Meal planning

I am not one that enjoys picking up someone else's idea, I find that most things "don't fit" and require way too much tailoring in order to "fit" so I tend to make things up on my own.

I returned to work this fall and had to choose a path for meal planning. I didn't like the idea of having to shop for everything on Sunday, and with our current climate, we try to reduce our shopping trips as much as possible. I also like a lot of variety in my food. I have discovered that cooking is an area where I get to be creative. You would think as a teacher that I would not be looking for more outlets for creativity. 

We grocery shop about every 14 days, give or take a few days with the odd top up here and there. I have a pretty good handle of what is in my cupboard at any given moment, and with years of practice I have a decent eye for what makes a good recipe. I also DO NOT USE COOKBOOKS. I apologize to the cookbook fanatics and authors out there, but why on earth would I use such an antiquated medium when I am exhausted and can plunk in "chicken thighs, rice, brussel sprouts recipe" to google and have a plethora of amazing ideas at my finger tips. 

I find that if I know which "meat" I'll be preparing that is a big part of the battle. I also have two meatless meals per week, this started as another opportunity to be creative, but has turned into our favourite meals for the week.

I started with a master list. I wrote down all of our tried-and-true go-to favourites. I just wrote them down, nothing fancy. Then I wrote down the options for "carbs" because we can have soba noodles, quinoa, lentils, ramen, and pulse-based pastas. Then I wrote down soak overnight: brown rice. Soak your rice people, it's a game changer. And if you've been a long time rice soaker, why didn't you tell me sooner?!  

I have a chore chart (mostly so I don't forget to water my plants), and when I went back to work I gave the hubster the bathroom cleaning in exchange for a night where I sit down and plot out the meals. Really what I do is write down which protein we are having and whether or not I need to soak rice. Then I think on what I'm craving and maybe have a look at the weather. 

My mom lives with us, and a few times she has bailed me out by texting me "I saw we were having chicken thighs so I took them out of the freezer for you" and I don't know how many times I have text her back to start soaking that dang rice. Ha. Thanks mom. But it's helpful. And there are a few days a week where the hubster works from home and he will cover my butt too so long as the menu is up for the week. They both have told me how much excitement they get from the meal plan. And they contribute. I will ask for suggestions, why on earth would I do it alone? What do you like eating - make that. 

I've been at this since August, and yes, I have had weeks where I slipped and didn't make a plan, and my mom and the hubster picked up the slack. But I sat down and wrote those weeks out because, get ready - I have 8 weeks of meal plans ready to go into rotation. Or in my case, a library to choose from because why would I repeat a week - that's just not me. But it can be you for just $8.99 plus shipping and handling. Just kidding, I took a terrible picture and attached it below. 

It's just another idea for the weary chef who shares the meme:

Image from ifunny.co

I especially like the "until you die", it's literally a life sentence. 

With this meal planning, I also decided that I would no longer cook on Saturday nights. I felt it was my earned day off. You'll notice the first few weeks I wrote "clean the fridge" but we never had leftovers (took them all for lunch) so it turned into my 2 year old son saying "Oh no! Skip the dishes!" Recently the hubster has stepped up and is giving vegan cooking a crack and so far it has all been drool worthy, I mean vegan lasagna with cashew ricotta and mozzarella, give that man an award. And now, my mom has offered to take Fridays - I still plan it but she cooks it. We collaborate on it. Tomorrow it's tuna croquettes with spinach greek salad, I'm salivating thinking of it. 

fancy meal planning layout

These are my notes. You'll notice there is nothing fancy about them. This notepad was from a dear friend I worked with while consulting. Eat. Pray. Hustle. That was our motto 😅.

Let me know if you use this, or want any of the recipes - google is a click away. It might be tricky to get your hands on deer and moose meat, you may need a Possession Acquisition License and a father-in-law that puts your husbands name in the draws. Beef will substitute well for that. 

Stay blessed,

Kara