About a month ago now, Rob suggested that we start planning our meals a little more ahead of time. I resisted strongly but agreed to give it a shot. I am now totally in love with the idea. I believe that Karen said, when I told her this story, that I’m a highly ‘routined’ person. I think it’s possible that she's correct but I don’t feel like I’m very ‘routine’. I usually resist actually, much like I resisted Rob’s suggestion. What I have been finding though, is that when I impose a bit of routine on myself, my world is more relaxed and more efficient and in general I think I’m happier. My brain is chaotic enough. Without the routine it just goes all to pieces.
So – back to the meal plan. Here’s what we’ve been doing. Sometime on the weekend, usually on Sunday, we plan out the dinners for the week. Dinners usually make enough leftovers for lunch so we’re good for lunch plus an odd sandwich here and there. Then, we go grocery shopping and buy what we need to make those meals plus a few extras for breakfast and snacks etc. So far, I’ve found that I have been getting more variety, eating more enjoyable meals, and getting dinner on the table faster than before. I’ve been using these two sites as inspiration: Dinner Daily and Epicurious (just yesterday though, they changed the site and now I can't find the BA Easy Week link I normally use). Also, Rob and I get an organic vegetable box delivered every other week, so the meals are sometimes based around what came in the box.
I also thought that it might be fun – if I can add it into my routine – to post about the meal plan. So, this here’s my first go at it. The meal plan for this week:
Wednesday – Green pea soup with mint and yogurt, fresh baked bread
Thursday – Bean quesadillas, salad with cucumber and avocado (haven’t decided on the dressing yet), boiled corn on the cob
Friday – Breaded and sautéed haddock, steamed rice with basil, some veggie yet to be decided
Saturday – Dinner at Dan and Carolyn’s
Sunday – Barbequed chicken thighs with ‘Canadian Club’ BBQ sauce, grilled eggplant, bread, and salad
Talk to you soon,
B.
1 comment:
I'd like to start doing something similar. I think that we'd eat/take out less, eat more nutritiously, and get more variety, all of which are benefits of more than just pasta and sauce in the pantry. I was just thinking about putting in a grocery gateway order for staples so that the pantry is already well stocked. I'd even like to cook ahead of time and have stuff in the freezer to just plop in the slow-cooker or oven.
And I think that I, too, would enjoy the freedom that the routine would afford.
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