Mom, What's For Dinner??

Somedays I swear Miss K just lives for asking what we're having for dinner; it must be that extra line on my nametag, On-Demand Personal Chef. And, as per usual kid-style, she always tends to ask at most impeccably inopportune moments. Like when I'm elbow deep in an explosive poop-diaper.

While I'm pretty sure I am not the only mom who just dreads this question, I don't remember it being a topic addressed in the Parenting 101 handbook. I seemed to have skipped the Mad-Dash Through Cupboards And Fridge to Haphazardly Throw Something Together section. Maybe I fell asleep before I got there?

To that end, I knew I had to come up with something that would make our evenings run smoother. Especially the evening were Daddy has school late and it's just me and the girls. I've heard mention in passing Meal Planning and took some time to look into what it entails.

Meal Planning is just what is sounds like (go figure, right?): planning meals. Ahead of time. See, that whole "ahead of time" part is the lifesaver. You'd think I would have figured that out before! You choose what period of time you want to create a menu for and then create a shopping list to go with your menu. Pre-planning ensures the ingredients are actually on hand when you need them. Such a novel and simple concept!

For the last two weeks, I created a weekly menu and each Sunday night I made sure the ingredients necessary were either in the cupboards or on Monday's shopping list. While it took extra time out of my omg-the-weekend-is-over veg session, sitting down and creating menus and shopping lists wasn't as dangerous to my mental health as I thought it might be. Score!

And voila, success! My life between 4pm and 6pm changed from a nightmare  of cranky, hungry children and adults to almost blissful dinners. I knew what was needed for dinner, when to start preparations, what to make and I could plan accordingly. Such a small change made a huge impact on our nights. And, not surprisingly, on our budget as well.

Now that I've made it through the first two weeks, I can do anything! Goals for November: Meal plan the whole month in one shot. Make two trips to the stores all month!

*Fingers crossed*