Why is meal-planning so hard?

Meal planning… The bane of many a mother’s existence. We ask ourselves, “Do they really need to eat AGAIN today?”

Let me just start by saying that I do not have this all figured out. I mentioned early on in this email series that Matt chuckles when I tell him my latest meal planning strategy because chances are, I will scrap it after a day or two. I’ve tried complicated, I’ve tried highly regimented, I’ve tried super-seasonal, all with moderate success. I keep coming back to the need to have some basic, core recipes available so that if all else fails, THAT’S what’s for dinner.

How many of you have purchased specialty ingredients, only to have them spoil before you get around to using them?

How many of you end up looking at the clock at 5 P.M., and wonder to yourself, “What should I make for dinner tonight?”

And even if you’ve conquered planning ahead, there remains that age-old question… what should you make for dinner, day in and day out?

Why is meal planning so hard??

My guess is that we get stuck in a rut and just need some fresh ideas. But when we run out of fresh ideas and creative energy, we just need some core recipes that will pull us through so we can feed our families. But it is critical to consider the amount of time we can devote to actually making dinner amidst our other activities and responsibilities. Dinner won’t just happen, so we have to be realistic about the complexity of meals we can fit into our day. Looking ahead just a little will make a world of difference for your dinnertime.

So here’s the basic strategy:

1. Allow yourself breathing room to enjoy creative recipes when you are inclined to do so. A meal plan shouldn’t stop you from having fun if you’ve come up with an interesting idea, or from improvising if a neighbor gives you a whole mess o’ summer squash! Think of your meal plan as your framework for the days when you don’t have room in your head to decide anything else. 
2. Allow yourself the freedom to set aside favorite family traditions. In our house, it’s homemade pizza night every other week. We missed pizza, so I figured out how to fit it into our crazy lives at least a couple times a month. I can do that. And I’m always working to take greater joy in it. Maybe for you it’s Taco Tuesday or something like that. That’s a meal plan. That’s great. Keep doing it. Work at making your ingredients better and better each time, and learning to enjoy the task of nourishing your family.
3. For your regular-ol’ busy don’t-want-to-think-about-dinner days, try this: stick with reliable, simple recipes that get the job (of feeding your family) done. On your busiest days, use your slow-cooker. On the days when you’ll have a little more time to be in the kitchen, try the Kitchen Days recipes. But keep it simple. The Cook-at-Home Challenge is a great place to start. 

I’ve set up this Cook-at-Home Challenge to mesh with your busy schedule–half of the meals are one-step, all-in-one slow-cooker type meals. The other half require minimal prep and very little hands-on time, but for these, you do have to be available for the hour preceding dinner so you can pop things into the oven, stir your cheese sauce, etc. It’s a way to get you in more control of what you’re feeding your family by constructing your meals from real, basic ingredients, instead of commercially-prepared, heat-and-eat type meals, but it will not require a degree in culinary arts, nor an afternoon slaving over a hot stove.

Let me encourage you to make homemade dinner a priority at least two nights a week for the next four weeks. Can you do that? It’s less than 10% of the meals you will eat in that time period, assuming you eat 3 meals a day. Let’s get this 10% right and begin building the foundation for truly healthful eating. Don’t beat yourself up if it’s not always perfect. Just keeping refining it.

Many of you have asked for copies of the recipes because you’ve recently stocked up and don’t need more meat, or perhaps some of you are farther away and can’t materially participate, but want to learn some new things alongside the rest of us in the Ark-La-Tex. You are most welcome to use the recipes, but I urge you to choose really-pasture-raised meats, as these will yield the most delicious and healthful results. Conventional chicken simply will not taste as good without a lot of doctoring, plus there are many disadvantages to eating only conventionally-raised meats. If you want to know more about why that is, check out our blog series on Why Pasture Raised Meats? 
 

Finally: The Recipes

Here are the printable recipes, planning strategy, and shopping list. Tomorrow I hope to send the cost analysis of the meals and ingredients to show you the true cost of eating well. But first, “I have to finish my chores!” (Name that movie!)

So now it’s time for action. I’ve given you the recipes and the shopping list and a planning strategy to suit your schedule. Join us this month for the Cook-at-Home Challenge.

Orders for Tyler delivery are due today, so don’t miss out! Hope to see you there!