When trying to be organised, you don’t have to look far before coming up with tips for meal planning. This comes in many forms, from trying to reduce stress during a busy week to trying to save money to simply being organised. Meal planning is touted as the ultimate thing to keep you healthy, save money, and keep you organised.
I like the theory, but practice is something else entirely.
Over the years, especially since my kids were small, I have tried many different methods of meal planning. From sitting with my mum each week to do a plan, to having Hello Fresh boxes delivered (this worked well until my kid was diagnosed coeliac), to having a whiteboard where I could write down meals, to… whatever else I’ve tried over the years.
I’ve realised that this is part of executive dysfunction as well as time blindness, and not knowing what I will feel like eating or have the energy to cook on any given day.
For me, meal planning ended up being more stressful, and costing more money, especially if I ended up throwing out fresh ingredients that I didn’t end up using…
Instead, I have a few set meals on high rotation and I have the standard ingredients in the fridge and freezer.
At the moment, this includes:
- Pasta sauce – ingredients are mince, tinned tomato, frozen veggies (or any leftover veggies in the fridge), and seasonings, gluten free pasta
- Pizza – pizza bases, pizza sauce, shredded ham, pineapple, mushrooms, capsicum, olives, cheese, anchovies (my kid loves these)
- Sausages & veggies – kid like sausages, I have chops or something else, kid has chips, I have potato gratin, and veggies (I keep a variety of frozen ones on hand, or get prepared ones I can cook in the microwave)
- Mushroom risotto – made in the thermomix with mushrooms, arborio rice, onion, garlic (I keep crushed garlic in the fridge) and a few other ingredients
- Chicken in mustard sauce – chicken, frozen veggies, jar of simmer sauce, rice
There are a few others, like tacos, but these are our main ones right now. Most of the ingredients I keep on hand so I can decide on the night what I feel like cooking. With things like pasta sauce, I make it up and then freeze the rest so I can thaw it out on the nights when I’m tired and don’t have the energy to cook from scratch.
I have found with these staples that most ingredients I can keep in the pantry or freezer, and buy the fresh ingredients when I feel like it. For example, with pizza, I keep things like the olives and pineapple on hand, and buy the mushrooms and capsicum when I’m ready to make pizza.
It does mean I end up at the supermarket more often, however I find that this is less overwhelming for me as I’m doing smaller shops and don’t have to remember a longer list, whether or not I have remembered to write one out!
It also means that I’m being kind to my brain. I don’t have to think more than a couple of days ahead when I’m shopping, and this is less stressful for me.
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