Meal Planning: A Primer (Part 2)

As I work from home a lot of the time, I tend to do most of the cooking during the week at least. I don't want to wait for my wife to come home, and then have to wait longer still while she cooks a meal.

I tend to cook stuff that requires minimal preparation, and minimal watching.

A crockpot is invaluable, as I can spend a few minutes putting the ingredients for dinner in it during the morning, and then simply leave it all day!

We eat a lot of fresh vegetables, which are generally easy to prepare and cook - either in the microwave or steamer.

Often I'll cook a double amount, and freeze half, so it's a ready meal a few days or weeks later.

We rarely eat out.

We used to at one point, and then I did one of these budget exercises where to catalog everything you spend for a month, and it was frightening how much we spent eating out!

Two meals for two buys a whole weeks worth of groceries, and you eat more wholesome foods when you cook at home, as you control what and how much of whatever you put in your meals.

Another point about eating out. We tended to do it, when we were both out all day, as we didn't want to go home and cook, and didn't want to wait long to eat either. Thing is, unless you buy junk food at the drive through (which we don't anyway), by the time you sit down at a restuarant, and order your food, and it's in front of you, and you're eating it, isn't so far removed in time from going home, getting straight into the kitchen and cooking something yourself. I've timed it!

I seldom plan meals in advance. I tend to look in the refrigerator/freezer and decide at some point in teh morning, what I'm going to cook that evening. Obviously sometimes we do find a nice recipe and plan ahead, but that's more likely to be on a weekend when we've got more time.

Canned fruit is your friend. No matter what the kids ask for, throw some canned fruit on the table. Mine love peaches or fruit cocktail.

Veggies do not have to be grown in your garden to be good for you (though the fresher the better). Throw on a can of green beans with that hot dog and you have at least got them to eat some veggies.

Eating at home does not have to be fancy. Just because you are eating at home doesn't mean you can't have what you like. If you'd rather be eating at McDonalds, then why not cut up some chicken breasts in small pieces, fry those suckers up, toss some french fries in and open a can of peaches. Dinner at home, cheap, and we at some fruit.

Ranch dip is your friend. Most kids will eat ANYTHING covered in Ranch Dip. Thankfully their tummies can remove the ranch dip from the broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, ham, green beans, (well you get the idea) and remove the hidden nutrients. Who cares if they eat everything covered in Ketchup if they EAT it. :) (Besides Ketchup is a veggie, didn't you know that).

And then there's my mom's trick. Make only enough for one (have extra hidden away). Set down to eat it ALL BY YOURSELF, with a good book and a nice glass of tea. Be prepared for the can I have a bite? Share grudgenly. The next time you prepare that dish, remind them how good it was when they ate yours.

Despite what most people think, fruits and veggies are cheaper than chips. A 13 ounce bag of chips has 13 servings in it. Did you realize that? Frankly at my house, it has 3. For the same $3-4, I can buy enough bananas to last a week. Enough strawberries for several breakfasts or deserts. Or enough oranges for two weeks. You do the math. Buy that same 13 ounces of chips at a restaurant, and be prepared to spend $13! That will purchase enough fruit to last a family of three almost a month.

Ellyn Satter's book "Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family" includes a 3 week cycle menu with recipes and gives instructions on how to create your own cycle menu. It's a great book with very basic but good food. The book also includes tips for letting kids help and for getting prepared the night before.

A long time ago, I found 5 weeks of menus and shopping lists at the North Dakota Extension Service. 3 meals a day plus a snack to feed a family of 4. It's cheap, nutritionally balanced, and 5 weeks of time to get your act together or take a break. Extension services are a great resource.
Eating Well...While Spending Less
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/foods.html (you'll need to scroll down a bit)

I like both these resources because they include sides and sometimes desserts as well as the main dish to give you a balanced meal.

Hi Heather, I wanted to thank you for the comment you left me on my blog.
I also agree that including the children in the planning and even the making of the meals is a good idea. I taught all 4 of mine to cook at a young age and now I am enjoying teaching my grandchildren. They love to help me in the kitchen.

I think it is a great idea to include everyone in the planning.......kids may ask for hot dogs and chips, mac and cheese, then they see that planning does go into the process and that they are heard. I always let them help with he tasks that they can do, like setting the table at first. Streching time by doing things like putting a whole chicken in a crock pot, boning it, then removing enough for chicken and noodles and holding some for chicken salad or chicken quasadies. Pam, South Bend