No, there’s no menu plan here today. But there is the thought of a menu plan, and that’s almost as good as one, right?
Earlier this year, N and I undertook weekly menu planning. For about a month we were really good about sitting down Saturday morning and pouring through all the back issues of Food & Wine we had, (The subscription was good for more than catching drool!) and finding recipes to cook. Then we’d make a grocery list and go shopping for the week.
I had been resistant to menu planning because I thought, “But what if I don’t want chicken on Wednesday?” whine, whine, whine, “What if I want a burrito?” whine, whine, whine. Well, as it turns out – if chicken was on the menu for Wednesday, chicken was what I wanted. Shocking, I know.
It was so easy to look at the fridge and see that Tuesday was Spicy Soba Noodles with Garlic Lime Shrimp, and have the recipe right there, and all the stuff to make it in the house. There was no 5 o’clock dithering about what to have for dinner. No opening and closing the refrigerator a dozen times, hoping that this time there will be a lasagna ready to go in the oven.
We got lazy about planning when N started a job with an awful commute, and this summer it’s been too hot to cook. Our kitchen gets lots of sun and is warm to begin with. Add a lack of a/c and a stove and it’s unbearable. We’ve been eating basic stuff that can be cooked on the grill.
Lately though, we’ve been talking about getting back to planning. We ate healthier when we had a menu for the week because there was no throwing our hands up in the air and getting Chipotle because it was easier than finding something to cook.