Meal Planning
Meal planning is something I value greatly. It helps me reduce costs and stress. I like both! Our meal plan however looks slightly different for our family of two compared to a more traditional family. Let me explain this in a bit more detail.
My son is with me most of the week except for some weekends and spontaneous weekday dinners. This means I plan five breakfasts and dinners per week, as well as easy lunch options for myself and my son. The remaining meals are planned around leftovers and pantry or freezer staples. Everything is done on a very small scale.
To get my meal plan set up, I work around what’s at the house first. Often that includes items that need to get used up. Food waste is something I try to avoid altogether. I then shop at various stores for the best prices or to get specific foods I like to incorporate. My preferred stores are Aldi, Wholesale Clubs, Azure Standard, Thrive Market, and Farmers Markets. I used to get a CSA box, which I highly recommend if you can get one in your area, but it might not work well if you have pickier eaters at home or don’t like to make meals based around a surprise box of produce.
My main pantry staples are usually bulk foods. I love my bulk purchases because they are a great option to reduce waste and cost, even for a mini family like mine. I plan my bulk purchases into almost all meals. For example, wheat, rye, and spelt berries, for baked goods used at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Rice or pasta are a great bulk choice as well, and of course, spices to, well, spice things up.
I make a rough plan for Monday through Sunday on the prior weekend and then it’s off to the stores to find out if the weekly dinner choices remain unchanged. I like to get inspired by what’s on sale or what’s looking especially tasty that day. Sometimes I have a specific item I need to use up and therefore need to find something to go well with that. For example, let’s say I have peas to use up at home, then I might look for a whole chicken or if that’s not available, some chicken breasts to go with it. I pair the meal with some bulk rice from the pantry and et voila, we have one meal planned. Often the choices revolve around my kiddo’s favorite dishes. I love to make people happy with food. Once the main meals are planned, I solely shop for gaps to fill, such as fresh produce, cheeses, or milk. I keep my grocery purchases to a minimum which helps to focus on eating what we have. Rarely, we don’t get around to using up what we have.
To sum it all up, the approach I take for every meal plan is to avoid food waste, to make everything happen with as little stress as possible, to prep everything around the likes and dislikes of the people eating, and to get as much nutritious food in as possible. But I will not fall apart if meals aren’t enjoyed by everyone or if we have to opt for less nutritious meals to create happy moments. It’s all about balance after all.
I hope this little overview of our meal-planning process has been helpful or inspiring. I love reading how other people handle their day-to-day madness at home. It’s always enjoyable to me and there’s usually some form of inspiration or education I take from it. Happy meal planning everyone.
