The daily food cycle has an impact on our overall wellbeing.
When our lives seem to have more to do than time to do it, meals become a challenge.
We spend money on carryout.
We start to eat less healthy foods.
We struggle to find ways to get things back on track.
My Perspective
There is no magic solution to the “what’s for dinner?” challenge.
That said, the cycle of buying and preparing has a reset every week.
A clean slate to try a different approach.
When we find one that works – we can stick with it!
Here are three ideas to help:
Set Boundaries: Create some rules. For example, only 2 dinners a week not cooked at home. Or you cook three days and someone else cooks the other three (if you live with others).
Plan: Create a list of the meals for each day and buy just what is needed for those meals. In the plan, consider your energy for the recipes selected. Something complex on a Thursday evening can be too much toward the end of the week.
Have Options: Sometimes when a complex meal is just too much, we need a Plan B. How can you take the ingredients from a complicated meal and use them to make something easy? Knowing the backup before the week starts can save stress and avoid carryout mid-week.
My Story
I’ve tried many techniques over the years.
Life stage played into the meal equation – married, little kids, teenagers, empty nesting.
I realized that I work best with a recipe vs. creating meals on my own. This led me to a subscription program with Cook Smarts which has worked well. There are four recipes emailed to me each week. I can adjust for # of people and variations like vegetarian or gluten free.
With the kids out of the house, I still use Cook Smarts at times. However, we often just have ingredients available and we each grab what we want when we are hungry – no formal meals.
Your Turn
Do you struggle with the weekly meal cycle?
What are your biggest issues – overbuying, not knowing what to make, etc.?
How could you set boundaries, create plans, and define options?