Walking Backwards

Because I had been floundering in the meal planning department I asked the advice of my friend Seanna, meal-planner extraordinare, to see if she had any tips that she could recommend that might make my job a little easier. It turns out she did. I also figured out a little way to break out of the rut we've been in, meal-wise.

The first change we've made is that Joe and I are starting to make sure our calendars match up. This is surprisingly important because I often forget when it is going to be just me and Nicholas or if it is going to be Joe manning the oven or if we're having company. Being apprised of these things at the last minute has proven difficult and stressful because we have the bad habit of allowing our cupboards to become a barren wasteland. So, syncing our calendars.

The next step I have taken is to record our meals for the week IN my calendar. Before I always wrote it on some stray piece of paper that disappeared five minutes after I put it on my desk, never to be seen or heard from again. This way, I know what I'm preparing when I check my calendar the night before and know if I have to run to the grocery store, etc. Yay for that.

Most importantly, though, is that I am starting to mix up what we're having. With a four year-old's limited tastes, we haven't been getting the variety of foods that I want. We've fallen into the rut of eating the same things every week, week after week. Now, I've discovered a way to be more adventurous. I was getting all of my recipes from the internet, but that keeps you confined to a similar group of foods. Buying cookbooks wasn't feasible economically. Now I'm starting to get them from the library. Because we have such a limited time with them, I'm more likely to really read through them and try out things before the deadline of having to bring them back. It's been fun.

So that is where we're at right now. I think that the cooking/eating part of our lives had really become an unspoken source of contention around here. Especially considering that I am the only cook. Finding a way to lift some of the problems we've had with it is going to make all of us happier. If it works, of course.

By the way, tonight we are having gnocchi in tomato sauce with peas and steamed carrots. I got it from a library book.