This week we have a great meal plan. So great that its Monday and we’ve already chucked it. Sigh. Meal planning is weirdly hard.
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Still no real hardcore meal planning. Leftovers, hummus, and frozen pizza + bag salad feature prominently. Try to minimize store trips, but usually end up going twice a week (once in each place we live) because perishables are the bane of my existence, but my electrolytes seem to drop too low for basic functioning if it’s hot and I let myself run out of bananas (note: keeping Powerade on hand now).
But breakfast is always peanut butter toast and coffee, and that helps. Lunch is every man for himself. Supper is shared when we’re in the same place. A few simple recipes happen a lot, and I keep not-too-unhealthy shortcuts (like instant brown rice) on hand for regular use rather than for emergencies. I bulk cook, but not all weekend or anything, more like I throw 2 pounds of rice into the cooker (when not using instant) rather than just a recipe’s worth, then freeze portions for later. That kind of thing - fast bulk components I can do a lot of things with, especially in instantpot (at home) or slow cooker (in Grad School City).
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Until my entire life was turned upside down a couple of months ago, I was a strict planner. I’ve loosened up, a bit. This summer what has been working is coming up with 4-6 dinners each week, then grocery shopping to make sure the ingredients for those are on hand. I write them down so I can look them over and choose one, instead of giving in to ordering in because I’m hungry and tired. Meal rules are only that they must take 10 minutes or less to prepare.
We are vegetarian bordering on vegan, which helps with cost and quick preparation.
This week we have pita flatbreads, breakfast burritos, orange tofu (from bottled sauce), pasta salad, and Spanish beans on toast on the menu. All of these can be prepared in less than 10 minutes of hands on time. This plan doesn’t change much week to week. Sometimes I feel creative and come up with new ways to use the ingredients.
Lunches are always bean salad stuffed pitas, hummus/veggie sandwiches, or a big bowl of salad. Breakfast for me is always a savory oatmeal (steel cut oats with green onions, nooch, and mixed nuts) and copious amount of coffee, for the other half it is always protein waffles, and for the boy it is always cereal.
I’ll probably adjust the 10 minute rule come winter to include things like sheet pan dinners and big pots of stews that require significantly longer to cook but minimal hands on time. Giving up the strict planning and prep time heavy meals has solved much of the anxiety issues I was having around meal time.
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Breakfast is always the same. Mon-Sat, 4 eggs, 2 strips bacon, black cofee
Lunch is pretty well always leftovers from the night before. Occasionally boiled eggs if I don’t make enough for dinner.
Dinner, well, I’m fussy and won’t eat the same thing two nights in a row unless it’s pizza or tacos. Here’s what this week looked like.
Mon: Home ground, seasoned, and stuffed bratwurst w/ brussels sprouts & butter
Tue: Chicken caesar salad (dressing made immediately before serving)
Wed: Chicken tikka masala
Thurs: Catfish a la meuniere w/ kale and urad dal
Fri: Steak frites (using rutabaga rather than potatoes)
Sat: Chicken tinga & chili rellenos
Sun: Lamb rogan josh
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Do you batch cook things like the chicken, or is it all from direct scratch each time?
I do the trimming and such in a batch, but the cooking is from scratch each time. With the exception of various moles, I make big batches of the sauce and freeze them.
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