Having trouble organizing your meals? There may be a good reason for that, such as
- not enough time to cook,
- not knowing how to cook, or
- not planning ahead.
If you get home from work in the evening, and then start figuring out what to have for dinner, you’re in a tough spot. Most people are tired by then, have hungry and impatient family members looking for sustenance, and if there is a flash of inspiration about what to make, the ingredients are either frozen or not in the house at all. That’s when people fall in the trap of pulling out a frozen prepared meal, grabbing some fast food (neither option offering a lot of nutrition or value,) or making the same old thing week after week.
When I finally got fed up with that (ha! fed!) what saved me was making a meal plan for a month, which organized my meals and shopping by the week. Tomorrow I will share the details.
If you need a jump start on this, there is a series of cookbooks that may save you. They’re by Canadian authour, busy parent, and organized cook Sandi Richard. Find her website here:
http://www.cookingfortherushed.com/new/
Each book offers a few months’ worth of recipes, divided into weeks. Every recipe has detailed instructions that even beginner cooks will be able to follow, including an equipment list (nothing rare or fancy required,) approximate time to make, and realistic picture of what it will look like.
There is also a grocery list for each week, so if you’re swamped, you can use her list and the menu for each night. They are family-friendly, and budget-friendly recipes; nothing requires a half-teaspoon of some spice that can only be purchased in a ten-dollar jar. As with all cookbooks, not everything will be to everyone’s taste, but I have tried out many recipes and they have all turned out a reasonable product. Some of them have become family favorites.
