Do You Plan Your Meals?

[HistoricFoodie]

I've been wondering---particularly as I read the daily "what's for dinner" threads, how many preplan their meals vs how many wing it?

Due to the way we have to shop (essentially, once a week to the nearest big city) and personal inclination, we're in the preplan group.

We actually write out a weekly menu planner. For us that has several advantages: it helps develop a shopping list, let's me know how much early prep I need to do, and assures that the weekly meals are in balance.

Until recently I wrote a lot of cookbook reviews, and, in fact, managed a staff of 13 reviewers. Without preplanning there's no way I could do the volume of recipe testing that required. So the weekly plan was even more important.

On the plan the meals are merely numbered, and prepared as the mood hits. We do not use a Tuesday is pizza night, Friday is chicken night kind of rotation. And if we feel like varying it we certainly don't hesitate.

How about everyone else?

 

[Aunt Bea]

I make a loose plan for the week around what is in season and what is on special at the market. The plan is always subject to change.

Everything in life should have a plan A and a plan B even if you do not or cannot follow them, ya still need a plan!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Vague plans...I plan on eating. From there I may go shopping, my regular grocery store is one block away from work and I pass it at least twice a day, I also will stand in front of the pantry and try to decide what I will be throwing together.

Some meals are completely planned, but usually while I am standing in the store and I find a protein I would like to have for the night.

 

[SherryDAmore]

Well, I try to plan. But I store up during the summer/fall; I have a full pantry and freezer) and an inventory on my phone.

It depends on the weather, what I'll be doing on a given day (if I'm going to be shopping all day, it'll be a slow cooker recipes, for example.)

 

[JoshuaNY]

I usually make a list of 5 meals to have throughout the week. And I make one of them on any given day based on what I feel like.
Sometimes though, I forget to defrost something and that just throws the whole plan out the window

 

[Dawgluver]

Except for Taco Tuesday, I usually wing it. Our grocery stores are all just a few miles away.

 

[Rocklobster]

Not really. I sometimes plan about 24 hours in advance, but that is also subject to change at any time. Or, occasionally I will buy some sort of perishable item for a planned meal and make sure I get around to using it before it goes bad. But, depending on what it is, that could be a few days, give or take.

 

[Merlot]

I usually plan my meals the day before or that day while I am working.

The grocery store is right on my way home so I can stop if needed. The phone app that someone posted on the site has helped me tremendously. I am getting much better at getting only what what I am out of or need for a particular recipe since I just type it into my phone as soon as I think of it. My stops are getting a little less frequent.

 

[CraigC]

Plan for sure. We get the Penn Dutch add on Wednesday and our local Publix on Thursday. If some meat/seafood is on special at Penn Dutch I'll pick some up. It gets divided and into the deep freezer. So we usually have various meats/seafood in the deep freezer to select from. We'll plan a menu based on items from the deep freezer, move the selections to the side by side and shop for what we need at the grocery. Although we pretty much stick to the menu, it isn't carved in stone and we may substitute if one of us has a desire for something different (like when I'm in the area of Grimm's Stone Crabs during season) or our day runs out of hours.

 

[taxlady]

I usually make a list of 5 meals to have throughout the week. And I make one of them on any given day based on what I feel like.
Sometimes though, I forget to defrost something and that just throws the whole plan out the window

Well, if I planned the five meals I would be doing it like you

I may start doing that. I'm good at the "forgot to take it out of the freezer" part.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Just at Weekends - Professional Working House

To be honest, when the girls were growing up and still at home, of course, yes.

We are both professionals and not home during day, so we do make a breakfast list and a weekend list and a list for necessities: toilet paper, laundry detergent etcetra ...

However, we live in Madrid, and 2 wines each and tapas during the evening, are the norm, and actually cheaper and less time consuming than eating a full dinner at apartment. Another point, is that in Madrid, we eat 20.30 hrs - 21.00 hrs. and real light --- very little ...

At the wkends, I prepare Saturday´s lunch and he likes to prepare Sunday´s though it depends on our social calendar too ... and we like to get away for wkends too when we both can. He works on Saturdays as he is a Vet and I do alot of writing & re-edit at wkends.

As we are both very urban, this is our chosen lifestyle.

Good question.

Margi.

 

[HistoricFoodie]

As with Craig, a lot of our shopping is from our freezers. We have two zero-degree freezers, plus a rather large one at the bottom of the fridge.

Based on our shopping list, we remove what we need from the deep freezers and transfer it to the under-fridge one. Then we make a point of transferring the next day's (or, depending, the day after that's) stuff to the fridge to defrost.

Not all our meals are made new, either. Although there's just the two of us, I make full recipes of everything. This gives us 4-8 servings, depending on the dish. We have the meal when it's first made, then I put up the balance as our own "TV" dinners, which get defrosted in the fridge and reheated in the nuke.

 

[Zhizara]

Not really. I live alone so I decide no more than 24 hours in advance. If I have a dish I'm getting hungry for I make sure I have all the ingredients. Leftovers often go in the freezer for easy meals later. When the freezer starts getting really full I'll have a freezer week, using meals prepared earlier, and enjoying a cleaner kitchen for a few days. Freezer meals also have the advantage of the "better the next day" flavors.

 

[CraigC]

To be honest, when the girls were growing up and still at home, of course, yes.

We are both professionals and not home during day, so we do make a breakfast list and a weekend list and a list for necessities: toilet paper, laundry detergent etcetra ...

However, we live in Madrid, and 2 wines each and tapas during the evening, are the norm, and actually cheaper and less time consuming than eating a full dinner at apartment. Another point, is that in Madrid, we eat 20.30 hrs - 21.00 hrs. and real light --- very little ...

At the wkends, I prepare Saturday´s lunch and he likes to prepare Sunday´s though it depends on our social calendar too ... and we like to get away for wkends too when we both can. He works on Saturdays as he is a Vet and I do alot of writing & re-edit at wkends.

As we are both very urban, this is our chosen lifestyle.

Good question.

Margi.

I keep hearing that in many countries like Italy and Spain, many shop on a daily basis for the main meal. Is this accurate?

I live in south Florida, where there is a very large Cuban population. I have noticed that many families will have 3 generations living together. The grandparents are usually retired and stay at home most of the time and abuela does most of the cooking. Is Spain similar in this custom?

 

[Andy M.]

I do as HF does, sometimes. I make a list of 7 meals and shop for the ingredients needed. I try to vary the proteins and types of dishes so we're not having beef two days in a row, for example.

Then there are other weeks when I don't plan at all other than to eat what's in the freezer without forethought.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I plan 4 sit down meals a week. This gives us wiggle room to go out when we like or have leftovers as the mood strikes us. We plan ahead, but also like some spontaneity.

 

[FrankZ]

I have no plan and I stick to it.

I usually try to figure out tomorrow today, but that doesn't always work. Some things more advance notice than others and that trips me up at times.

If I can't figure something out I tend to have a couple go to things that don't any actual planning.

 

[jabbur]

Definitely in the no-plan group here. I try to have the basics for our favorite meals on hand most of the time. I have a deep freeze which helps in that regard. If I want to try a new recipe, that usually happens on the weekends when I have the time to experiment. WalMart and Kroger are between home and work so I can easily stop and pick up something I may not have. Lately, with DH gone half the week, my cooking has greatly slowed. We tend to eat a lot of chicken and hamburger based meals.

 

[babetoo]

i shop once a month. so i have a vague plan based on what i buy. 24 hours is about as far ahead that i plan. thaw, etc. however that is always subject to change depending on what i feel like.

 

[rozz]

I plan weekly... ish. I shop at the Asian market (ludicrously better than standard markets). I also visit the standard market that's across the street from me and snatch up any deals on dairy and produce. I plan out 3-5 meals per week, allowing for any last-minute clearance finds that may alter my plan. For instance, on Friday I found peppers and onions on clearance, so I made chicken chili.