst the clouds of flour and dust of cornmeal and would love to share them with you.  So here for you now:

What NOT to do when making your own English muffins:

Subtitle: How to get a new toaster (in 5 easy steps).

1. The recipe calls for milk.  Not having milk, deciding to use coffee-mate creamer instead.  (It wasn’t flavored, at least!)

2. Fail to read how long to cook the muffins on each side.

3. Put not completely cooked English muffins in the toaster.

4. Freeze partially cooked English muffins.  (And then put them in the toaster.)

5. Not having the right size circle cutter. (Too small and they will be impossible to get out, too big and they will yield less in the recipe.)

What does have to do with the 3in30 Challenge?

So you can see what led to the demise of my poor toaster.  But there are many lessons that I learned in this process.

• Follow a recipe.
• When in doubt, consult Google.
• Just because you can make English muffins does NOT mean that you can cook bagels.  (I have pictures.)No matter how long the process takes, or how many times you have to clean the counter, it is so worth it!  Especially when your kids fall in love with them!
• Knowing exactly what went into them is an amazing feeling!
• There is a learning curve to substituting wheat flour for some of the white.  (I am still learning.)
• Trying something new is EXCITING!

So the next time you see the same recipe (for the 100th time), tell yourself that you can do it, and you might just feel proud of yourself!  And if you are really lucky as clueless in the kitchen as I am, you might get a new toaster out of it!

Have fun!

Related posts:

We want to encourage you to encourage others this week through our link up – make sure to stop by at least one other blog that is listed below in the link up and share the love!

{For those new to the 3in30 Challenge, we have a weekly linkup that goes live on Fridays at 8am ET and continues through Monday at 7am ET. If you don’t have a blog, or don’t want to post on your blog, feel free to just comment on the linkup post with your progress for the week!}

How are you doing with your May goals?

Remember that PROGRESS, not PERFECTION, is the definition of SUCCESS!!

How Do You Link Up?

1. Write a blog post sharing your goal progress, and add the direct link to your post (not your blog’s home page) below. OR, use the comment section on this post to share your goal progress!
2. Comment on at least the person above you in the link up, and encourage them!

Looking to stay connected?

1. Subscribe to the blog.
2. Add the 3in30 button to your blog.
3. “Like” the 3in30 Challenge Facebook Page
4. Follow @3n30 on Twitter

Got questions? We’d love to hear them! Email us: 3in30 (at) ashleypichea (dot) com

Related posts:

I don’t do dinner.

Seriously – I don’t like being in the kitchen any longer than I absolutely have to, and thinking about what’s for dinner makes my head hurt {and usually results in me calling my husband to bring something home}.

So when Mystie sent me an email to tell me about her new ebook, Simplified Dinners, I almost said “no” without even looking at the link to the Simplified Dinners website.

Seriously.

But then I stopped, and I thought for a minute.

“What if I could find a way to make menu planning and meal prep less time-consuming and stressful? Maybe I need to at least take a look at the website.”

So, I hopped over to SimplifiedPantry.com thinking, “When I do cook, it’s usually just a grab-and-go-from-the-pantry meal, so this sounds like something that might work for me.”

Can I just stop and say how glad I am that I didn’t just delete that email?!?

Simplified Dinners…

…enables you to transition toward home-prepared, real, whole foods cooking—even for those less confident in the kitchen. There are no packets, boxes, or pre-prepared foods on the master pantry list, but from it you can make a wide variety of dinners, breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. It truly is a sufficient list. And it’s basic. You don’t need to shop at fancy grocery boutiques to eat good, natural, normal food. You can make it with the stuff any standard discount grocery store sells. This is real-food cooking for normal people on a budget. {taken from SimplifiedPantry.com}

Let’s see…

Home-prepared? Well, as long as it’s easy, I guess I can try it.

Real, whole food? Yes, please! {Can I just tell you how gross eating take-out all the time makes me feel?}

Cooking on budget? My bank account will love me! {Especially after the hit it’s taken with my fast food habits.}

What do I have to lose??

The eBook

Simplified Dinners has a Master Pantry List {and I can get everything on it at Aldi – my favorite pantry re-stocking store!!} with all the ingredients you’ll need to make the dishes in the ebook.

Each chapter starts with a super easy and basic step-by-step “how-to” for each generic recipe, followed by variations that will change up the flavors, creating a brand new dish.

For example, on the “Marinades for Grilling or Broiling or Pan-frying” page, there is a five step “how-to” guide for marinading, followed by 12 varieties of marinades you can try, resulting in 12 different dinners {or more if you vary your meat of choice}. And that’s just ONE chapter of this amazing ebook!

Check it out for yourself…

Head over to SimplifiedPantry.com and scroll down to “Get Real, Get Healthy, Get Basic, Get Frugal”. You’ll see a blue link to “master pantry list” – click on it and download a sample chapter {including the master pantry list and table of contents} for FREE!

Enter the Giveaway

Mystie has offered to giveaway one copy of Simplified Dinners to one of you!!

Simply enter, using the form below {if you don’t see the form, please visit the blog to enter} and help spread the word about this amazing giveaway using the sharing buttons on the left-hand side of the blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Disclosure: I received a free copy of Simplified Dinners in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

*A

Related posts:

I don’t know about you, but if I don’t have a plan in place, I have a really difficult time figuring out what to feed my family every night for dinner!

I’ve tried a number of different methods for meal planning–everything from the cooking for 30 days plan to detailed computer programs to just writing out my own list of ideas at the beginning of each week. Some of these I’ve had better luck with than others.

This past fall, however, I found a plan that I have since used consistently. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard or seen something about it, but I’m going to tell you again!

eMeals.com is a website that gives you complete meal plans each week, including a complete shopping list for $5 a month. One of the great things about eMeals is that there are many different types of meal plans to choose from. You can pick by specific store, family size, low-fat, low-carb, natural and organic, portion control, vegetarian, and more.

Here are the goals of the creators of eMeals for their subscribers (from the website):

Intentional living first involves setting goals. The goals become a plan when the plan is written and consistent. In comes eMeals! Here are the goals we have set~

Goal #1: Spending time with your family

Goal #2: Save time and money

Goal #3: Serve delicious food

Goal #4: Save yourself from multiple and last minute trips to the grocery store

Goal #5: Stare at your children across from the dinner table rather than into the pantry looking for a dinner idea

Goal #6: Lose weight without preparing separate meals for the family. (Every meal plan is designed to be family friendly, even the weight management plans!

Right now I am using the Any-Store Family Plan, but I’ve also tried the Wal-Mart plan, the low-fat plan, and the Aldi’s plan. There have been weeks when I knew a meal wouldn’t work well for my family, but since I keep past weeks’ plans stored in a notebook, I have been able to pick a replacement meal.

I’ve only come across maybe 1 or 2 recipes that my family hasn’t particularly liked, but overall the recipes have tasted very good. And my family has appreciated the variety in our dinner meals. I have appreciated the pre-made shopping lists, and the knowledge that dinner is already planned.

Now, if I could only remember to pull the necessary meats out of the freezer, everything would be perfect!

eMeals has just released a brand new Clean Eating meal plan, and you can save 10% off through 5/17/12 when you use the code “CLEAN” at checkout.

Related posts:

We want to encourage you to encourage others this week through our link up – make sure to stop by at least one other blog that is listed below in the link up and share the love!

{For those new to the 3in30 Challenge, we have a weekly linkup that goes live on Fridays at 8am ET and continues through Monday at 7am ET. If you don’t have a blog, or don’t want to post on your blog, feel free to just comment on the linkup post with your progress for the week!}

Share your May Goals with us!!

How Do You Link Up?

1. Write a blog post sharing your goal progress, and add the direct link to your post (not your blog’s home page) below. OR, use the comment section on this post to share your goal progress!
2. Comment on at least the person above you in the link up, and encourage them!

Looking to stay connected?

1. Subscribe to the blog.
2. Add the 3in30 button to your blog.
3. “Like” the 3in30 Challenge Facebook Page
4. Follow @3n30 on Twitter

Got questions? We’d love to hear them! Email us: 3in30 (at) ashleypichea (dot) com

Related posts: