This is NOT going to come as a surprise.
I feel like I make the same things for dinner week after week... yet I know that I make more than 5 things... and I am SURE that Wade would like more than the same 5 things over and over. AND, changing the spices or the veggies on the side DOES NOT constitute a different meal.
On a blog called Simple Mom - she mentioned that she plans out two weeks in a row and even has them scheduled on her calendar... that is AMAZING but I am not at that level yet.
So, I made a 30 day generic calendar in Word and have it completely filled out...
Some of it was really easy -
Sundays - Wade always brings home Pizza for Noah and I after he plays drums at the night service at our church... so that knocked off 5 days... only 25 more to figure out.
Saturdays - we almost always try to go out to dinner as a family... what once used to be a leisurely time is now probably the fasted turned around table in the whole place all night... I am sure the servers LOVE us... we are a table of five - we leave a huge mess but a tip that says "sorry"... I feel bad but then think - I do this all week and I have yet to get a tip from any of my kids! (Well, that is not completely true... I do get the most amazing slobbery wet kisses!)
Thursdays - Wade is usually at band practice for the Sunday church we attend... so I keep it easy with sammies... sometimes I am even too lazy to make those - I just grab whatever while I clean the house.
So, I am excited to start it next week - mid cycle as we are mid-month... We will NOT have the same home-cooked meal for 30 days...
I will keep you posted... if I get really Type A about this - I may craft up my grocery lists by week... the ingredients will be the same - just the lunch, breakfast and staples will change... easy enough.
I am sure some of you are totally thinking I am a freak... but my goal this year was to enjoy my kids and the few moments I get for quiet time... if I organize the stuff that HAS to get done and get into a routine... the more free time I have for my kiddos and myself...
AND, I am pretty sure that having a home cooked meal for the husband every night shows him that I love him and want to spend time eating with him too! Last year I did the same thing with the laundry and the chores - and weekends really have become NO LAUNDRY / NO CLEANING family days - it has been great!
3 comments:
I totally don't think you are a freak! Because if you are than I am too! Three years ago a friend at church (back when we lived in CA) tipped me on to this method...she had the most pristine house and had a toddler running around and always cooked fresh homecooked meals...of course I had to ask how she did it--and just like you said, she wrote out a list every week of what she was going to make and looked at everything she had (to be sure to use produce that was about to go bad) and tried to incorporate things that were in the cupboards and fridge into the meals. I've been doing it ever since---and I do also write out all the ingredients and let's say I'm going to sprouts I know they have like 5 sections (meat, produce, aisle foods, bulk, dairy) so I'll categorize the ingredients under those headings--otherwise if it is just a straight list I'll find myself bouncing all over the store (and for some reason Derek and the kids don't find shopping as much fun or relaxing as I do so I have to make it quick and the categories save time!) and if I'm feeling really "type A" as you said :) I'll even put little symbols next to the foods, for example--if I need tomatoes for spaghetti sauce but also for pizza sauce, and maybe even a few for sandwiches, on my list next to the word "tomato" I'll put a circle (which represents spagetti), a triangle (which represents pizza), and another symbol for lunch sandwiches--this really helps when buying in bulk because there have been times when I accidently used the tomatoes (or whatever ingredient) all in the first two meals and forgot that it was needed for a third one and there is nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of a recipe and realizing I used threw in the rest of the tomatoes in the last recipe when I needed them for this one! I'll refer to my list all week long and it reminds me of what goes to what. I'll even write recipe book page numbers on there to save myself the time of trying to find (or remember) why I bought so many tomatoes... :)
I like your idea of no cleaning on the weekends--I end up doing that anyway and feel guilty because those are the "cheaper" days for APS but with a little planning I could do the laundry and dishes in the morning and evening! Which post did you do about the laundry and chores? Or have you yet?--I'd love to hear about it! Thanks for the good ideas!
I totally admire this and am halfway there. Not type A enough and it really is a struggle. I end up just wandering the grocery store, darting back and forth from produce to meat to produce to dry goods...totally unorganized and it stresses me out. Plus, I only seem to be able to figure out meals for 4 days instead of the whole week, and the other days are random. Would do us all a much better service to plan it a bit better...you'd think as a Pampered Chef consultant, I'd have it down. I guess that's why it's called life and I'm just learning as I go!
If you have a crock pot--use it!! I use mine about 4 times a week. I love it. When I get up in the morning I load up my pot and don't even think about until 5 pm in the evening!! You can make everything in these things!!!
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