Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there was a young married girl who was juggling work, college, friends, and a new husband on an extremely limited budget. She used to come home from a long day at school, stare into the depths of her refrigerator, emit a sigh of lamentation, and resign herself to either spending too much on take-out, or making spaghetti or frozen pizza yet again. Something had to change. There was a wealth of good, healthful, cost-effective recipes out there that just weren't getting used. She needed a plan and a little bit of organization.
One fateful day, the young woman was visited by a Beautiful Idea. The Beautiful Idea whispered in her ear and on that day, she met a new and valuable friend: the Oglesbee Meal Planning Routine. It saved the young woman's life, and probably that of her husband and her future children.
The Routine was simple. Step One: one or two days a week, look at the next 4-7 days and figure out some meals that might work. If necessary, get out one's trusty recipe book and sift through for help when the brain is stumped and clueless. Step Two: Write the meals down on a sheet of paper to be referenced throughout the week.*
Step Three: Using the recipe book, make a list of the ingredients that are needed. This particular young woman made her own grocery shopping list, organized according to the aisles in her favorite grocery store for ease of finding said ingredients.
Step Four: Go shopping for the necessary ingredients so that the kitchen is fully stocked for the meals on the menu.
Now, almost nine years later, when the not-so-young woman needs to make a dinner for her family, the ingredients are all there, ready and waiting. It's a fairy tale come true.
*PS: She also saves those menu lists, using one sheet of paper every four weeks, so she can see what she's made lately, thus keeping her family from having to eat the same meals over and over again.
So how do you plan your meals? What's your strategy?
See...as I told a friend on fb the other day....you are some organized young lady. I think you should teach this class to women at Bethel! Not joking. You might be surprised how many of us older ladies would come!
ReplyDeleteLisa, this is almost exactly what I do! I plan at least 2-3 meals for each week and rely on leftovers and an occasional random meal for the rest. Whenever I get out of meal planning, meal cooking becomes a dreaded occasion. When I know what's on my list, I can just get to making it instead of getting too hungry and grumpy to figure out what to make.
ReplyDeleteHey -- (just checking out your blog!) -- Have you ever heard of Home Management Resources? Google it. You would be a great volunteer for them! You would be great at teaching home organization, meal planning, parenting, etc...
ReplyDelete