There’s that old mantra “Fail to plan, plan to fail” (which I’m pretty sure I first heard from a friend who was doing the Body for Life program in college). Meal planning is supposed to help you stay within a budget, but sometimes I get so excited about the possibilities for the week that I end up with an over-detailed list of what to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks based on how I feel the day I’m making my list.
Two pit-falls for me:
1. I lose interest in the meals I’ve planned as the week goes on.
2. I buy too many ingredients (and usually too much of each).
Cooking for two is tricky business. I don’t want to get bored with the same meals week after week, but I also don’t want all the perishables I’ve purchased to go bad either.
Two solutions:
1. Plan for only a few days. While I take more trips to the grocery store, there is a lot less waste.
2. Plan around a theme. Mexican Everyday has served me well here, because the recipes tend to call for the same ingredients: onions, garlic, dried peppers, tortillas, poblanos, fire-roasted tomatoes, etc. And I don’t need a recipe to get creative with tacos, enchiladas, or whatever. Sometimes I pick a cookbook, sometimes I pick a country, and sometimes I pick an ingredient. With this method, I run the risk of getting bored, but I’m also pushed to get more creative.