Meal planning rhythms

[vintagegyrl]

Some weeks I have a solid plan. other weeks are hectic and It's Wednesday now and still no plan. But I will come across a recipe somehow and have the things on hand and just plan that for dinner. Or my DS wil request something and i will figure out the best night to have it.
i can't say that I am a concrete meal planner. Our lives are very busy at this point and sometimes having a plan means i get caught up in it instead of letting things flow. So think about which you woudl rather be. I prefer to keep things stocked in the house. Things to make a meal, basics, like tortillas, chopped tomatoes, sauces, shredded cheese, cans of beans, etc.

We have certain meals we love, so we try to keep those items on hand. but many times we will forget to buy a certain thing. Sometimes i can modify it, sometimes we have to be flexible. Sometimes on the weekend i will get so efficient with planning but then DH will want to go out to eat more because we will have errands, etc.

I am only saying this because if you are having trouble planning, maybe you are more like me and tend to not FOLLOW a plan anyway..
just saying. this caught my eye because I have/had LO with anxiety/behavior problems!! 2 of mine in particular

[tokidokikashikoi]

Originally Posted by vintagegyrl I am only saying this because if you are having trouble planning, maybe you are more like me and tend to not FOLLOW a plan anyway.. just saying. this caught my eye because I have/had LO with anxiety/behavior problems!! 2 of mine in particular

This is, of course, 99% of the problem

I used to follow a very strict meal plan very well, but I had no extra money so it wasn't really an option not to! For the last year I've made a lot more but that project is ending and I'm going to need to reign myself in money-wise. But I don't think it would be impossible to follow a general food schedule. Like, if it's "taco tuesday" and I need to eat out for whatever reason then I'll just go to a mexican restaurant Or go off schedule and not worry about it. Basically, it's how I shop now, but a little more structured. I usually go to the store thinking "I need something with beans, something pasta, mac and cheese (my daughter is picky and eat tons of it) and ??" and then I throw a bunch of stuff that fits those categories (and is on sale and I have coupons) in my cart. But if I had categories for the ?? then I might save money

[wooly_wonderful]

Originally Posted by tokidokikashikoi This is, of course, 99% of the problem I used to follow a very strict meal plan very well, but I had no extra money so it wasn't really an option not to! For the last year I've made a lot more but that project is ending and I'm going to need to reign myself in money-wise. But I don't think it would be impossible to follow a general food schedule. Like, if it's "taco tuesday" and I need to eat out for whatever reason then I'll just go to a mexican restaurant Or go off schedule and not worry about it. Basically, it's how I shop now, but a little more structured. I usually go to the store thinking "I need something with beans, something pasta, mac and cheese (my daughter is picky and eat tons of it) and ??" and then I throw a bunch of stuff that fits those categories (and is on sale and I have coupons) in my cart. But if I had categories for the ?? then I might save money

If the week/ month meal planning doesn't work for you, then I think this is an excellent way to go. Having nightly themes would help to narrow things down rather then having a completely open menu. It will probably still save a good amount of money also.

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[madebymommy]

I don't really do a plan where its the same foods every week - we like a lot of variety.

I ended up buying a notebook and writing down all the recipes of every meal I know how to make, that my family likes (I'm totally old school and like writing things manually, haha).

I meal plan for 2 weeks at a time, and I just try to do a variety of meals that sound good. I will also base my meals off of what meat is in the freezer/what is left in the cupboards, but usually when I sit down to plan, there isn't much left! I will also typically add a new recipe to try, every 2 weeks. If we like it, I add it to the notebook.

I keep a dry erase board on my fridge and I write the meals there so we all know what we are having every night.

[Melinda29]

Check out the Simplicity Parenting thread in the Minimalist Forum for a ton of ideas!