Some weeks I do great following your advice but lately have been feeling so weighted down just by the task of writing it down. I took our list of dishes from your brainstorm dump suggestion and printed them on magnet sheets. I have a white board calendar next to the fridge and now I can look at all the meals we like and move the meals over to the calendar. This week already so much less stress.
I feel like I need this reminder so often. I dread meal planning but when I do it, it’s life changing. Lord, please help me to do this every week. Thank you for sharing this.
When I know it’s going to be a particularly busy season, I actually just plan out a rotation for 3-4 weeks and repeat (so, 4 Monday meals, 4 Tuesday, etc.). It’s not really as exciting as it could be otherwise but it takes a HUGE weight off to know that I already have thought of all the fall or winter meals I’ll be making and just need to check my list!
I really struggle with meal planning. We are very seasonal because of the garden and stuff and I find it much more “convenient” (dirty word) to look at what I’ve got on any given day and go from there. And I don’t think about it often until 3pm. I do the same with lunch or have the 14 year old do some culinary practice. I wonder about what women did traditional sometimes as we read the Little Britches series or Little House… How did those women do it. Little Britches was one of 6 and his mother was a widow… I recently watched a video by a farm mom of 7 (I believe) who said she couldn’t meal plan and mitigated her stress by a well stocked larder (with the staples). As I’m filling mine with onions, shallots and potatoes from the garden and fermenting pickles and salsas, salt preserved herbs and oil preserved roasted tomatoes and such I am finding that my stress levels are decreasing. I love eating out of the larder… meal planning was actually part of my Lent penance 😬😬😬
When you get experienced, you can wing it to a certain extent, though people who insist that they don't meal plan overlook, I think, their own sort of subconscious "taking stock". Once you can do it intuitively, it's hard to remember the days way back in the past when everyone looked at you because there was NOTHING to eat LOL...
I also wonder how many teenage boys they have...
The thing is, if you write it down, you will not be caught out with a bushel of tomatoes but zero chicken...
The way Ma did it was by having certain things on certain days, in a very unvarying round, a good approach!
Today I think we like more variety, but we take it too far, and then end up going out or ordering in for... the same old things!
With just my husband and me, I find I can easily scrounge *something* up. But when I had 9-11 people to cook for, I knew I would be in trouble if I didn't have a plan!
In short, for the woman learning housewifery, planning is super helpful. It gives you practice and it also allows others in the family to know what to expect/how to help.
High season in the garden is so inspiring! If we have a basic meal plan in the back of our mind, we can make the most of it. But how to get from here to there... we just have to practice!
I’m running with the “know by 10am.” Not advice I’d ever gotten. It’s so simple even with my haphazard way. But I’ve been reinventing the week since I had my first 14.5 years ago… and that’s gone to a new level since becoming Catholic 6 years ago and embracing tradition and gender rolls and and and… My poor husband has suffered much. Also, thank you for the Gress feminism book recommendation. I read it and shared it and it’s why I got of Instagram (got attacked by an in person friend). Getting off social media was one of the best things I ever did for my family. 🥰
This is so helpful! I have a basic weekly rotating meal plan. It is more like basic categories. So Monday is pasta night. It could be with chicken and alfredo or pesto or a red meat sauce, Tuesday is Mexican-tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, Wednsday is some kind of stir fry. It works really well using seasonal produce to vary the meals. I mostly just make sure I have enough meat and staples on hand to make any of the meals in the most basic form, then I add whatever seasonal veggies from the garden or store (or freezer or pantry in winter) for variety.
Some weeks I do great following your advice but lately have been feeling so weighted down just by the task of writing it down. I took our list of dishes from your brainstorm dump suggestion and printed them on magnet sheets. I have a white board calendar next to the fridge and now I can look at all the meals we like and move the meals over to the calendar. This week already so much less stress.
Honestly, a scrap of paper takes away the burden, IMO!
Maybe a handy child, needing the writing practice, can transcribe (or be dictated to)? THAT COUNTS AS SCHOOL
"That counts as school." Ha ha ha! That is exactly the kind of homework we children yearned for, back in the day! 🤣🤣
Meal planning is the bane of my existence. And, when I do it I feel huge relief and my days are so much less stressful. Thx for this encouragement
It's the worst. But also the best LOL
A true paradox 😅
I love the voiceover. It feels like you're in my kitchen! ;) God bless.
I feel like I need this reminder so often. I dread meal planning but when I do it, it’s life changing. Lord, please help me to do this every week. Thank you for sharing this.
When I know it’s going to be a particularly busy season, I actually just plan out a rotation for 3-4 weeks and repeat (so, 4 Monday meals, 4 Tuesday, etc.). It’s not really as exciting as it could be otherwise but it takes a HUGE weight off to know that I already have thought of all the fall or winter meals I’ll be making and just need to check my list!
So clutch!
Baby steps... and then you get the hang of it... and then you can just take that huge weight off your back!
Take two…
I really struggle with meal planning. We are very seasonal because of the garden and stuff and I find it much more “convenient” (dirty word) to look at what I’ve got on any given day and go from there. And I don’t think about it often until 3pm. I do the same with lunch or have the 14 year old do some culinary practice. I wonder about what women did traditional sometimes as we read the Little Britches series or Little House… How did those women do it. Little Britches was one of 6 and his mother was a widow… I recently watched a video by a farm mom of 7 (I believe) who said she couldn’t meal plan and mitigated her stress by a well stocked larder (with the staples). As I’m filling mine with onions, shallots and potatoes from the garden and fermenting pickles and salsas, salt preserved herbs and oil preserved roasted tomatoes and such I am finding that my stress levels are decreasing. I love eating out of the larder… meal planning was actually part of my Lent penance 😬😬😬
When you get experienced, you can wing it to a certain extent, though people who insist that they don't meal plan overlook, I think, their own sort of subconscious "taking stock". Once you can do it intuitively, it's hard to remember the days way back in the past when everyone looked at you because there was NOTHING to eat LOL...
I also wonder how many teenage boys they have...
The thing is, if you write it down, you will not be caught out with a bushel of tomatoes but zero chicken...
The way Ma did it was by having certain things on certain days, in a very unvarying round, a good approach!
Today I think we like more variety, but we take it too far, and then end up going out or ordering in for... the same old things!
With just my husband and me, I find I can easily scrounge *something* up. But when I had 9-11 people to cook for, I knew I would be in trouble if I didn't have a plan!
In short, for the woman learning housewifery, planning is super helpful. It gives you practice and it also allows others in the family to know what to expect/how to help.
High season in the garden is so inspiring! If we have a basic meal plan in the back of our mind, we can make the most of it. But how to get from here to there... we just have to practice!
In other words, you may not need to meal plan (or not need to in certain seasons) but your skill comes from long practice!
Let's show new housewives how to get that practice under their belt!
I’m running with the “know by 10am.” Not advice I’d ever gotten. It’s so simple even with my haphazard way. But I’ve been reinventing the week since I had my first 14.5 years ago… and that’s gone to a new level since becoming Catholic 6 years ago and embracing tradition and gender rolls and and and… My poor husband has suffered much. Also, thank you for the Gress feminism book recommendation. I read it and shared it and it’s why I got of Instagram (got attacked by an in person friend). Getting off social media was one of the best things I ever did for my family. 🥰
Actually been trying to decide if this is social media or just the new blog form…
Like old school blogs, except you know other people are reading :)
9-11 people! :o
Were there a lot of roasts and casseroles? I feel like there must have been casseroles.
This is so helpful! I have a basic weekly rotating meal plan. It is more like basic categories. So Monday is pasta night. It could be with chicken and alfredo or pesto or a red meat sauce, Tuesday is Mexican-tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, Wednsday is some kind of stir fry. It works really well using seasonal produce to vary the meals. I mostly just make sure I have enough meat and staples on hand to make any of the meals in the most basic form, then I add whatever seasonal veggies from the garden or store (or freezer or pantry in winter) for variety.