Confession:
I have at least three weeks of CSA shares in my fridge. Well, on the stove at this distinct moment. I'm feeling rather overwhelmed with radishes, collard greens, beets, and mesclun. The other items I can easily utilize (kohlrabi, carrots, spinach, turnips), but these have me stumped. The mesclun not so much, it's just that we don't eat salad frequently enough for the quantity we receive--and my children demolished my salad spinner so it's inconvenient to my lazy tendencies.
So I'm dejectedly browsing through food.com, eyes glazed over, trying to figure out how to utilize the bounty we're blessed to receive.
Showing posts with label Meal Planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meal Planning. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Meal Planning: The Pantry
As mentioned previously, I tend to keep a stocked pantry that aligns with the meals we tend to utilize. My pantry is wall-mounted adjustable shelving DH had assembled for me in 2000 and a 17cf upright freezer (manual defrost).
My pantry shelving holds modest quantities of canned and packaged foods, I shop to replenish what I use out of it. My freezer holds freezer jams we made with last year's harvest of peaches and blackberries, this year's harvest of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and peaches. My grains and flours, bulk meats, bulk cheese, breads, and leftovers are also in the big freezer. The freezer that is with the fridge holds pre-cooked meats, frozen veggies, and shredded cheese.
I buy ground beef in quantity and cook it down with onion, garlic, oregano, and black pepper. Then I package it into one-cup increments and toss into the freezer. When I need ground beef (sloppy joes, spaghetti, etc) I toss a package in the microwave for a minute and then go on with meal prep.
When chicken breast is on sale I toss it in the crockpot with some broth and chopped green chiles to cook down. After draining and shredding I pack it into the freezer in one-cup increments for use in makeshift pasta dishes, quasadillas, etc. Again, a quick nuke and moving on with meal prep.
(Though, if I'm on top of my game, I defrost the pre-cooked meats in the fridge so I'm not utilizing the microwave.)
When we do bacon, any leftovers are tossed into a baggie in the freezer for use on sandwiches or served alongside breakfast dishes. Or as a snack. I don't reheat the bacon, I eat it frozen.
I keep shredded cheese in the freezer. It makes it easy for me to use it and doesn't mold.
Do you do any shortcuts in your pantry to make meal prep or meal planning easier for your household?
-JS
My pantry shelving holds modest quantities of canned and packaged foods, I shop to replenish what I use out of it. My freezer holds freezer jams we made with last year's harvest of peaches and blackberries, this year's harvest of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and peaches. My grains and flours, bulk meats, bulk cheese, breads, and leftovers are also in the big freezer. The freezer that is with the fridge holds pre-cooked meats, frozen veggies, and shredded cheese.
I buy ground beef in quantity and cook it down with onion, garlic, oregano, and black pepper. Then I package it into one-cup increments and toss into the freezer. When I need ground beef (sloppy joes, spaghetti, etc) I toss a package in the microwave for a minute and then go on with meal prep.
When chicken breast is on sale I toss it in the crockpot with some broth and chopped green chiles to cook down. After draining and shredding I pack it into the freezer in one-cup increments for use in makeshift pasta dishes, quasadillas, etc. Again, a quick nuke and moving on with meal prep.
(Though, if I'm on top of my game, I defrost the pre-cooked meats in the fridge so I'm not utilizing the microwave.)
When we do bacon, any leftovers are tossed into a baggie in the freezer for use on sandwiches or served alongside breakfast dishes. Or as a snack. I don't reheat the bacon, I eat it frozen.
I keep shredded cheese in the freezer. It makes it easy for me to use it and doesn't mold.
Do you do any shortcuts in your pantry to make meal prep or meal planning easier for your household?
-JS
Friday, July 6, 2012
Meal Planning: Foundation
A childhood friend messaged me today, asking how I meal plan. I've touched briefly on it elsewhere before, but figured it would be an interesting topic to delve into further here to tie into the Real Food Fridays that I have not been posting (innocently whistling sheepishly). Meal planning is ever-evolving around here--we have to work around a slew of food reactions, within a budget, and still live life. One of these days I will get back to more scratch-cooking and our microfarm will be full-tilt, but until then...
I try to meal plan all meals and snacks, and I meal plan for the entire pay period. DH doesn't like having similar things too close together so I can't do chicken two nights in a row, or pasta two nights in a row, etc. I created a framework to cut down the brain power required:
I plan dinner first--on a good week I also plan sides--then I plan lunches, breakfasts, and snacks. Some things we have standing each week, like animal crackers for our snack coming home from church on Sunday. When I have an opportunity to be crafty, I want to update my menu-planning menagerie to something similar to this. I like the idea of the primary ingredients list being on the back so you can quickly build your grocery list. At the same token though, I keep a pantry and tend to shop to replenish the pantry rather than shopping for specific recipes.
Also, we have fail-safe meals that don't go into meal plan rotation that we fall back on during those crazy days where nothing goes according to plan. They include:
There are some options for those that do not wish to do their own meal planning, that don't involve take-out. Fresh 20, e-Meals, and Menu-Mailer are all paid-for weekly menu plans that include shopping lists and recipes. Or, there's also the concept of Entre-Vous or Dream Dinners; better yet, if you're in the vicinity of Wilmington, Raleigh, or Chapel Hill you can take advantage of the awesomeness that is Custom Fit Meals.
How do you plan your family's meals?
-JS
I try to meal plan all meals and snacks, and I meal plan for the entire pay period. DH doesn't like having similar things too close together so I can't do chicken two nights in a row, or pasta two nights in a row, etc. I created a framework to cut down the brain power required:
- Roasts
- Soup/Salad
- Breakfast for Dinner
- Mexi/pseudo-Asian
- Rice/Pasta
- Grill
- Miscellaneous
I plan dinner first--on a good week I also plan sides--then I plan lunches, breakfasts, and snacks. Some things we have standing each week, like animal crackers for our snack coming home from church on Sunday. When I have an opportunity to be crafty, I want to update my menu-planning menagerie to something similar to this. I like the idea of the primary ingredients list being on the back so you can quickly build your grocery list. At the same token though, I keep a pantry and tend to shop to replenish the pantry rather than shopping for specific recipes.
Also, we have fail-safe meals that don't go into meal plan rotation that we fall back on during those crazy days where nothing goes according to plan. They include:
- Spaghetti
- Alfredo (though not all of us can eat it)
- Sloppy Joes
- Rotini (a family recipe)
- Chicken and Stuffing
- and we have a few boxes of Hamburger Helper from when it was free due to couponing
There are some options for those that do not wish to do their own meal planning, that don't involve take-out. Fresh 20, e-Meals, and Menu-Mailer are all paid-for weekly menu plans that include shopping lists and recipes. Or, there's also the concept of Entre-Vous or Dream Dinners; better yet, if you're in the vicinity of Wilmington, Raleigh, or Chapel Hill you can take advantage of the awesomeness that is Custom Fit Meals.
How do you plan your family's meals?
-JS
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