Planning for Meals

Eating at home has been growing in popularity over the past few years due in part to staying home more and restrictions on moving about.  However, some of us enjoyed eating at home before stay-at-home restrictions were put in place.  Part of keeping your home includes cooking for your family.  I enjoy cooking and find great pleasure in providing food for my family and friends.  Not everyone enjoys cooking, but it can be made easier if you plan.  Not only does planning help with the "what's for dinner" question, but it can help save money as you eat out less.  

When I don't have a food plan, I find myself struggling each evening with figuring out what to eat.  I search my cupboards and cookbooks, and become more tired and look for an excuse not to cook.  Running out to a restaurant is easier…no planning, no cooking, no clean-up.  However, eating out tends to lead us to food with more sugar, more preservatives, and less nutritional value.  Do you know what is in every meal you order?  In the U.S., meals also tend to be significantly larger portions than necessary as well, so we tend to overeat.  We can learn to make the food we enjoy, even those "fancy" restaurant dishes.  I was surprised by how easily most of those things are to make.  When you prepare the food, you know exactly what is going into it.  This is especially good if you have special dietary needs.  You can even adjust recipes to match the health goals and dietary needs of your family.  If you plan for what meals you will make, then you know the plan ahead of time and can be mentally prepared for what you need to do.

I always start my planning with what is on sale.  This is especially true with meat.  I usually take what is on sale and plan meals using those ingredients.  However, that isn't something you have to do if your budget allows for more flexibility.  You can plan a week at a time or a whole month at a time.  I have a planner where I write down just about everything, including meals.  If there is something easy to cook and/or my family enjoys, then I plan to have it at least three times a month.  I try to space it out so that we don't become bored with it.  I also try to introduce new recipes from time to time.  New dishes help break up the monotony and often bring in new flavors or cooking techniques.  

If you are just starting with cooking, you may want to work on memorizing the recipe for one meal.  Each month or so you can add a new one.  I would suggest having at least ten meals that you know how to prepare without a recipe.  If you learn some basic meals that you can make regularly, it allows you some room to learn new techniques or try some new ideas.  You can also try starting with a recipe and then making small changes to make the recipe more to your liking.  I firmly believe recipes are not rules, but more like guidelines.  If you don't ever try anything new, you and your family will quickly become bored with the handful of meals you make at home.  That will lead to burnout, wasted groceries, and heading for a restaurant where you can get something different.  Whenever you try something new, you do need a "backup plan".  Not everything new we try is enjoyable (or edible).  Our daughter cooks dinner for the family at least once a week.  We always tell her pizza is just a phone call away.  We want her to experiment and learn new techniques in cooking, but something like adding a whole cup of bouillon you can't come back from.  We just laugh it off, learn from mistakes, and order fast food so we have something to eat that night.

It may take some time to plan, but it will save you time and stress each day.  Plan out your favorite meals, and plan to learn some new ones too.  Even if you don't enjoy cooking, embrace your role as keeper of your home to provide meals for your family.  Seek to learn and refine your cooking skills so you can serve your family food they enjoy.