Make a Plan

I just CAN'T bring myself to call it a "menu" (when I eat off a "menu" someone else better be cooking), but I do think it's important to have some sort of a (flexible) plan of what's for dinner each week.

Back when I was working full time, I NEVER had a plan... ever. Never ever. We ate a LOT of takeout and veggie burgers.

Now, I have a general idea of where our week is going. Over the weekend, I check out what we have in the freezer and in our pantry (aka basement). I try to work with what I have there. Usually, because I have stocked up when things are on sale, I can get 4-5 dinners out of what is already in the house. To come up with the last few, I check out the circulars, and plan my shopping. I scribble a plan of what I'll b making for the week on my kitchen white board.

Now I am NOT all anal about the plan. If I forgot to defrost the chicken for Tuesday, I might make the pasta I had planned for Friday. OR, maybe it's Friday and you know what, I AM flippin' tired, so we might order pizza (We can do that- because we have the cash to. We save a frigload on our grocery bill). :)

Bottom line, have a direction. Most of us don't get in the car and drive randomly... why should we be random in our meals?