When I first lived in Japan I was great at meal planning. I had a little calendar and a menu and a grocery list that was easy to navigate. When I got pregnant that all changed. For 9 long months I couldn't even think about food without wanting to throw it up already. Meal planning went out the window and I fell into survival mode. If something sounded good (which almost never happened) I ate it. Because that was all I could eat. Shortly after E was born I got back to life a little bit, but we travelled and moved and it was difficult to plan anything. Well we're back. Mostly because I'm sick of having to pick something for dinner at 5:30 every night. And then realize that I don't have everything to make whatever it is I want. At the same time, I hate inflexible plans or over scheduling. So we came up with a compromise. We plan 10 meals for 2 weeks, leaving 2 days a week leftovers (which we always have!) or eating out. We take our list of meals for the 2 weeks, do our grocery shopping, and hang it up on the kitchen cupboard or the fridge where Aaron can see it. Then we pick what we want the day before so I can do any prep I need to and still have plenty of time to get dinner on the table. I love our system! It makes me so much happier not to have to dread or avoid dinner time. Plus then I have an excuse to try all the recipes I pin and never get around to. It's like a win-win-win.
A few of the recipes we've tried the last two weeks are fried chicken, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, citrus chicken, enchilada soup, tortilla chips, parmesan chicken, and buffalo chicken dip. I honestly enjoyed every single one of those new recipes. I also made beef & broccoli (my own made up recipe), spaghetti with meatballs (pretty standard stuff there), and a few other things. Basically we had a great variety of food and I didn't have to stress. If you want to check out tried and true recipes (and occasionally crafts) follow my Real Life Pins board! I leave little comments on what I thought of the recipes too.
So what about you? Do you meal plan? I'm always on the lookout for some great new recipes!
A few of the recipes we've tried the last two weeks are fried chicken, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, citrus chicken, enchilada soup, tortilla chips, parmesan chicken, and buffalo chicken dip. I honestly enjoyed every single one of those new recipes. I also made beef & broccoli (my own made up recipe), spaghetti with meatballs (pretty standard stuff there), and a few other things. Basically we had a great variety of food and I didn't have to stress. If you want to check out tried and true recipes (and occasionally crafts) follow my Real Life Pins board! I leave little comments on what I thought of the recipes too.
So what about you? Do you meal plan? I'm always on the lookout for some great new recipes!
xo Sue
I do my best to meal plan, if for nothing else but to help grocery shopping. That fried chicken looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteSarah
aroseinthecity0.blogspot.com
Yummmm these all look so good! I try to meal plan, but I've gotten really bad about it lately.
ReplyDeleteWe do the same thing! I pick 10 meals for two weeks and we usually eat out once a week or have left overs. I just tried a cilantro lime chicken and it was delicious! That citrus chicken looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteWe do the same type of meal planning. I can't plan for "Tuesday we will have meatloaf and potatoes and Wednesday is chicken and broccoli! No deviations!" I just hang up a list of dinners, pick one the night before we have it, and try to remember to thaw out all the necessary ingredients. I like it better that way. ;)
ReplyDeleteI started meal planning a few years ago.. best thing ever! Kinda stopped this past year .. too many distractions and not enough cooking
ReplyDeleteThat chocolate cake with frosting looks SO delicious! Thanks for sharing! Xo, M&K at brewedtogether.com
ReplyDeleteUm that cake looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteAnd we do meal plan (I share a printable not too long ago), I do monthly planning since I like to make sure I'm not repeating too many meals but I shop every 2 weeks. I also leave day blanks or plan out eating out nights and I always write it on pencil since I tend to forget to thaw out meat and things like that so I have to flexible haha