We are both lawyers with full time jobs; full time jobs where the job description does not include meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking as part of the requirements. This means we have to find the time or make the time. And we do each week.
I meal plan for a very specific reason – to stay healthy and enjoy the food we eat. I should also note I am a Weight Watchers member. I have been a Lifetime member since 2010. I have worked for Weight Watchers as a leader since I got to my goal weight in 2010. And as a result, I am a fat person stuck in a thin person’s body and I’d like to stay that way. So it requires some work. Steve is just along for the ride!
I should explain that my meal planning involves scouring my favorite food blogs, Pinterest, Facebook, cookbooks and other sources for recipes. I am not one of those people who can just look at ingredients and know exactly how to put the perfect meal together. Instead, I take the time to use other sources for the recipes and then we decide if the final concoction is worthy enough to make it into our regular rotation after we have tested the recipe. I’ve actually come to enjoy the meal planning and the execution on my plan.
Some weeks take no effort. I am a craving person. If I want it, I’ll find a recipe for it. Other weeks I go with what looks good and hope that the finale meets my expectations. Steve, on the other hand, does not have cravings. Although he enjoys well-prepared food and delights in our culinary excursions, his mantra is, “food is food is food.” I do not understand that mentality. Food is FABULOUS. So each week the goal is to have a meal plan such that when we come home from work, we have delicious food for dinner and it does not take the entirety of our evening to prepare. So I focus on planning dinners. This has enabled us to know what the options are and ensure we have the necessary ingredients. Planning our dinner meals usually means we have a lunch plan because leftovers for lunch work fine for us.
Each month, I’ll give a recipe review, a meal plan or some food hack (mason jars deserve their own blog!) that might just make your life a little easier. I will link to the original recipes (remember: copyright laws apply to the internet) to ensure proper credit to the person who had the ingenuity and creativity to come up with the recipe. If I adapt the recipe, I’ll let you know that too. And I’ll post pictures of the recipes, the plan or hack that we think are particularly enjoyable.