One of the keys to mr staying with any plan, whether it's Weight Watchers or vegetarianism or Fit For Life or South Beach or whatever, has been meal planning. It's best tackled a week at a time, with grocery shopping following directly after. Other tips:
Build in "I'm exhausted" night(s).
One eating out night.
Start with dinners, as that's the problem time of day.
Don't forget to check the calendar for parties, meetings and other commitments.
I went looking for an iPhone or iPad meal planning app, but the only one seems to be having technical problems. I did find this site with a meaty article and checklist template: http://organizedhome.com/kitchen-tips/menu-planning-save-time-kitchen
Menu planning is pretty new for me. I've always eaten out a lot, and I live a lone so even when I eat in I'm likely to either graze or make a single item. Cooking something elaborate for just me always seemed kind of depressing.
That all changed when I "discovered" the slow cooker. I could spend 10 minutes in the morning, and come home later to a house that smelled wonderful and a really decent meal. I added to that a pressure cooker, so I could make rice in 6 minutes.
The more I hunted for recipes, the more a rekindled my interest in cooking. I still don't want to make an elaborate meal after working all day, but I learned it's less about cooking for myself and more about *when* I cook.
So now I often cook in the morning. I'll also frequently do a ton of cooking over the weekend and freeze stuff.
I always had the idea that menu planning was for parents and people with OCD. I mean really, you buy food, and you cook it, right?
I've astonished myself at the food I've let go to waste because I'm not planning. I'm grocery shopping so much more than I used to, and I clearly have a real need for planning. It's just so not my style!
Springpad has a meal planner I'm going to try. http://www10.springpadit.com/springpads/mealplanner/ There's an iPhone app too. I'll let you know how it goes.
Posted by: Julie Gomoll | July 11, 2010 at 09:20 AM