Meal Planning
We moved to our current building almost four years ago, and one of the aspects of this location that has driven me a bit batty (though it doesn’t take much sometimes) is that it has taken us almost as long to establish a routine for our grocery shopping each week. We used to live closer to our local Trader Joe’s so a quick “I’m going to run out to grab basil” trip was a typical phenomenon. Now though, our closest option for a last minute trip like that is Target, and they have me all the way up until red lentils. Meaning that- any easily procured item can be found there, but once we end up getting into red lentil-territory and more ‘complex’ (though, are red lentils really that complex? I think not…), Target is not our man. Plus, we joined the boycott against them for all their DEI foolishness earlier this year, and have only just begun going back to them in the last couple of weeks for school supplies. It was either that or Amazon, and who does one choose these days? And YES Whole Foods is also Amazon…this is just all very complicated now, isn’t it? But I digress…
In the past couple of months, I feel like we have found a bit more of a groove for our shopping. Here is how it’s been working lately- Jim and I divide and conquer. Jim does some type of impromptu stop at Trader Joes, Marianos, or Whole Foods with the primary intention to grab snacks and lunch items for the kids and our fruits and vegetables that we use for our own snacking and breakfasts/lunches at home. He grabs those things that we typically just have, without going in with a set list- bananas, berries and other fruit when in season, bread, oat milk, cereal, etc, you get the picture.
Then for ME, I’ve started this habit lately which has been working out. I end up doing some quick meal planning, typically on a Friday or Saturday. I grab one of our cookbooks from our pile and that is what we use as our main recipe source for the week (and it adds some fun and enjoyment to rotate through our collection). I select about 5-6 meals, thinking also about our upcoming week and how much time we have to spend on cooking at the end of each work day, and then in the same sitting I go to each recipe and make my shopping list. If it’s going to be a very busy week, then I pare this process back dramatically and rely a bit more on pre-packaged entrees (Just Egg is a popular go-to for us, along with vegan chicken nuggets or Meati brand vegan chicken or steak, which we pair with a grain and frozen veg).
On weekend mornings I try to grab at least one 8 am class at my local Pure Barre studio. I bring along my back pack and a tote bag and swing by Trader Joes on the way home. All I am doing is grabbing our ingredients for these meals, and it’s remarkable how inexpensive that type of planning ends up being for this single trip (once you start buying convenience foods from the freezer section the overall cost definitely increases, but hey, there is a value to convenience for weeks when you need it). I typically end up bumping into three others who just took the same Pure Barre class as me, which is a funny little side note to these trips, all of us sweaty and wandering absentmindedly around the produce section. At the checkout I then load up my backpack and tote bag and then walk like a pack mule back to our building. Have I had some trips where I’m like, ‘crap, this is all too heavy?’ (hello, green cabbage)? Answer= yes. But USUALLY I’m okay, especially if I put all the heavy stuff to carry on my back (cue up pack mule image again).
Then once I am home, we are set for several days of meals, and ones that I’ve planned out and know will work for us. We’ve all had those moments of OVER-buying for the week, especially when the week gets busy, so I err on the side of less than more for the number of meals I plan ahead for, figuring we can always supplement a bit if we need to (this is where Jim’s grocery runs for back up items come in handy), AND, we can always order out- I just like to have that as more of a last option.
This has become our rhythm and routine for these past few months, and I have to say it’s been really nice to have that reliability rather than the “ugh when are we going to go shopping?!” moment that was hitting us so often beforehand. Of course, this is Chicago, so once the weather turns, this plan may need to be tweaked. But for now, it’s working out :)
Love my cookbooks!
