I'm sure that everyone who's reading this likes to eat regularly... we all have that same habit... but one thing I find hard to do is think about what exactly I should make for this big family of mine. Before I started menu planning, I would get out of bed and be hit with the realization that it was entirely up to me to see that we were all fed.... what a chore! I must ashamedly admit, that it wasn't a job that I really enjoyed. So, after I could no longer think of anything to eat, I started planning a menu for a month at a time. What freedom!!! In this already-too-full brain of mine, I have one less thing to think about! All I have to do is look at the menu and say, "Girls, we're making cheeseburgers and fries tonight". Not to say that we don't ever change the menu, and not to say that everyone likes all that we eat. But, everyone eats all that we serve without complaining. Here is a sample of our December menu.
If I change my mind and we eat something unplanned, I'll circle what we DIDN'T eat and write in what we ate instead. This way I'll know what we have on hand to eat at another time. I also try to keep a balanced menu to make sure that we're eating healthily.
One thing that we've been doing lately is making plenty of extra to freeze. For instance, I've found that making two meatloaves is not much more work than one, so we make two and freeze one for another night. Then all we need is some green beans and potatoes and bread and we are good to go. As life seems to move by more quickly and we seem to always be busy, I think planning ahead is a great way to help take the stress out of feeling-hungry-and-not-knowing-what-to-eat days.
posted by Kristie
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