The dreaded question that, if you’re a parent, you get asked multiple times every day. Sometimes multiple times for consecutive hours. And in all honesty, I was dreading this question for the rest of my life.
As a single person, living on my own, meal planning and meal cooking was almost non-existent. It’s not that I didn’t know how to cook, it was simply that I didn’t want to cook for just me.
There’s no real excitement in cooking for one, actually, is there real excitement in cooking for more than one?
I’m sure you’ve seen the memes about “I didn’t know being an adult meant deciding what to cook for dinner, every day, for the rest of my life.”
Well it’s true. If someone else isn’t asking you, what’s for dinner, you’re definitely asking yourself that question. And until one day when your butler brings dinner to the dining table at your request, you will still be asking that question.
When I got married I was a little unsure of how we would navigate meal planning. Being a full-time wife meant that this by default was my responsibility [although, my husband would cook dinner in a heart beat if that was needed] and I really wanted to make sure we had a system in place that could be sustainable.
It would be easy to decide what to make for dinner each day, on the day, if I was always at home without much responsibility. But I knew that life would eventually start to get fuller, and priorities would change and I really didn’t want to be thinking “what’s for dinner” every day of my life.
So I’m going to let you in on a little game changer [if this has been a struggle in your marriage or shared living space - relationship changer] that has really changed the way I view dinners and has freed my mind.
A few years ago I bought a meal planning notepad. I love notepads and had every good intention of using this one for a purpose. But years went by and I never used the notepad, until…
Click the PDF to download the meal planning page that can be saved digitally and edited or printed and stuck on the fridge [that’s where mine is].
…this page saved my sanity and since week one of marriage, I have not been without it.
Typically my planning and shopping days are a Monday, but in a totally realistic world, this would probably be a Sunday. On my planning days, I take about an hour to sit and plan the meals for dinners that week.
Another sneaky trick - every meal I’ve ever cooked and enjoyed is saved on a digital list, so that I don’t even need to think about meal options, I just choose them from the list or get creative if I have extra time.
I plan the meals for the week with similar ingredients, because I really don’t like wasting fresh produce. And I try and only go to the store once [twice maximum]. It may be the same ingredients, but it is rarely similar meals.
As I’m creating the list of meals I write the shopping list checking what we’re running low on [non-perishables] and the fresh stuff.
I then have a digital list platform that I use, AnyList, which is really helpful for me because I often find myself writing lists and then leaving them on the kitchen counter as I leave. The other bonus with the list app, is that it is a shared list.
Click on the link for more info or to download the AnyList app | www.anylist.com
My husband and I both have access to the shopping list. He can add to the list while I’m at the shops and it will be immediately updated. No annoyed spouses because you didn’t answer your phone and forgot to buy something at the store [no more needing to hint about the chocolate you really want either.]
We can also add anything to the list at any time, as long as we have our phones. Game changer. Marriage saver. Seriously.
On the meal planner there is an extra column for who cooks. I know that many couples take turns as both spouses work full time jobs. Or house mates share the cooking load. So if this column applies to you, use it. If not, use it for love notes [especially if its on the fridge].
Oh, and the best part about all of this, is that for 5 months, I have hardly been asked “what’s for dinner” because the weekly meal plan is available at all times on the fridge.
JCS
Comments