There is a crossroads you will come to when you start planning, shopping, and trying to be frugal. Should you plan every meal, or should you wing it? Is there a middle ground?
I’ve tried planning everything out 2 weeks in advance. I had it planned where I could reuse leftovers, cook in one go, but use it for several meals, and accommodate flexibility for guests. I’ve also done it day by day, with a very flexible idea of what our common meals are, and what should just always be in the pantry.
What I’ve learned is that plans often change. You can meal plan a month at a time, but you will come to the point where it just doesn’t work anymore, or where you find that you are adjusting it more and more. What happens? Sometimes you get bored, sometimes you just don’t want what you scheduled for that day. Sometimes Taco Casa is calling you, and whoops, there goes spaghetti night.
I like the idea of keeping a pantry stocked like a smaller grocery store. The store has a lot of variety, but aren’t there just a few sections you always visit? We are creatures of habit, so you will find yourself seeking out some of the same meals, even if there is a day you just don’t want hamburger helper for the third week in a row. You like it though, so it should be available in your food closet for when you do crave it.
This is where the food closet comes in, and knowing what is a staple for you. It requires a little attention to what your eating habits are, what your favorites are, and what you might want to start including in your diet, should you be concerned with that.
In my household, I have three roommates and a husband. I am helping to feed 3 guys, as well as myself and another girl. Two of those people together eat only as much as one person alone. These are considerations you need to take when thinking about portions and amounts that you are buying. After that comes any dietary considerations, and whether or not you care enough about the other people to adjust your meals to them. Of course, if you are by yourself, you have only your own dietary concerns to care for.
Part of meal planning should be taken up with portions. Dietary allowances for meat, veggies, fruits, grains, dairy, and desserts, are things you need to think about. While we’re young, it may not matter as much, but if you start good habits now, your body will thank you later! Do you like a lot of meat? Are you considering integrating more veggies, but are afraid of which ones to try, or not liking them? Are you, like me, a total dairy fiend?
Meat and potatoes. They are the building blocks of a meal, right? That’s because they contain our two basic energy sources. Protein for long term energy stores, and carbs for immediate energy. You need both in your meals if you are to be healthy and satisfied. After that should come vegetables.
So let’s talk veggies. Dark leafy greens are quite possibly the single most important carrier of vital minerals and vitamins. Folic acid, B vitamins, vitamins that help your skin, hair, and eyes; these are all things that you might end up lacking should you skip your veggies. I have found that very few people dislike green beans. Fresh green beans can be blanched, then patted dry and packed away in the freezer in a sealed zip top bag. From there you can do a lot with them: sautee, boil, casserole, stick them in soup... the possibilities are pretty wide. You can also buy frozen or canned, and that guarantees less work, with almost as much freshness.
I have also found that many die hard veggie haters can still tolerate carrots, corn, or salad (use dark salad greens instead of iceberg). While there are some of you out there who think anything with a chlorophyll count is disgusting, I’m betting your a small minority, and if you just give it a try (a few times) you’ll find something to like. I hate turnips and radishes, but I was served some cheesey mashed turnips, and found it very likable. Of course, if you put enough cheese on something, it’s probably going to end up being more likable to me anyways!
Now, since I know a lot of folks who need some shopping, budgeting, and cooking help are probably not concerned with “diets”, I don’t need to go on for too long about this. However, I know that there is a lot of stuff out there today about how to “diet”. How to cut this, that, and everything else that’s good. No carbs, no meat, no sugars, no fruit, no desserts. How’s a person supposed to enjoy food if they can’t even eat what they want, or what their body truly needs? That’s because you can’t “go on a diet”. Your diet is what you eat every day. And if you really want to be healthy and possibly even lose some weight, you should always add to your diet, not take away!
Portion control and eating the right amount of variety will go a long way. You start by cutting down portions to a reasonable amount. Go ask someone on Weight Watchers what a real portion is, and you’ll be surprised! Find a veggie you like, and try to make sure you get it at least once a day. Remember “I shoulda had a V8”? Did you ever wonder really what they were trying to say? Veggies help boost your whole body’s function, so that it doesn’t have to try and get it all from those meat and potatoes you eat.
So when meal planning, try to be an adventurous eater, and eat something just once that you never thought you would like. Find a fun way to bring it in to a meal, but give yourself plenty of other things that you know you’ll like, else you’ll find yourself snacking later!
Decide for yourself how much time you have to devote to it, and whether or not you want to will yourself to stay on schedule.
No comments:
Post a Comment