We've been planning out our meals for the week for a while now. I know V in his article last week made it sound like it's a new thing but it isn't. It's been going on for over a year. It started out of desperation. With both of us working it was too tiring to come home and decide what to have for dinner. We would never have anything thawed and ended up going to the grocery store multiple times a week. I finally got fed up with it. We took a dry erase board with magnets on the back that had been floating around and turned it into the menu board. I sit down each weekend- usually Saturday, and plan out the weeks evening meals. I generally take stock of what we have on hand, what needs used and what we have going on. Certain nights need quick fixes because we have places to be (Tuesdays) and some nights can take longer because we don't eat until later (Mondays). Here is this week's plan:
Monday- Meatless Monday- Veggie stir fry with tofu over rice- Happy New Year of the Ox!
Tuesday- Chili and cornbread (I11 can have chicken soup due to oral surgery earlier in the day)
Wednesday- Couscous with chicken and veggies (We use chicken sparingly- just to add flavor)
Thursday- Kniep (a family recipe- basically broth with egg dumplings in it)
Friday- Homemade pizza
By planning ahead I know what I need to get out to thaw or other prep work I need to do in advance. For example, I put beans on to soak this morning before I left for work so I can par cook them tonight ready for the crockpot for chili tomorrow. I can also plan to use leftovers later in the week as a new incarnation.
My sanity is in much firmer a grasp since we started planning ahead. It also saves me having to answer 'WHAT'S FOR DINNER?' 4 times each day (one for V and one for each child)!
Somehow weekly menu planning is something I've never been able to get down.... I do prep in the weekend for the week (baking, mass batch of beans, etc) but during the week it is pretty much "grab a veg that needs to be eaten from storage soon and figure out a meal from that". Yeah, kind of haphazard, I know.
ReplyDeleteYou really have made it work, which I admire. The dry erase board is a great tool, I have a huge one in my kitchen and one in my office. Even though its just me, its a way to keep things organized and then sort of feel calmer about everything, knowing there is some order/system in place. The sanity factor is a strong one!
I need to get back in the habit of weekly meal planning - a dry erase board is a good idea!
ReplyDeleteKris
I cooked couscous for a first the other day. It was ok I think because I did not do much to beef it up.
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