I just really like talking about meal planning.
And as I meet more women who don't particularly love it, I feel inspired to inspire!
So I thought, why not do a step-by-step non-tutorial by someone who doesn't know exactly what she's doing but loves it with a passion nonetheless.
So part one is titled: what you got and who you're seeing.
It's simple really. Somewhere around Wednesday or Thursday, I start spying our cabinets for m.m.f. (meal making food). Not apples or bananas or oatmeal, but basics that I know I won't use before Saturday that I can build a meal out of. This week it just happened to be black beans, quinoa, potatoes, rice flour pasta, pesto, and red onions.
The very next thing I list out is what community events I'm making food for. I almost always need to make something for community group and the person who organizes our meals for community group (shout out to Angie, holla!) is always super organized so we know weeks in advance what sort of meal we're having and then we just sign up for what we want to contribute.
Hellloooo run on sentence.
Now, I also have a new little homemaking theory that I'd love to share. I love making meals for new moms and families during hard times, but my new weekly goal is to make a meal for friends who also could just use a break for one meal! We literally, never, eat out and I know how exhausting it is to make 3 meals a day, 365 days a year. So - if I'm not making a meal for a new mom or we're not having friends over for dinner, I've started asking the Lord to give me another family to bless!
You know how GirlTalk has the 5 o'clock club?
Someday I would like to make a "random meals for friends" club:)
And then you have to consider events that you'll bring meals to.
So here is our M.F.C. (meals for community, obvi) this week.
- Father's Day cookout with friends: fried chicken.
(because you can only watch Paula Dean during naptime for so many days in a row without wanting to make fried chicken)
- Community group: sweet potato salad.
- Meal for new parents: pesto pasta with chicken sausage & brownies
- Baby Shower appetizer contribution: watermelon basil skewers and mini frittatas
ok. So now I know what I've got and the big events/meals I need to work around.
Next up: inspiration, budgeting, and meal planning.
And then: kids meals/lunch & breakfasts.
------------- Now, let's go ahead and give an "I'm not normal" disclaimer. First of all, I have three small, small children and if I want to have any sort of peace, I have to plan things ridiculously meticulously*. So, if you don't have three small children, or you don't like to plan, or you do better flying by the seat of you pants - I say own it. Don't spend a minute meal planning and you'll probably be better off:) ----------------
(sidebar: if I ever write a memoir of these years it will be titled, "Ridiculously Meticulously". That or "Eating Breakfast Standing Up")
now, that was fun to write.
4 comments:
Would love to glean all the knowledge I can from you! Although, I have to admit.....I'm emphatically sporadically a meal planner at best!
now that I've kicked sugar, gluten, and dairy to the curb, meal planning is an absolute must. or i fail. i'm only one person, so i used to only cook one meal a week, eat it on monday, and have leftovers on wednesdays, and the other nights of the week were taken care of by small group, supper club etc. that's now no more, with this eating plan.
i'm still in the overwhelmed phase. it's a big part time job to plan all of these meals and get all the ingredients together. i don't know how you do it with 3 little ones! but i do love talking about it, too...so keep it comin' :)
I love meal planning! I got this amazing little thing that hangs on my fridge so I can write it all out. Absolutely <3 it. Plus I coupon and it really helps me get the most out of that time!
btw would love the recipe for the watermelon thing.. sounds really good!
i love planning (in pretty much all aspects of life). but meal planning takes a lot of effort for me... i think it's the combo of trying to be healthy AND cheap/couponing. i'm not telling you anything you don't know ;) love getting new ideas. i'd be ok w/ 62 installments :)
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