MEAL PLANNING

I have always been pretty good about cooking. With the exception of the weekends, we typically have always eaten at home. Then came the busyness (*that word always looks so wrong to me*) of this past summer. With 2 weeks of being gone on vacation, and the following weeks spending late nights working on the house, and then moving....I got off track. And for some reason, I never quite got back on it. These last few months have been the most I've not cooked in our entire marriage. 

A couple weeks ago, I started writing out a meal plan. I figured maybe if I wrote it down then I'd be better about actually doing it. I got a cute little calendar with notes on each page, perfect for writing out the grocery list. That Saturday I sat down to write the first 2 weeks of plans. 

5 1/2 hours later I was done.

5 1/2!! There has got to be an easier way! Some of that time was spent finding recipes (I think a lot of the problem with not getting back on track with cooking is because I am sick of just meat and veggies all the time) and then writing the things I needed for each recipe, and then organizing all that into a grocery list. It's time to make the next 2 weeks menu, and I am planning on working a little each night on it so it doesn't eat so much of one day! Although specific recipes usually cause us to spend more than usual at the grocery store, it has been fun cooking and trying new recipes.

And it has worked so far! I've cooked every night this last week and even cooked the whole weekend! I think it definitely keeps me from backing out when there's already a plan. Written in stone guys. =)

How many of you make a meal plan? Have you found a more efficient way? What are some recipes I should include (preferably PALEO)?