Planning a baking/meal day in your week is a wonderful way to make homemade goodies and make memories. Start using one of your days in your week that you haven't any appointments in and mark it as a cozy bake day. In your planner, a week in advance and before your grocery day, write down some ideas you want to make on that day such as: breads, cookies, pies, and any meals you want to prepare and freeze in advance for one of the busier days in your week.
There are several benefits to baking your own food--
- Good Ingredients: In my bread recipe it is as simple as flour, yeast, water, and honey. I have been making this bread recipe since I was fifteen years old and is tried and true. Click here for my recipe of homemade bread at Planner Perfect Meals. It rises high and is perfect for sandwiches, buttered with a drizzle of honey, or toast with your eggs in the morning. Nothing beats homemade bread coming out the oven.
- Create wonderful memories. Don't underestimate the memories from smells and aromas in your kitchen. Your children will take this with them forever and will feel the love as hot goodies come out of the oven. Click for my recipe of chocolate chips and m&m. It is sure to please.
- Teaching children in the kitchen. Believe me, I have a lot of children and sometimes too many little ones in the kitchen can be more problematic than a memory maker. I tweaked it to ensure a less hectic baking experience. Examples of this might include: allowing one child to do the eggs and the other is in charge of unwrapping the butter, or one is in charge of the pinch of salt and the other stirring the batter. Figure out what works best for you and you will have a wonderful time with them in the kitchen. Not to mention there is a lot to be learned in the kitchen and you just might find you have a budding chef or baker in your family!
- Saves money. Homemade meals are always easier on your wallet than processed. I like to bake 4 loaves each week and that is perfect for our family of 9. I write down in my planner my menu for the week and all I want to bake and create on my baking day. This ensures I have everything I'll need when I get started and saves me time and money.
Plan to have fun in your kitchen...you will be glad you did.
Labels: meal planning
