Hey friends!

We are happy to announce that Sarah is back!!!

Here is a quick update from Sarah:

For the past 7 months, I have stepped out of Meal Planning Mommies to focus on my family. Some of you are aware of the journey that my family has been on for the past 4 years, but many of you are not. We began the process to adopt a little girl from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2012 and she finally came home this past March. The past 7 months have been full of transition. Our newest daughter is 5 and came home in March speaking fluent French. Her little world was turned upside down coming into a new culture, home and family. In order to make sure that I was being the best momma I could, I had to step back from other responsibilities and from Meal Planning Mommies. I come back into the blog with so much gratitude for Alisha as she has carried the weight of Meal Planning Mommies by herself for so long. I am excited to tell you that gluten free meal plans are coming back once a month as well as a few other little surprises! Glad to be back!

What’s coming up on Meal Planning Mommies. . .

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in our survey! It was great to get your feedback and hear what you like, don’t like, and what you would like to see more of. The results of the survey were encouraging and they provided fresh inspiration and clearer direction as we brainstormed possibilities for the blog. We were together this weekend, planning the future of Meal Planning Mommies, and we are excited to let you in on some of the things we are cooking up.

Here are some of things you have to look forward to in the next few months:

Recipe key icons that will be at the top of each recipe to make it clear which ones are Vegetarian, gluten free, quick and easy, slow cooker and freezer friendly. You will start to notice at the top of each recipe that there will be colorful icons that let you know when the recipe falls in any of these categories. Here is what they will look like:

We will also include the number of smart points per serving for the recipe at the top using an icon that looks like this:
More engagement on Facebook. We’re going to be throwing some questions out there on Facebook so we can get to know you better, encourage community, gather new ideas, and help one another. If you haven’t “liked” us on Facebook make sure to do that here.
“Soul food”. Almost half of you who took the survey said you would like to see more encouragement posts. We will be sharing “Food for the Soul” posts from time to time. We will be calling those tidbits “Soul Food”.
More giveaways. We have a fun, little giveaway coming up tomorrow and really special giveaway coming up in a couple of weeks! Here’s a little hint: It will give you a little spring in your step.
“Style your Table”. Sarah will be sharing some tips and ideas you can use to decorate your dinner tables, get your kids involved and add a little extra fun to your dinner time.
One Weight Watcher friendly meal plan and one Gluten Free meal plan each month.
More smart point lists.
More recipes.