I was feeling super ambitious on Sunday. A byproduct, I suppose, of spending Saturday night on the couch instead of in a bar.
After knocking quite a few things off my to-do list, I decided to really swing for the fences. I sat down with my recipe binder, cookbooks and the latest edition of Cooking Light and planned a menu for the week. Yeah, I know some of you do this every week but I can't manage to make it to the grocery store on a weekly basis so this was big for me.
{As I type this, I can't help but think of Billy Madison's high school graduation speech: "Well, it's over. I graduated. I did it. I know most of you are saying, 'Hey, any idiot could do that.' Well, it was tough for me so BACK OFF!" What, you don't have Billy Madison memorized? Just me?}
{As I type this, I can't help but think of Billy Madison's high school graduation speech: "Well, it's over. I graduated. I did it. I know most of you are saying, 'Hey, any idiot could do that.' Well, it was tough for me so BACK OFF!" What, you don't have Billy Madison memorized? Just me?}
Here's the menu I so carefully planned and grocery shopped for:
Sunday - Chicken Caesar Salad (Dressing Recipe here) & Parmesan Garlic Toast
Monday - PW's BBQ Chicken Pizza
Tuesday - Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potato Oven Fries
Wednesday - Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak with Salad
Thursday - Sun-Dried Tomato, Basil & Goat Cheese Chicken Roll Ups and Orzo
*Friday through Sunday - out of town
Things started off well enough. I got home from the grocery store last night and made the Caesar Salad. It was tasty, didn't require using the oven and The Mister didn't say a word about the fact that we were only having salad for dinner. Day one - success!
Day two is where the wheels came off the wagon.
I was supposed to make the Pioneer Woman's BBQ Chicken Pizza, which is delicious but requires homemade pizza dough that must be made a few hours in advance. The dough is simple enough to make but I was too lazy forgot to do it last night. I didn't get home until after 6 tonight, so waiting two hours for pizza dough was not in the cards. Instead, we threw together chicken soft tacos with some left overs from the fridge. {Do I get points for making homemade guacamole? Or is that cancelled out by the use of canned refried beans? Let me check my Martha Stewart handbook on that one...}
The Mister, who was aware of my meal planning aspirations {perhaps because I spent 20 minutes on Sunday bragging about what a kick ass wife I am}, asked me what was on the list for tomorrow. When I told him Black Bean Burgers, I got a sad face. Day three - FAIL.
As for Days 4 and 5, well those are a bust too. I'm going to play trivia with the girls on Wednesday night so I probably won't have time to go home for dinner before I meet them. And Thursday is spinning class until 7pm. Not a prayer I'll have the patience to cook a full dinner after an hour of spinning.
One night out of five? That's pretty turr-ible. How do you meal planning ladies do it? What's the secret?
I may suck at meal planning, but I do know better than to do an entire post without picture or video. {You've got to be far wittier than I to get away with such things.} So here you are friends.
I may suck at meal planning, but I do know better than to do an entire post without picture or video. {You've got to be far wittier than I to get away with such things.} So here you are friends.
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12 comments:
I for one am very proud of you. I don't even go the grocery store for myself. Daddy goes before he leaves town. I you can't quote Billy Madison, I don't want to know ya!
I meal plan because it saves us money. I go to the store every single week and I try not to make meals that take a lot of time, but that have fresh ingredients. If there is anything I can do ahead of time the night before, than I do that. I also run things by my husband. There are some things that I know he will not eat, but he'll try everything at least once.
FYI Publix has premade pizza dough in a bag and it's really, really good. Little tip for us "lazy" (read: busy/overworked) people!
I usually do one big shopping trip every two weeks and then maybe stop here and there for things I run out of or forgot. For menu planning, I'll make a list of things I want to make over the next couple weeks and then depending on schedule changes and freshness of ingredients I kind of make whatever, whenever. Much less stressful.
Also, for the pizza dough. You can always make a double recipe whenever you have the chance and then freeze the dough. Just make sure you pull it out of the freezer in the morning before you head off to work.
I meal-plan like crazy, but I do sort of have the advantage of only working on the weekends. I do the majority of my cooking during the week, and the hubs cooks on the weekends (carefully following my instructions - he's definitely a keeper!)
But I feel like even if I did work during the week - it just takes some planning ahead. It helps that I am really, really passionate about the food that I eat, and feel that it's worth some time and effort to have well-prepared, healthy food. Plus, I love to cook.
You did a good job, don't be so hard on yourself! I go back and forth with meal planning - I KNOW it's helpful to us but like you said, sometimes, it's just not in the cards to make a meal that you planned on making. So, in those instances, I just freeze the ingredients (if that's possible) or combine them with something that I already have to make something else.
Another thing that I try to do is make reasonable meals -- PW's BBQ chicken pizza sounds delicious but like you said, making homemade dough at 6pm in the evening is unrealistic. Just use pre-made dough and throw the PW suggested toppings on top, much more simple!
Keep trying, don't give up. Meal planning does save time and money in the end!
I fail at meal planning too!!!! This week I tried it again, but with only one real recipe. Everything else is just like spaghetti... hah!
I hear ya sista! I am a menu planner failure myself. I have high aspirations on the weekend and then it all just goes down the drain as the week rolls by. Inevitably something comes up and we eat out or I have to work late and we get carry out a few of the nights, then my meal ingredients go to waste. And if Ryan decides to go to the baseball game or out with the guys, I don't cook for myself - Lean Cuisines work just fine in that spot. More failure. And then half the time I'm not in the mood for what I picked out days ago anyway. Fail.
Ha! Love Billy Madison! Meal planning just takes some practice-and if you aren't in the mood for something on that night, just swap it with something else. I also ask Jason if he likes the sound of the menu. I try to have at least 2 nights where it's a meal that is not "hard" to make-ie turkey burgers (frozen) or spaghetti or tacos (something simple) so if stuff comes up-like working later than expected-I can still have dinner at home. And, I try to plan ahead for things like going out with friends or visitors in town.
Hope this helps! You can do it! :D
I need to start meal planning! I just started a new job so it's soo tempting just to stop for fast food on my way home everyday.
PS - Billy Madison is the BEST! love it haha
http://jammer10am.blogspot.com/
No meal planning tips from me.....just a kudos to you for the attempt...I would choose spinning and girls night any day :)
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