This chick has been exploring ways to expedite the meal process in her household. It is enough to make it through the day, but what I truly hate is the thankless question presented to me every night; “Mom, what’s for dinner”? I reflect on the last grocery run which typically involves a fly by visit on my way home from work. I usually don’t have a plan, and other customers must smirk when they see me…a lunatic running frantically up and down aisles throwing things into a cart while glancing at the time….tick tock tick tock! Oh well, I’ve covered the basic food groups and hope for a palatable meal come dinnertime. This act has been going on for some time, and I have to say it is not sustainable for much longer. I dread planning meals, I dread the store, I dread unloading, I dread cooking…but the fact is dinner has to happen at least 365 days a year…don’t even talk to me about breakfast and lunch. So, I have surrendered to the madness, but would like to make it easier for myself. My biggest problem is coming up with meal plan ideas. If I could find a systematic way to engage this process, the rest wouldn’t seem so insufferable.
Just the other week, a light bulb went on. It has probably already been done, and I’m sure books have been written about it, but what the heck, I’ll tell you anyway. I have created a daily template consisting of 5 themed meals a week. The other days are for leftovers or ordering in.
My five themes are categories for meal plans, so I can sort ideas based on the theme of the day. My meal plan looks something like this:
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Sunday—Casseroles, American Cuisine
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Monday—Soup day (i.e. chicken noodle)
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Tuesday—Italian (i.e. baked ziti and garlic bread)
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Wednesday—leftovers for mid-week break
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Thursday—crock pot dish (i.e. pot roast)
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Friday—tends to be my pizza/movie night (see Family Friday Fun blog)
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Saturday—Mexican or Asian (i.e. tacos or stir-fry)
***When I’m feeling daring, I will switch out a night for another worldly dish, such as Indian (a favorite of mine)! I am not much of a seafood lover, but if I was, that would be another great category.
I have compiled recipes that are typically kid friendly and can be rotated through my themed categories. This way my family doesn’t get bored by too much repetition. I can pull out recipes per theme from an array of choices, and voila my week is planned. Now, I just need to get Pea Pod so voila my groceries arrive at my doorstep…but that may be asking too much!
Zippy Recap:
- I have no time to plan a meal or the desire!
- Creating a systematic and themed plan makes decision making a breeze.
- When I need to I sort my recipes by category and pull out the meal plan for that day.
This makes grocery shopping more manageable and efficient….but I still would prefer having the service delivery option!
Stay Light and Breezy Girls!
Love,
The Zippy Chix

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