Meal Planning 101

You've been on the brink, I know.  I told you I'd write about meal planning, and it's been a while.  Sorry for the terrible suspense!

Meal planning is a HUGE help in making trips to the grocery store easier.  It also eases a lot of mental anguish around meal times.  As another plus, food does not go to waste, unused and rotting in the depths of your fridge.  You'll know exactly what you have and where it's going.

Over the last several years, I've switched up my meal planning strategies to keep things livened up.  Sometimes I have assigned every day of the week a "theme", if you will, and continued the themes for a month or two at a time.  Example:  Monday - Mexican, Tuesday - Italian, Wednesday - Soup,  Thursday - Sandwich, etc.  So the four Mondays of the month could be burritos, enchiladas, posole, and nachos.  I really love to cook and try different foods, so I like to throw in several nights a month for a new cuisine.  We'll have Greek, Arabic, Australian, or German recipes on occassion. 

That method doesn't always go exactly as planned, because sometimes I have something time consuming planned on a night that just isn't working out right.  So here's my new method:

1.  Meal list.  Easy as that.  On the computer I have a document entitled "Fave Meals".  On it, I list the things we like to eat.  If I try a new recipe and like it a lot, it goes on the list, along with the source for where I got it.  Recipes we don't like don't make it on the chart.   It started simple:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinners.  It has grown to sections you'd find in a cook book: Chicken, Rice Dishes, Salads, Sandwiches, Soups, Eggs, etc.  This is just a simple reference list I can quickly skim over and see things we like that maybe we haven't eaten in a while.

2.  Group.  Sometimes I like to make a huge pot of rice on Monday, and then have 3 rice base meals throughout the week.  Italian tomatoe risotto, Hawaiian BBQ Pineapple, Japanese Spicy Stir fry, Mexican Beans and Rice, Mediteranean Oiive and Feta Rice, etc.   Since brown rice takes a lot of time to boil, I've essentially saved myself 2 extra hours that week.  If I make a quiche, I'll double the dough recipe and make a pot pie the same week.  A big batch of beans can be soaked and cooked for chili, baked beans, or refried beans.   When I plan meals intentionally using parts of other meals, it makes my cooking go a lot easier.

3.  Get help.  Ask your husband what he wants to eat that week, or share your meal list with him and let him pick some things.  My seven year old daughter has really taken a fondness to cooking.  She loves picking out meals she can make for the family.  She's especially adept at biscuits and gravy, since she can make it almost entirely by herself.   Ask friends what they're eating this week and have them email you the recipe. 

4.  Create your calendar.  I do two weeks worth of meals at a time, with at least 2 nights being Leftover Buffet.  I don't assign specific days to specific meals anymore, because my mood and time allotments often change. Another tip:  put foods using quickly perishable things at the beginning of the week.   I'm famous for buying cilantro and then having it all black and slimy when I get around to using it.  So now I'll write something like "1st" to indicate using that recipe during the first week.  And a chicken pot pie using frozen vegetables can be the very last meal of the cycle, so I'll write "last" by it.

I just make a list for each meal like so:

Breakfast:  toast, eggs, cantaloup

                hot cereal, bananas

                pancakes, fruit smoothies

                bagels, apples

Lunch:     tuna sandwiches

               spaghetti

               PB&J,  oranges

               ants on a log, mac 'n cheese

Dinner:    homemade pizza  (3 pm start dough)

               almond carrot pilaf on spinach (4 pm)

               tortilla soup  (5 pm)

              grilled chicken and asparagus (4:30 pm)

HERE IS MY SUPER DUPER SECRET WEAPON!!!!

See those times next to dinner selection?   Starting at those times gives me a regular 5:30 pm dinner time.  I just go to my menu board when I'm good and ready, and see what meals I can prepare in the time I have.  We don't always eat at 5:30, and sometimes when I only have 15 minutes I'll resort to grilled cheese and tomato soup.  But it's a good guideline.   I don't feel like I'm completely rushed at dinner time.

Best suggestion:  Get a white board!  I have a huge one with a calendar and place for notes and a cork board part.  My notes section is divided into 4 parts:  Menu, Shopping list,  To Do, and Notes.  When I can easily see everything at a glance, check off meals I've already made, write down groceries I need, and schedule events, I'm a much happier mommy.  Get one!  It's worth your money.