Who Should Make a Meal Plan?
I stand in the pantry doorway glaring at the boxes, cans, and jars of food on the shelves. Then I go to the refrigerator and inspect the empty shelf and the one full of old moldy leftovers from times gone by. I pull open the vegetable crisper and there is a puddle of stinky vegetable juice in the bottom and all of the food sitting in it is rotting away. The freezer has food in it but nothing is thawed. It’s 6:00 and where is dinner?
The kids are whining and my husband asks when dinner will be ready. I am getting hangry (hungry + angry) and yell at the kids to shut up. I’ve had a long hard day and don’t need this stress. I’m fed up but no one is being fed. Why does this happen to me day after day? I’m in a vicious cycle and don’t know what to do to stop it.
H E L P ! ! ! !
Who needs a meal plan?
Y O U !
And me and everybody else too
Yes, there is a better way. It does require a little work but it beats going from the refrigerator to the freezer to the pantry for an hour and then calling out for pizza again. Reflux city here we come!
The late-night fast food dinners are doing a job on my waistline while the kids and my husband look a little too big for their britches (pants for all you non-southerners.)
What is a meal plan?
I’m glad you asked. It is a cooking strategy for any amount of time. It is what you would do if you had important guests or friends over for dinner. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and special holiday dinners required this type of planning.
First off, it is a meal set aside for a specific day. It also takes into account what is going on that day – or it should. This allows the needed time for preparation. A quick early meal when the kids have a baseball game at 7:00 or a long leisurely dinner on Friday night when we can relax after the week is over.
Next, a meal plan is a recipe and a list of ingredients. Include side dishes in your plan and dessert if you wish. They are a part of the meal plan if they are to be served.
There you have it. Doesn’t sound that hard, does it? It’s really not. It does require some time and a little effort. Really, if you take into account the time you probably spend trying to figure out what to cook, meal planning is just a fraction of that time. Think about it and look at some recipes. See if you can put together a plan for next week.
Join us next week as we look into “The When and Where of Meal Planning.”
Have we piqued your interest? Click the link to get the FREE Motherwize Meal Planning Guide. This will provide a great start to your meal planning journey.
Jackie
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