Poll: Do you plan your meals in advance?

[patsyk]

I was just wondering if everyone plans what they plan to make a week, a day,etc in advance? Or do you just decide that evening?

I TRY to plan a week ahead so that I can buy all ingredients when I do the weekly shopping, but sometimes that doesn't happen... just wondering what everyone else does!

[ebobbitt]

I do plan my meals a week in advance. If I don't my eating seems to get totally out of control. Of course, I do go to Weight Watchers where planning is stressed. I make my menu, do my grocery list, visit the grocery store and cook for the week. It just works for me.

[GayeC]

I also plan my meals for the week, usually right before I go shopping. For me it makes dinner preparation less stressful, especially on the days when I work, the children have an activity after school, etc. I would be way stressed if I had to decide every day at 5:00 or 5:30 what to make for dinner that day!

[emilycat]

Meal-planning is one of my favorite parts of the week -- I love perusing my cookbooks and deciding what I want to make. Besides, I really only have time to go to the Farmer's Market once a week, and if I just shopped without a list, I'd buy way too much food.
I don't always feel like making what I'd planned, and I don't plan meals for specific evenings -- I typically pick out about 5 recipes I want to try, and if I don't by chance feel like making it at all that week, I'll improvise with the ingredients and make something else. Truth be told, I often just don't feel like following any recipes anyway, and make a variation on what I chose.
At any rate, I do like having some idea of what I'll be cooking during the week, and planning is a hobby of mine http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif , so I enjoy it.

Emily

[Terrytx]

I am also a planner. I plan menus for a week, sometimes 2. Stock up with as much stuff that will stay fresh until I need it. But I'm like others, the menu might change along the way, all according to how I feel that day.

[clairea]

I always plan meals for the week before I go grocery shopping. Typically, I will plan for 5 meals, leaving a couple of nights for leftovers, DH working late so I just have a salad, etc. With 2 toddlers at home, I usually do as much prep work in advance as possible so I am not trying to deal with it during the "witching hour" (or 2) from about 5-7 pm, and definitely do not want to have to run back to the grocery store for one or two things, so planning really helps this way. But, like most other people responding, sometimes the plan doesn't come off and I end up making something else with what I bought.

[This message has been edited by clairea (edited 04-17-2001).]

[hka]

I'm also a planner. I plan my meals a week in advance. I'm like Emilycat. I like to sit down and look at my cookbooks and figure out recipes I'd like to try. I usually try to pick ones that aren't too in depth for the week nights as I work and don't want to have to go home and spend a couple of hours cooking. I save the more in depth recipes for the weekends when I have more leisure time. I feel much better when I pre-plan the meals and not fly by the seat of my pants! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[A R Price]

from the other side of the coin...I only really plan meals when we are having company. I flag recipes in CL, Gourmet and Saveur that I want to make in the near future. Then I buy any unusual ingredients so they are on hand when I decide what I want to make for dinner. Sometimes though we come up short...we've had some really "interesting" tostada salads and one-dish skillet meals!

The biggest problem with our approach is we sometimes don't take things out of the freezer far enough in advance. That's when those frozen potstickers ot tamales I made in advance come in handy because they don't have to be thawed.

[lorilei]

Oh, no.
People are always asking this question on these boards... trying to embarass me http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

In case you haven't guessed, I am NOT a planner. I plan special meals for company, but I prefer to keep a bit of adventure in my everyday life -- I like the idea that my dinner plans can change with the mood of the moment!

Maybe this habit is promulgated by the fact that I have a big pantry. If I keep my pantry stocked and my fridge filled with fresh veggies, I can make almost anything my heart desires at a moment's notice http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[DmOrtega]

I cook on Saturday and sometimes on Sunday. I always cook Sunday breakfast. I love to look thru my cookbooks and try new foods. I try to cook enough for 2-3 days of leftovers. During the week I will cook something easy. We do alot of pasta and burritos. Whenever I cook pasta, I always cook extra for leftovers. There are plenty of evenings that I just don't have time to cook and having something ready to reheat is a treat.

[csmcnamara]

I'm a planner--it makes life easier when I get home from work and don't feel like thinking about what to make for dinner. I plan my menu for the week ahead and make one trip to the grocery store.

[schuh]

It doesn't come naturally but I've been trying to plan. Here's why:
- I'm less tempted to buy goodies each time I go to the store.
- I save $$ by having fewer impulse purchases.
- I'm more likely to cook healthy meals if I have the ingredients on hand.
- It's a pain going to the store with two kids, especially when they are begging for goodies.
BUT...as I said, it doesn't come naturally.

[heidibowman]

I'm like Sara Emily...I pick out about 7 - 10 recipes I'd like to try. On the back of my regular grocery list (things we're out of) I list each recipe name & where to find it and make a list of which ingredients each recipe would need. That way I can decide which recipes will work with what's fresh / available at the store. This planning also allows me to make sure I'm hitting enough of each food group (and not too many of another). It takes the pressure off trying to figure out at 5:00 what I'm going to make for dinner. I just have to pick something off the list!

[mariakj]

Wow, heidibowman and I are really on the same page. I too, write out several recipes and see which ingredients are on special or available at the store and make the ones that I can find all the ingredients for. When I make my grocery list I try and plan side dishes for the main dishes that I want to make. It really does help you relive stress while cooking during the week when you have in your mind what you want to make and you have all the ingredients.

[LaraW]

I do a lot of my planning in advance. I usually cook at least 5 nights out of 7, and it seems like figuring out what to have for dinner is the hardest part. Before I go to the grocery store, DH and I sit down and figure out what we have going on that week, and based on working late, evening activities, etc, we plan our meals. I really like not having to think about what we are eating when I get home from work or the gym. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I was putting together a lasagna last night for dinner tonight and discovered that I was nearly out of lasagna noodles and had to go to the store in the middle of assembling the lasagna! ARG!

[mandarin2j]

Yes. But… What is it that they say about the best laid plans of mice and men, so on and so forth? I have a seriously AR chart that I sit down and fill out every Sunday, with the supermarket ads and a pile of CL magazines sitting next to me. I have little boxes where I check off that each dinner includes a veggie, a salad, and there's a box to check off whether the meal holds the possibility of leftovers for lunches. I love, absolutely love planning. I'm not especially strong about execution, however. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif I'd say about 4 or 5 nights out of 7, I stick to my plans. But the rest of the week, it's whatever I have the energy to throw together.

On the positive side, the reason I have to be so "flexible" about my plans is that I'm far more physically active than I used to be. I'm lucky if I have time Sundays for menu planning, much less advance meal prep. It's not ideal, but until I win the lottery, it's better than sticking to the chart but couch potato-ing out. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

-Amanda

[jd]

I'm generally organized, but meal planning just doesn't work for me. As I review CL and the BB, I pick recipes that I want to try. Each morning, DSO and I discuss if we will both be home for dinner. If so, I take a recipe with me, planning to shop on the way home. Then, around 7 pm, one of us calls the other to see if we are really going to be home. About 50% of the time, we aren't. I stop and get what I need if we are, or decide to make it for myself (or get sushi take out!!). I guess I shouldn't be calling this planning.

[patsyk]

Thanks for all of the responses! I think I will "borrow" some of the things that the rest of you do to try to make my meal planning and shopping a little less stressful!

Anyone else have ideas to share? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[kwormann]

What can I say.....I LOVE to plan....ANYTHING! I know, its a sickness!

Kim

[jliah]

I definitely plan ahead for the coming week.

On my computer I made a grocery list where almost everything I normally buy is listed in order according to lane numbers. (Because of my custom list, I can get through the store quickly without back-tracking.) While writing down the names of the recipes that I intend on making during the week (with the main dishes on top and the side dishes on the bottom), I just quickly check off the items on the grocery list side of the sheet that I need to buy. As I'm writing down the recipe names, I write down the page number and abbreviation of the cookbook or magazine so I can find it quickly when I'm ready to cook. I also indicate which recipes should be made sooner because they have the more-perishable items.

After I make a recipe, I check it off and put a rating on it so that at the end of the week I can decide whether or not to copy the recipe on my scanner and put it in my notebook (if it's from a CL magazine). I have my notebook arranged with the same categories that CL uses and put the recipes in sheet protectors.

Lately I've been using these lists (when they're all checked off) to remember which recipes I've made so it's easier when it comes time to review them on this site.

Maybe I'm giving too many nitty-gritty details here, but I've found that these ideas have really helped me.

By the way, I usually try to make my list with the grocery sale flier in hand in order to hopefully save a few bucks.

After writing this, I'm wondering if maybe I'm the sickest one here. (I'm referring to Kwormann's comment.) Oh, well. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[BosunsWife]

I'm a planner. I'm currently doing a weight loss group through a military hospital and I find it that much easier to plan our family's meals in advance. I can then use my meal planner as my shopping list. I also made up my own food record so I can check of my basic food groups as I plan my meals for the day/week. It works well for us to have my plan it out in advance also because DH can then help out if I have to be someplace around dinner time. I also have a toddler at home so when she's down for her nap I try to get prep work done so when she's being nasty around 5pm (dinner at 5:30) I just am doing last minute things.

[Sara Emily]

Every week, I make a general shopping list of things I just don't want to be out of and then a more specific one, focusing on about 8 main dish items, about 10 side dish items, and 1 or two desserts. I put the name of the recipe and page number atop each new set and then make a list of ingredients under each one. So, I have planned for many more meals than I will make or eat. Using that list, I hit the grocery store and see what is fresh and what produce looks best. Based on that, I actually shop for just enough for meals for that week, omitting the small lists for dishes that it looks like will not be convenient or best for that week, and cross off the ones purchased. Then, I have a HEAD START for the next week, and just add to it, going through the whole routine again. That eliminates planning for an asparagus dish, for instance, and finding that the only asparagus available is old and sorry looking! It also keeps it fun for me.

[SusanL]

Jliah and Kim Thank you, I can breathe a sigh of relief, stop wavering and post now! I also have a computer grocery list with the days of the week and place for meals at the bottom. The meals for the week are all planned out, doesn't matter what day, just as long as they are planned and I have all the ingredients.
Too many years like Lara, I had to run out or send DH for an ingredient. It hasn't happened in ages, touch wood!
When we lived one and a half hours away from work, I created six weeks of meals and grocery lists to go with them, using CL recipes! It was great, I could grab a list and go, no thinking or planning. I did it seasonally, so I had more than six weeks, but I must admit, I missed planning each week but not the time invested in it.
I think there was a thread before about this and it seemed we had more spontaneous posts then.

[Ohioan]

I usually do a kind of reverse planning: First I go to the store and buy whatever looks fresh and good in the produce section. Then I plan my meals around whatever I've bought. The only time I'll do a pre-shopping planning is when I want to make a specific recipe that calls for things I don't normally buy or keep around the house -- and that's not much! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I also plan around my bean pot: cook up a double or triple batch of beans, and then plan how I'm going to use them in different menus on different days. Sometimes, though, even this planning hinges on what kinds of vegetables I've been able to get. For example, nice dandelion greens or a really fine eggplant will cry out for an Italian bean dish, whereas lovely bok choy will demand Asian, pretty little new potatoes will plead for Indian, bright fresh sweet and hot peppers will cry, "Mexican!" -- and so on.

I still think I should go into the menu-writing business. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif

Cheers,
Phoebe

[HedyL]

i used to try to plan meals for 1-2 weeks, but i found i'd get home and say to myself,"i don't feel like having that!!" and make something else. It's just me and my husband at home, and we tend to work pretty late.

What i do most of the time is to take out my recipe file and make a list of 1-2 weeks of dinner ideas and then when i go shopping I make sure i get the ingredients for everything. I'm planning meals, but not for specific days. as i make a recipe i cross it off the list. i try to coordinate w/ the sale circulars too.

growing up, my mom ALWAYS planned dinners for a couple of weeks. she still does. She got tired of everyone asking "what's for dinner?!" so she told us to look at the list on the refrigerator.She rarely wavered from what she had planned.

[matt]

well for me I try to plan up two weeks in advance. Mind you it does not always work. I try to keep a log what I have made and everyone likes and dislikes. For example one of my roomates loves the barbq chicken potpie and his sister does not like it too much. I try to balance what sounds good to me and to the others. This sunday I was thinking about making the honey pecan chicken with roasted potatoes. If you keep a well stocked pantry, you can let your imagination go wild. I was fornate as a kid my mother taught us kids always make a list it helps save money and most of all you don't make extra trips if you don't have to
matt

[brendat4]

I try to plan my meals each week. I usually go grocery shopping on Mondays so will plan the week's meals either that morning or Sunday evening. I like to go through my cooking magazines for new recipes to try. I keep a running list of items I am out of and then add anything I need for the dishes I plan to make. I also usually take the grocery ads to see what is on sale and plan my meals from there. You'll notice that the magazines have recipes that are seasonal just like the stores have items on sale (example right now is asparagus). I am totally a list shopper and very rarely buy anything that is not on my list unless it's a basic staple type item. That's why I like to shop without my husband-he is a total impulse shopper and if he had to do the shopping every week we'd end up with twice as much as we need!

I have a 4 month old baby and planning my meals is essential. Sometimes I will make up part of the recipe early in the day when she is napping so that assembly goes more quickly. Also, I find it's easier to plan my meals to accomodate for our schedule when one of us has something going on in the evening or we have company coming in or we are going out of town. If I have a particularly busy day planned I'll plan a crock pot meal, etc. Keeps us from having too many frozen pizzas!

[Joyce]

I'm pretty anal in this dept. I sit down with the grocery sales on Fri. I plan a week's meals trying to use what is on sale and fresh that week, and shop Sat. morning. Since there are only two of us I plan two meals for four, including dessert, that I will cook on the weekend and one fast meal that I will make during the week. We then have six nights meals and eat out one night.

[Leanne]

No planning here - not really anyway. I buy basics that I can make alot of things with. If I've seen a recipe that I want to try - I may buy stuff for that. If I'm in a Mexican mood, I'll buy stuff along those lines - but for no particular recipe. It's pretty much whatever hits me at the store - or maybe what's on sale. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Terrytx]

LOL HedyL, I didn't know anyone else in the world hates that question, What's for dinner? . I have a big family and I really got tired of telling each one, as they straggled in. So now, for those who have their own email address, I send them a copy of the current weeks menu, with the amount of servings (if they want to invite someone over). I also have a copy posted on the refrigerator.

They still ask sometime (specially the DH), and I just point in the right direction. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by Terrytx (edited 04-18-2001).]

[Gail]

Poor Lori and Leanne. You're surrounded.
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

It's interesting hearing from all you people who like to plan. Admittedly, planning meals and looking through recipes is fun. However, IMHO, sticking to those plans when you're not in the mood, is not-- which is a major reason why I prefer to wing it.

I guess I shop like Leanne-- going in with some idea in mind, letting whatever looks good or my mood be my guide. Like Lori, I've always got staples, ingredients for emergency meals should the idea of chicken suddenly gross me out after I've defrosted it. Since I'm normally at home all day and surrounded by wonderful stores, I pretty much am at liberty to shop when I like; and since we tend to eat late (eightish) I may not decide my menu until early evening.

Call me a nutcase or just plain obstinate, but I don't want to plan my meals in advance (unless I'm having guests, in which event I will plan everything to the nth degree). I prefer spontaneity. Mapping out a meal plan just isn't me.


[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 04-18-2001).]