Sanity Saver - Meal Planning (No Grumbling) - One of the Best Disciplines I Ever Developed

Sanity Saver - Meal Planning (No Grumbling)

One of the Best Disciplines I Ever Developed

WHY? I just used a few words some of us free spirited, creative types would consider offensive speech.  Yes, I mean the words "planning and disciplines".  Speaking from experience, even the most unstructured person wants peace.  During a period of professional, personal, and spiritual growth, I found myself overwhelmed by the pace of the changes taking place.  I felt as if I was neglecting everything just because I was juggling so, so much at once.  I had to find some control and solace in this time of chaos. 

The light bulb moment occurred when everyone was hungry and grumpy at the end of a long day and I had no idea what we would eat.  You see nothing was thawed out or all the key ingredients weren't available and grilled cheese was the only quick thing that came to mind. However, this scenario was just like the night before . . "when everyone was hungry and grumpy at the end of the day and I ..."  And the day before that, "when everyone was hungry and grumpy . . . " A pattern was emerging.  When evening arrives people are grumpy and hungry and need to be fed. If I knew what to feed them, I wouldn't have to worry and the remainder of the evening might go smoother.  I began to menu plan.

The picture above is every menu I have written since 2010.  Yep, you read me right. That is a clipboard with every menu I have written, copied front to back, since 2010, the year I became desperate enough to give it a try.  

How? Every Sunday or Monday I sit and write the week's menu. To plan a menu I need the following:

1. The family calendar, so I know whose doing what when
2. Old weekly menus or cookbooks for recipe ideas
3. An idea of what we have in the frig and pantry
4. New weekly menu sheet (PDF Menu available for you below)
5. 1/2 hour of quiet time

Menu File in PDF

• I start with the far left column and record the dates for each day of the week. 
• Next I fill in the far right hand column labeled 'events'.  I use the family calendar to fill in the date and time.  Now I know who will be where, how many will be home for dinner, who needs suppers to go and how much time I'll have to prepare those meals.  For instance, I wouldn't want to prepare fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits and pie if my day kept me out until 6 pm or no one was going to be home but me.
• 99,5% of the time I only plan for Supper (dinner), the evening meal.  If we are traveling or I need others to prepare meals for my family, I plan for breakfast and lunch (dinner).
• So the next column to be filled in is 'suppers' column. I use the mental list of what's in the frig and in the pantry that needs to be used before it spoils. Example: This week I had a head and a half of broccoli with wouldn't last through the week. So. . . Monday night we had "Impossible Broccoli Pie" If I just can't figure out what I want to serve or how to use a particular frig/pantry item, I consult the older menus or the cook books. I plan for the main course and two side dishes.  The two sides in our house consist of a starch and a vegetable or possibly two vegetables.  I don't sweat over the veggies though. If I decide we're having meatloaf and rice but am at a loss for what veggie we should have I just write veggie on the menu.  I'll decide that evening when I'm cooking the meatloaf.
• I use the 'Breakfast' column for reminders of morning preparations for an evening meal. If a grain or bean dish needs soaking or meat needs marinating, I write that in the breakfast column. Similarly, if a meal task needs to be done in the evening, I write it with the menu items in the 'Supper' column. The 'supper' column might read: meatloaf, rice, veggie, thaw turkey.

Now what? Put the menu where you will see it.  I put mine on the refrigerator door. When I get the milk for my morning coffee, I review the meal for the day. I can hear you saying, "But what if I forget to look?" When 5 pm rolls around and I have forgotten to thaw the hamburger for the meatloaf, I just scan the remainder of the week's menu.  Usually there is something on the list I can make instead.  "Oh look.  Wednesday we're eating tuna casserole.  I'll make that tonight and Wednesday we'll have meatloaf. " Problem solved! 

Other advantages to planning for the week is all the ingredients are available. I wouldn't plan to serve rice as a side, if we didn't have rice.  Fewer food items go bad because I am considering the self-life of our food as I plan for the week.  I'm aware when we're stuck in a potato rut (mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, hash browns, French fries) because I can see it. Lastly, it put an end to the age old question asked by family members nearly every afternoon, "What's for supper?" To which I respond, "Read the menu."

And so...I intend to publish my weekly menus.  That way you can see, I mean it. I really do this stuff. I encourage you to do the same once I have established that page. I know we'll be more creative and encouraged together.  Bloggers Note:  Please be patient with yourself if this is a new habit you are forming. If you were teaching someone to menu plan, you would give them a few months to master the process.  Please allow yourself the same grace to learn and grow.  I truly believe the menu plan will benefit you as it has done me.