Disclaimer: I began writing this blog post back in December 2017, almost TWO YEARS AGO. Some of the process has changed, but overall the concept is still the same. It’s fun to see how the process has evolved over the last couple years!
2017
Most of the time when I tell people I cook 6-7 nights a week the first question they ask is HOW??? My answer is always the same: meal planning!
I learned a long time ago that meal planning is essential in the struggle against ordering pizza and Chinese every night. Another essential is food prep, but that’s a topic for a different blog post.
I’ve been through several forms of meal planning…making a list, writing the meals I want to make in a calendar, determining different themes for different days…but my all time favorite way to meal plan is to enter all my meals into their own calendar on my Google calendar. This way I have my plan with me wherever I go!
This was my meal plan for December 2017. Each week, usually on Saturdays or Sundays, I sit with my computer, perhaps a couple cookbooks, and my Pinterest board and create “the plan”. When I choose the meal for that day, I look to see if I have anything planned that might affect dinner prep (birthday parties, dinners out, my work schedule [I work late one day a week typically], etc). That will help me decide what type of meal I need to pick for that day.
For example, if I know we are going to be out most of the day but be home for dinner, I might make something that can be quickly thrown together like sandwiches or something that will cook all day like a slow cooker meal. If it’s a night I’ll be away from the house and Jeff will need to cook for the boys, I usually choose something that can be cooked ahead of time (sloppy joes, lasagna) or something I know Jeff can make like meatball subs.
If it’s a Sunday with not a lot going on or a day I know I’ll be home earlier than usual from work, I might pick something that takes a little longer to prepare. We try to eat between 6P-7P each night, so I keep that in mind when I pick the recipes.
2019
That’s as far as I got in 2017, but for the most part the process after is the same. Here’s the updated version:
I still use Google Calendar to meal plan. It’s the most efficient way for me to see what’s on my calendar for a given week and plan my meals around events. I am also able to see the kind of protein I’m using, so I can hopefully avoid too many nights of chicken in a row. You’ll see in the calendar below, I had a “Mom’s Meeting” (a girls’ night basically) on 11/14, so I planned Crock Pot Lasagna, a dish I can start early in the morning and be ready for the boys when they want dinner.
One thing that’s changed now is that I not only plan out my dinners on Google Calendar, but also my breakfasts and lunches! I just find it easier to lay everything out so when I’m meal prepping on Sundays, I can go through the list almost as if it’s a checklist. You’ll notice for the breakfasts (light blue) and lunches (bright blue) below, I pick one or two meals to alternate for each course. I used to pick one breakfast and one lunch, but I found myself getting tired of those foods by Wednesday or Thursday and opting to buy foods out. As I’m on both a budget and a diet currently, that’s not really something that works for me.
Once I have my meals entered into my calendar, I can make my shopping list, which has also changed very recently! I’ve used a couple list making apps in the past (GroceryIQ and Out of Milk). Both are great, but recently I’ve been making my list straight in the Walmart Grocery app! Did you know they have free pick up all the time?! I used to hate Walmart, but I decided to give them another try recently and I’m pleasantly surprised! They’re cheaper than Kroger, the food quality (from what I can tell so far) is just as good, and they have FREE pickup! Until I have an issue, I’m sold!
My Google Calendar is my life preserver. It is with me all the time and I can easily reference it when I can’t remember what’s for dinner, if I have an idea for a Sunday night meal down the road, or to remind me of that really great meal I had a couple months ago. Without this platform, I have no idea how I’d get by! If you’re struggling with meal planning, I suggest you try this out.
Start small…pick a couple meals per week to enter on your calendar. If you know you’re going out to dinner, enter those first. If there’s a holiday (like Thanksgiving, which is coming up next week), enter that too! Once you start entering things you already know are happening, it makes meal planning easier. Don’t forget to add in leftover nights if your family eats them! I usually plan a meal for each night and take the leftovers for lunch. Or in some cases, I’ll be so tired when I get home, I’ll declare it a “fend for yourself” night. When that happens, I move that night’s meal to a day on the following week so I don’t waste food. That’s why you see some nights with nothing on them:
I hope this inspires you to create your own meal plan. If digital isn’t your thing, try a calendar or planner! I started with a thin, monthly planner I would pull out each week to plan, but I never had it with me when inspiration struck! Or I’d be sitting at work thinking “I can’t remember what we are having for dinner tonight”. Having everything in Google, I’m able to reference it anytime, anywhere. Good luck planning!
We weren’t ready to wind down right away after the show, so we walked over to Fourth Street Live! to check out Howl at the Moon. Guys, this place was SO FUN! I had seen several of these in various places I’ve visited, but I’d never been to one. I was amazed at how talented the band was on the stage. Each musician played every instrument as well as sang their asses off. I loved it so much! We danced and sang our hearts out until we could barely stand up anymore.
We called it a night around midnight and headed back to the hotel where we goofed around for a bit, snacked, and laughed even more before bidding each other good night.
Everyone that’s seen the kitchen has commented how much bigger and more open the space feels! I mean, that’s what happens when you remove walls, but still!
I am absolutely in love with my new kitchen.
One of my most favorite parts about the space is our huge island. I already hosted a party here thanks to Easter and it’s amazing how much easier it is to maneuver. I generally do my parties buffet style and, in the old kitchen, I’d have to set up drinks in one area, the main course in one area, the sides in another, etc. This island makes it super simple to have everything in one spot with extra space on the wall counter for things like condiments, drinks, extra food, etc.
Speaking of dinner table, I love ours! It’s a two toned wooden table with four gray cloth chairs. I wanted our chairs to have cushions on them because after a long day at work, the last thing I wanted to do was sit on a wooden chair for longer than 5 minutes. We used to rush through dinner just so we could get to the couch and be comfortable. I have found we linger a little longer at this table because we are already pretty comfortable.
These are the upper cabinets. As you can see, they aren’t even all the way filled! I have more than enough space and could easily add more shelves if I desired. Let’s talk about the backsplash a minute…isn’t it GORGEOUS?!?! It’s probably my favorite design element in the kitchen. When we first got the counters installed, I thought they were a little dark. They are a charcoal grey with specks of brown (see picture above). I was really nervous that first night they were installed thinking I wasn’t going to like them as much as I had hoped. But then the next day the subway tile backsplash was put in and I fell in love. It just ties the whole kitchen together. The backsplash is the same stone as the floor, just a smaller scale.
This is our cabinet on the left of the oven. It comes complete with two pull out drawers that hold all of our pots and pans. I added a lid rack for our pan lids. The only lid I wasn’t able to include in this cabinet was the super sized one for the extra large skillet, which sleeps under the oven. One thing I do miss about my old kitchen was how I had all the pans stacked in pan racks so I didn’t have to remove a stack of pans to get the bottom one out. I didn’t have a good spot to put a pan rack in this kitchen, so I opted to store them this way. It’s fine and really not a big deal, but if I had it to do over again, I might have considered other options for that reason.
The last design piece in the new kitchen is the sink. First off, I LOVE the color. It’s so dark and matches so nicely. It’s awesome. It’s a 60/40 sink which took a little getting used. I was initially annoyed with the disposal on the righthand side, but I got used to it. We aren’t allowed to keep the soap on the counter, so it lives in the sink. Honestly I haven’t even noticed it and I love the clean look of the counters.
Our sink has a pull out spot for the sponges, which is pretty typical these days. We also bought a holder for the paper towels to hide them from view as well. I am still planning on getting some sort of storage for under the sink so it’s not as jumbled, but for now it works. We did, however, get a plastic mat for under the sink in case we have any chemical spills.
Finally, when my mom was visiting last week, our project was to finish the top of the cabinets. I’ve got to say, coming from someone who doesn’t really feel like decorating is one of her strengths, I love what we did. It’s kind of hard to see in this picture so I took a couple closer shots (click on them to enlarge them):
If you ask my boys, they’ll tell you we rarely have the same thing twice. I have a handful of favorite recipes that I make over and over again, but usually I’m scouring the internet and my cookbooks looking for new and different things to try. Sigh…I miss my cookbooks, packed away until the kitchen is completed. The boys often have to request a meal they miss if they want me to make it again. Jake has meatball subs in the request pile right now actually.
You see, not only am I cooking without a kitchen, I’m trying to lose a couple pounds before my best friend’s wedding in early April. I’ve done a decent job so far, but to be honest I’m starting to lose track a bit! With a night of burger eating in my future, it’s not looking too good… Yikes!
Korean Beef Bowls
Have you ever come home from work and thought, I’m way to tired to stand over the stove making dinner. Girl, me too. It happens all. the. time. But I just can’t make myself order takeout night after night. Not only am I trying to lose weight, but we are trying to save money since we’re basically redoing our entire main living area.
Instant Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce
Let onion cook for a few minutes before adding your beef. Cook beef until brown, using a spoon to break up the meat along the way. Once meat is browned, drain if necessary. Add beef back to IP.
One Girl's Taste On Life 