Welcome back to the LocalHarvest newsletter.
Three years ago this month I started taking a new approach to meal planning. It
sounds like an exaggeration, but it really has changed my life. If you're like
me, you like to cook, but don't enjoy deciding what's for supper, especially
under duress. There is nothing that drains the energy and ratchets up the
stress quite like arriving home after work tired and hungry, with no idea what
to make. Add a couple of tired and hungry kids to the mix, and it is easy to
see why there is often a long line at the drive-through.
My new approach takes about 30 minutes a month, 45 if I get fancy. Around the
first of the month - ideally before the new month begins - I sit down with a
calendar and jot down a supper menu for every night of the month ahead. Usually
I have some idea of which nights are likely to be a little hectic or unusual
around the dinner hour, so I can plan simple meals for those nights. ("Tacos
and leftover squash") Similarly, I can plan to do a little extra cooking on the
weekends if it is going to be a particularly busy week. ("Quiche and salad;
bake a squash for Tuesday.") It really is not that hard, but it has changed how
we eat. That far ahead, mood and whim do not factor in - it is easy and
neutral. If need or craving arise, I can always change the menu on any given
day, but usually I am so glad to have it decided that I just make whatever is
on the calendar.
The benefits here are many. Looking at our diet a whole month at a time helps
me balance out the protein sources and the kinds of vegetables to make sure we
are getting a good variety. It helps me anticipate and create a steady flow of
leftovers so we always have something to take for our lunches. I have also
found that this method helps eliminate food waste. There are just three people
in our family, so it takes us a few meals to get through a roasted chicken or a
head of cabbage. By looking ahead, I can shop less often and make a plan to use
everything.
Once I was asked to share my calendar, and the friend who looked at it was
aghast: "But where's the Pad Thai?" Aha! Lesson learned. We all eat
differently, so these calendars are highly individualized and, sadly, not
transferable. Nor are they as replicable as I had thought they would be.
Initially, I planned to only do this for one full year, thinking that I would
just save the calendar and repeat it the following year. My family eats quite
seasonally, so I figured that the available produce would be similar to the
same month the year before. More or less it is, but our tastes change over
time, and some years I have more interest and time for cooking than others. So
I look at the past year's calendar for reference, but create an updated version
every month. It's time well spent.
How do I know? If I am running a few days behind and planning the whole month
starting with tonight, it is that square - tonight - that is invariably the
last to be filled in. The rest of the month takes maybe 30 minutes, and I spend
another 15 trying to figure out what to make tonight. "What's for supper?" Try
this idea, and you'll wrestle with that question only once a month.
As always, eat well and take good care. Oh, and don't miss the very cool little video below!
Erin
Erin Barnett
Director
LocalHarvest
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