Easy Menu Planning

Every day Bela asks me "what's for dinner?" and every day I'm expected to have an answer. It feels like the hardest thing I do all day. Seriously.

BHG

I would much rather look at a pretty kitchen than use one.

To make life easier I've automated our menu. Each day gets a catchy slogan. For example, Meatless Monday. Taco Tuesday. Pizza Friday. It's still new, so I haven't quite figured out what Wednesdays should be called. "Wonderful Wednesday" seems a bit too broad to be very useful.

Then Sudoku-like, I fill in the menu with recipes, knowing we should have a certain number of chicken meals, a fish, a red meat, etc. We complement with lots of frozen vegetables--keeping things quick & convenient--and tend to avoid starches and grains.

Meatless Monday is not meant to be a vegetarian meal so there might be bacon in the quiche or on the side of "breakfast for dinner" pancakes. Taco Tuesday can really be any sort of taco: fish or shrimp, shredded chicken, or ground turkey. 

I also like to leave room in the schedule for re-using leftovers. One of my favorite dishes to prepare is something I created with tortillas, leftover Spanish rice, black beans, and sour cream--and assembled like a lasagna.

Tory Burch

The final element is presentation. In fact, I just read that "some studies seem to indicate we even absorb more nutrients from food that is visually appealing." But more about that later...

So when Bela asks today, I have my answer! We are eating tomato soup and quesadillas tonight. 

{This has been day 21 of the 31 Days of ... A Calm Life series.}

Shared at Menu Plan Monday