Meal Planning

When my kids lived with me I tried to do meal planning because, well, it seemed like the kind of thing a Mom is supposed to do. It seemed like that would be the way one could make the best use of weekly specials at the store, coupons one may have, work efficiently with time restrictions, etc. I involved the kids in the planning and used it as a life skills lesson in how to plan, organize, shop, and budget.

However, since I mainly am cooking only for myself at present, that has all gone by the wayside! I cook, and eat, by whim now. I ask the chef at my workplace what she's making for dinner. I post queries here. I wander through the grocery store and see what "looks good." What sounds good? Does anything sound good? Do I actually have any ingredients on hand? Should I just skip it? Or will it be eggs... again?

Having said all that, I must also confess that it is a very, very rare occurrence that I don't plan ahead when I have invited someone who qualifies as a guest, whether it's one or a dozen. I am not really an obsessive-compulsive control freak, I just want things to be nice and work out well when someone is doing me the honor of visiting my home.

How do you approach all this? Do you plan ahead? And if you do, do you stick to the plan?

My instinct is to plans meals in advance, based on what's available to cook and what we've recently eaten. However, life with a three-year-old means that all the advance planning in the world might be thrown out the window when, as happened last night, he rejects the food presented to him (after consenting to it in advance) and demands a pizza instead *sigh*

Mark Lipton

demands a pizza instead *sigh*

A child after my own heart! There is never a bad time for pizza!

How do you approach all this? Do you plan ahead? And if you do, do you stick to the plan?

I voted "sometimes". There was a while that I would have meals planned as much as 5 days in advance based on what I had on hand, what was on sale that week, and what we had just had. That way, the meals were varied and our diet balanced. It's also a good way to make use of leftovers - part of your meal is already prepared.

I still like this approach, but now it's more like a couple days at a time, with the occasional "it's 4:00 and I don't know what's for dinner. I try to keep enough pantry and freezer staples to pull together a meal on days like that. Pastas are a great go-to option for that.

Staples here are several types of dried pasta, canned beans (especially black beans), potatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, various sausages, chicken, ground beef, eggs, cheese, tortillas, frozen peas, chicken & beef stock, and of course, onions and garlic.

To address the part about sticking to the plan. For the most part, yes. One great thing about having a number of meals planned is that you can switch them around if you need to. Say you got busy and forgot to take the steak out of the freezer, you can look at your meal plan and make something that doesn't require thawing.

[Robin Garr]

I voted "sometimes" but I sort of wish there had been a "rarely" option.

I can't say "never" because I do, on occasion, plan a meal several days or a week in advance. But my basic rule is to go shopping for food often, look for what's fresh and what's inspiring, and start building menu ideas based on what I find. This means that at most my horizon is limited to a few days and most often is firmly fixed on tonight.

Really, even when I plan further ahead it's mostly for similar reasons: I may go to someplace that's a little out of the way for me, like one particular meat store that sells only beef and pork from its own farm suppliers, and since it's about a 15-mile trip across the Ohio, we'll go every couple of weeks and pick up something for the weekend, maybe. Then I'll plan that far ahead, enjoying the opportunity to scan cookbooks and the Web in a quest for good ideas.

But mostly, it's not about me being a procrastinator (although of course I am), but that for me, cooking is a little bit like performance art - or journalism - you don't really get on a creative high until a tight deadline gets the adrenaline pumping.

I voted always. As a cook with only one customer, my "planning" consists of asking Janet around noon time "What would you like for dinner?"

In the unlikely event she doesn't have a preference, I have three or four alternatives in mind. And, with the Market Basket only a three mile walk away, it's always possible to meet the requirements of the moment.

I voted always. As a cook with only one customer, my "planning" consists of asking Janet around noon time "What would you like for dinner?"

In the unlikely event she doesn't have a preference, I have three or four alternatives in mind. And, with the Market Basket only a three mile walk away, it's always possible to meet the requirements of the moment.

I, too, cook for only one customer, but when I ask Jim what he wants for dinner I get "I don't know" or "it doesn't matter". The upside is that he happily eats whatever I fix, so planning several meals ahead usually works well for us. I often send him an e-mail at work with "Tonight's menu".

Another thing I try to do when planning meals is to have leftovers several times a week so he has something to take for lunch to save money and calories.

I voted "Mostly".

With two sons (11 and 15), I HAVE to plan ahead, or there isn't enough food in the house. Breakfasts are fixed (and hot, so there has to be bacon, eggs, toast etc. available). Their lunches are always sandwiches - but that means I have to bake focaccia and bagels the weekend before for the freezer; make sure I've been to the deli to buy ham, proscuitto, ricotta, smoked salmon, mozarella, semi-dried tomatoes, quince paste and olives; and once a month now, make sure I've made onion marmalade and chilli jam.

Dinners are a bit more fluid, but still require thought by about lunch time. We have some pretty resources around us, so can usually get very good ingredients at short notice.

One thing about meal planning for me - planning means saving lots of money, because we're not throwing our hands up in despair at 6pm and ordering in. Lately I've instigated a new rule for eating out - we can only eat somewhere that makes food which we couldn't do better at home. No more paying for bad meals - that drives me crazy.

we can only eat somewhere that makes food which we couldn't do better at home.

Then based on what I know of your cooking skill, you're never eating out again!

we can only eat somewhere that makes food which we couldn't do better at home.

Then based on what I know of your cooking skill, you're never eating out again!

Ha ! You're kind, and I wish it were true. But what it DOES mean is that eating at bad cafes and cheap restaurants is out. So when we DO go out, it costs more, but we eat out far less often. And let's not forget, we enjoy it much more !

I have a funny story, Cynth. I asked my 15 year old if he wanted to go to the school formal this year (an expensive exercise). He said, "Can't we just have the degustation menu at that french restaurant again instead ?" Hahahaha...and I thought he was expensive to feed before...

Mark, just you wait ! One day your 3 year old with be a gourmet food demanding 15 year old !

I have a funny story, Cynth. I asked my 15 year old if he wanted to go to the school formal this year (an expensive exercise). He said, "Can't we just have the degustation menu at that french restaurant again instead ?"

You've raised him well, Mum!

I, too, cook for only one customer, but when I ask Jim what he wants for dinner I get "I don't know" or "it doesn't matter". The upside is that he happily eats whatever I fix, so planning several meals ahead usually works well for us. I often send him an e-mail at work with "Tonight's menu".

I'm not sure how I would function with that sort of customer -- Janet's consistent -- she really studies the menus at a restaurant and asks lots of questions.

From time to time I suggest stuff -- some nice bison burgers with fresh peas tonight, for example, in honor of our 39th wedding anniversary.

She demurred -- I'll settle for Jean Georges tonight.

in honor of our 39th wedding anniversary.

Congratulations to you both, Bob!

[Robin Garr]

in honor of our 39th wedding anniversary.

She demurred -- I'll settle for Jean Georges tonight.

Happy anniversary, Bob and Janet! I think Jean-Georges sounds like a splendid plan.

Thanks Cynthia and Robin -- it was a Janet favorite four years ago -- we are eager to see how it is settling in.

Congrats on the anniversary, Bob! 39 years - with the same woman, no less! wow...

Always.....I have the recipes I want to make for the week out and on my recipe rack. I shop accordingly. Since I keep a well stocked pantry, plans are easily changed if I decide I want something else. When the kids were at home, they drove me nuts wanting to know "what's for dinner?" That was the first question when they walked in the door. I finally posted a weekly menu on the refer and later insisted that my non-domestic teen daughter cook one meal per week for the privilege of going to the mall on a Saturday afternoon (in the winter). Youngest son was cooking by the time he was five and the oldest son was learning by osmosis.

Trouble is I have so many cookbooks and so little time and NOW only two people to cook for.

Congratulations Bob.....Gene and I will celebrate our 45th in June! We've done good!

[Robin Garr]

Congratulations Bob.....Gene and I will celebrate our 45th in June! We've done good!

You guys are making me feel like a youngster ... Mary and I are only coming up on 20 next year. We got a late start, though ...

Congratulations, Bob and Janet ! Wishing you every happiness..

Congratulations Bob.....Gene and I will celebrate our 45th in June! We've done good!

You guys are making me feel like a youngster ... Mary and I are only coming up on 20 next year. We got a late start, though ...

I should say so. Jean and I will be celebrating our 20th then, too... and we thought that we got a late start.

Mark Lipton

Mark, just you wait ! One day your 3 year old with be a gourmet food demanding 15 year old !

It can't happen soon enough for me, Ce. Right now, it's a struggle to get him to eat much of anything that we cook, so I'd welcome the presence of a(nother) gourmand in the house.

Mark Lipton

Congrats on your anniversary, Bob. I hope the meal lives up to expectations and that your wine is a memorable one.

Mark Lipton

Congratulations Bob.....Gene and I will celebrate our 45th in June! We've done good!

You guys are making me feel like a youngster ... Mary and I are only coming up on 20 next year. We got a late start, though ...

How young Robin? I was 22 and Gene was 30 when we got married...went together for four years! I could have killed him...he took so long to propose!!!

[Robin Garr]

Jean and I will be celebrating our 20th then, too... and we thought that we got a late start.

It was a very good year! Actually, now that I think about it, '89 was a good year indeed for Bordeaux. Napa, not so much ...