Monday, August 2, 2010

Re-Attempting Meal Planning

Before Josey was born, I was pretty organized when it came to dinner. I would plan my meals 1-2 weeks in advance, check the pantry, freezer, and refrigerator for ingredients, and pick up whatever else I needed. However, since my bouncing baby girl arrived, I’ve been a failure at meal planning. More than I’d like to admit, I’ve had to ask my husband to bring home burgers or tacos, usually on the nights I teach piano lessons. But now I’m trying to go back to being more organized, especially since we’re trying to live a more natural/organic lifestyle.

Writing out a meal plan saves time and money. If you know what you’re going to prepare, you can easily defrost your meat and prep your veggies in advance. You also don’t have to run to the store every day for those missing ingredients. It also helps you see what food you’ll be eating so you don’t have similar items scheduled too close together. This will help keep your menus fresh and exciting. Every week I try to rotate in a new recipe, and I’m working on a creating a master list of menus so I don’t have to search my brain every time Monday rolls around.

This week’s menu plan is:
Monday – Season hamburger patties; Corn, okra, and tomato stew; and brown rice
Tuesday – Chicken enchilada chili
Wednesday – Pork meatloaf, potato wedges, and peas
Thursday – Beef rump roast with carrots and onions, and noodles
Friday – Chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and broccoli
Saturday – Once a week treat to eat out
Sunday – Grilled steaks and pork chops, grilled corn, and baked potatoes

I admit that I flinched at the chicken nuggets and mac and cheese since they really aren’t natural, organic, or healthy, but we do have them on hand, and they don’t need to go to waste.

I never plan breakfast or lunch. We usually have homemade bread or cereal for breakfast, and sometimes Michael eats the previous night’s dinner leftovers. For lunch, Michael packs leftovers or eats with his co-workers and I eat a sandwich or go out with my mom.
The meatloaf recipe will hopefully follow in a couple days. It is a family favorite.

1 comment:

  1. You sound just like me, and I'm a redhead, too. That's what drew me to checking out your blog- the title. Very cool! Congrats on your new baby. You are smart to stay home, get organized as mom, and enjoy your baby. Happy homemaking, and menu planning. beth at http://anothersummeroffun.blogspot.com

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