In which I take on the dreaded task of planning what we eat.
The school year has started and so far The Bee and I have not quite found our groove. So far, the groove is not quite the rush, rush, rush that was middle school but more of a come as you are as we figure out what works and what doesn’t with these new things in our lives. One thing that we are struggling with is dinner time.
The Bee has a really late lunch; 7th period…almost the end of her school day. I can lunch whenever I’d like and usually give in to the growling at about 2 pm. After work and school The Bee and I have been either visiting Mom, doing back to school events or heading hoe passing out from the early morings. This means that when we do think about dinner, it’s leftovers, something quick or take out.
My waist and wallet can’t stand much more take out.
My friend Mandi, who writes the blog Chewsy Lovers had challenged a group of bloggers to share healthy afterschool snacks. I took it a step further and decided to go full throttle with a meal plan. I had always thought meal plans were something that “other” people did and something I had no time for. After calling an apple, a spoonful of Nutella and three pretzel rods dinner one night, I decided a meal plan was something THIS person needed to do and had at it.
Planing was easy. Implementing the plan…not so. These are the things that I feel like could be potential obstacles:
- I’ve started back at the part time gig twice a week.
- The Bee still visits The Dad a few nights
- Late nights at work (last week there were two back to school nights, this week sees me at one)
- Having a kid with a palate almost feline like in it’s finickiness (is that a word?)
- The Bee has been charged with dinner once a week
- Some nights I just don’t feel like cooking
To stop making excuses, I examined each of the reasons I thought I couldn’t do a meal plan and here is what I cam up with
The Part Time Gig/The Bee and her Dad
I work late two nights a week, which coincide with the days The Bee sees her dad. On these days I usually bring in something that I have made that The Bee will not (see number 5) or cannot eat. These are the days I usually indulge in something with dairy. These are days I cann “kitchen sink meals” because I pack everything but the kitchen sink for lunch.
Late nights at work
I have been firing up the crock pot with varying degrees of success. Last week I overcooked a pot of chili. It was not too bad but I need a back up plan for using my slow cooker. I can either start dinner when The Bee gets up for school (at the unGodly hour of 5:15 am) and turn it off when I leave out for work a few hours later or make a stop home during lunch (which is difficult because NAP!)
Finicky Kid/ The Bee Cooks
This is where The Bee being charged with making dinner comes in. Since she is so picky, I thought havig her help prepare a meal would be a good way to show her that I am not just being a hard ass when I shop and make dinner. (She’s a teen so there is still that thought but that’s a whole other blog post there.) I don’t expect her to prepare a seven course meal but she does have to be in charge of the kitchen. I predict a lot of Ramen Noodles for a while but eventually she will learn a few meals that can be called dinner.
Some Nights I Just “Donwanna”
The nights i am totally wiped are still going to exist. This is where Go For What You Know comes in. When we were kids, my mom would always have a day of the week in which the answer to “what;s for dinner” was “Go For What You Know” This could mean the menu was leftovers, breakfast for dinner, or, and shared with no shame, cereal for dinner.
We take on Meal Plans
The Plan:
So. What is the meal plan for this week?
Monday: Leftovers (I’ve got a bit more chili to go through)
Tuesday: Baked Salmon, broccoli and rice
Wednesday: Chicken, roasted potatoes and roasted cauliflower (The Bee can help prep this meal)
Thursday: Breakfast for dinner
Friday: Dinner out with Effin Guy (it’s restaurant week in Philly!)
Saturday: Go for what you know
Wish me luck.
I have everything ready to go, just got to make sure that *I* am ready to go.
What are you having for dinner? I am looking for slow cooker recipes and soup ideas so please, please, please share.
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