Meal Planning Tips

A meal plan is like a life vest in the middle of the storm.  You hate it, and it doesn't look good on you, but you really can't live without it--no matter how many swimming lessons you've had in the past.

We all muddle through weeks without a meal plan, turning tacos into taco-salad when we realize we are out of tortillas and watching perfectly good veggies rot in a drawer because we don't have the right things for stir-fry.  But eventually we realize that we don't have a chef on staff and it's time to sit down and actually think about meal time.  I know, I hate it too.

But I have gleaned a few tips you might find helpful as you make a plan.  First, I never sit down until I've poked my head into the fridge and have figured out what needs to be used up in the next couple of days.  The average American family throws away $2,000 worth of unused food every year.  I don't know about you, but I'd rather make a plan to use up the eggplant and put the money saved into my someday-I'll-actually-get-to-Hawaii fund.  Then I make a meal plan around those foods.

Variety is the spice of life, but it's a pain in the rear when you walk in the door at 6:00 every night and have to psych yourself up to get your cooking groove on and tackle a new recipe.  So make a basic plan such as:  Monday is Italian, Tuesday is Mexican, Wednesday is Oriental, Thursday is American, etc.  Fill it in with your family favorites in each category.  If you have more than one favorite for each category, then rotate them based on what you already have so that your shopping list isn't ginormous.  If you want to try a new eggplant Parmesan recipe, then schedule it on Italian night when you normally cook spaghetti.  And don't over-schedule.  If you know you will eat out at least once a week, then plan for it.

Yes, you have to schedule one leftover night (remember the Hawaii fund).  If your family hates leftovers, then turn the leftovers into a soup night.  Soups are versatile and can make use of almost any leftover unless you make lots of casseroles--then it's impossible to camouflage it as anything but leftovers.  I like to make cookies or a great dessert on leftover night so my family has incentive to eat the recycled stuff.

I like extra touches that make your meals feel a little special, but I always seem to plan the main dish and then I completely space-out buying the side items that really make it a meal.  So I made a list, using my categories, of side items that I like to have around.  Check out my example below. 

Mexican Night:  Saffron rice, Sangria, sliced avocado.
Italian Night:  Garlic bread, salad, sparkling cider
Oriental Night: Miso soup with tofu, egg rolls, fresh ginger
Grilling Night: French fries, asparagus

You'll notice that my Mexican side items will go with tacos, fajitas, nachos, tamales, or enchiladas.  I can switch my main dish around without having to change the sides.   Then I add those to my shopping list with the main dish ingredients and I'm ready to hit the grocery store.