I’ve got some anxiety. (Really, KM? No WAY!) Lately, it’s been pretty heavy. In my many years, I’ve learned that one way I feel better is by taking control of small things. In my case, I plan our family menu out by the month.
“The month?!” I can hear some of your heads popping. It never occurred to me that folks fight over dinner. My spouse off-handedly said last week, “You know what we don’t fight about? Food. You know what I like, its generally simple to make, and everyone’s happy.” Well, except for the toddler, who, as we all know, runs the house.
Sometimes, we stray off the monthly menu. Life happens. But beyond the anxiety soothing and the need to control this mundane part of our life, I need to plan out because work keeps us so busy. I work a beyond full-time job, I’m a parent, and I’m a spouse. The last thing I want when I come home is not to know what we will eat. And I don’t want to spend the time cooking for no one to eat it. So, when planning out the month, here are a few key elements I use:
- We have expected meals. Tuesdays are taco-themed. Doesn’t always have to be tacos (though my spouse could live on burritos for the rest of his life), but in that realm. Thursdays are spaghetti. Sometimes, I crockpot with ground-up meat; sometimes, it’s one-pot pasta. All those themes have expected ingredients I can bulk shop at the first of the month.
- I force my family to eat a salad once a week. There, I said it. I’m terrible. You’re welcome for the extra life, family.
- I make Fridays a fun night. It’s frozen pizza; it’s burgers, it’s takeout. I budget at least two takeouts for the month and have plenty of backup burgers and pizza in the deep freezer for middle-of-the-week nights when I don’t want that salad.
In the future, I’ll share how I plan the monthly meals and estimate my monthly grocery bill. Look, I’m here to tell you – I’ve frequently busted that budget. Last-minute visitors, the kid needs something for school, or something else unexpected comes up. Not to mention, we have two adults with special diets I have to plan around. It’s a challenge, but when I crack open that spreadsheet, I reclaim a very small measure of sanity in this crazy world.
Copyright © 2024 ExhaustedMenu.com
Leave a Reply