Meal planning - take 2

Life has been completely chaotic for the past 7 months. Zachary is now old enough to start eating solid foods with us at the table. Since we are doing baby-led weaning with him, the meals that we eat as a family have to be healthy enough for him as well. Abigail is also starting preschool, swimming lessons and possibly gymnastics next month so a little bit more planning is needed now. So here is what I do.

I gather my monthly calendar (which keeps track of all our appointments and activities), notebook (where each page is good for 2 weeks), grocery list pad, erasable pens, and cookbooks/iPad for recipe ideas. I only plan for 5/6 meals a week since we visit our parents often. I also have jotted down on our plan foods that Zachary will have. By doing a couple weeks at a time, I ensure that we get a good variety of proteins. We tend to stick with favorite meals but if we have the time some day, we try a new recipe. Or we let Abigail pick a picture from amongst the books. 

Since we purchased a large upright freezer recently, we are able to stock up on free range/local meats and wild seafood at a great price. There is still 2.5 months left of our farm share. Our weekly grocery list is very very simple and consists mostly of fruit and dairy. And since we also just got a brand new fridge, produce is lasting more than a day or so so we have less waste. 

For lunches, we either do leftovers or I visit other websites for ideas

http://onceamonthmom.com/

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/

http://www.momables.com/

How do you meal plan? Let me know!