Operation Dinner: Planning for Mealtime Success

Sorry for the radio silence over here. Nearly everyone in the family has been sick on and off for the past few weeks; just as one kid would get better, they'd pass it another to the other. And then to me. Luckily, we are all feeling better now and the fog in my head has cleared just enough for me to start posting again.

Photo courtesy of one of my favorite blogs for recipes and healthy living tips: www.wordofwisdomliving.com

When I'm not feeling well, dinnertime (and meals in general) are a bit of a joke. Even under normal circumstances, meals can be a source of stress and frustration — especially if there are picky eaters in the household. At our house, we jokingly refer to the time frame between, oh, 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. as "the witching hour." If someone is going to pitch a fit or a full-on meltdown, it's likely to happen then.

Now, I'm no expert on cooking or meal planning. However, I have interviewed many experts for stories on everything from pleasing picky eaters to shopping for food storage to saving money with coupons. And I've even learned a thing or two or of my own.

So, here are my tips for mealtime success:

1. Plan, plan, plan. You know the old Covey mantra: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This is true in many aspects of life, including meal planning. I don't know what I did before meal planning. Seriously, I'm wondering what the heck we ate. In college I remember going to the grocery store and adding things to my cart willy-nilly. I don't think I ever had an idea of what I was going to make. This approach isn't horrible — as long as you actually buy enough ingredients to make a meal — but definitely leads to a lot of waste and overspending on groceries. These days, I don't go to the store without first formulating a list of meals for the week, including lunch and snack items, as well as staples that we are low on. I'll put together another post on how I formulate that list to maximize our grocery budget, buy/rotate food storage items and use mainly to REAL, unprocessed food — too many details to cover here.

2. Be flexible. Although I love meal planning, I'm not a slave to it. My meal plan is typically a list of five or so meals, although with some lunch ideas and maybe a dessert. I vacillate between assigning each meal a specific day and just waiting until the day of to decide. Either way, it is important to remember how long food will last and prepare meals that include a lot of perishable foods at the beginning of the week. For instance, no matter how fresh cilantro looks when I buy it, it never seems to last more than a few days without looking slimy. So if I'm going to make a dish with cilantro, I'll plan that for the day or so after a grocery trip. Also, look at the family calendar when planning. Crazy days when no one will be home are great for using a slow cooker or doing something quick like homemade pizza or soup.

3. Do something in the morning for dinner. Thaw meat in the fridge. Prep vegetables for stir-fry. Throw together a marinade. No matter how big or small, doing part of the work ahead of time will save you a lot of time come dinner time. That's a lot of time. :)  Plus, I am way less apt to want to blow off cooking and get take out/feed my kids cereal for breakfast when I've already got dinner in the works.

4. Cook food you want to eat. This is a no-brainer, but I had to include it. Don't feel stuck serving the same meals you had as a kid if they really don't appeal to you. Seek out recipes and experiment. A caveat: try to find recipes from reputable sources. Find a few blogs whose recipes you've had success with or ask a friend whose cooking you like. Few things are worse than putting a lot of time in cooking a new dish only to have it be inedible.

5. Keep it simple. If you are a trained gourmet chef, your meals will probably be quite elaborate. For the rest of us, it's best to stick with meals that can be thrown into a slow cooker or made in an hour (maybe half-hour) or less. Quick and easy doesn't mean tasteless or unhealthy. If you want to cook a more elaborate meal, like lasagna, save it for a weekend when you have more time in the kitchen. And, while you're at it, prepare two and freeze one for later.

6. Expect distractions. You've got a meal plan and the groceries to go with it. But if your kids are in chaos mode it may seem impossible to execute your plan. I've found cooking goes a lot more smoothly when I have a plan in place for my kids. If you stopped by my house at 5 p.m. on most days, you'd find my kids watching Curious George on PBS. They look forward to it all day (I can't stand having the TV on, so they don't watch a lot), and it gives me around 30 minutes of time to cook without someone begging for a snack or offering to "help." I also keep crayons and markers on the table and we have a kitchen drawer filled with coloring books, sticker books and paper. If George is over and I'm still in the midst of cooking, I'll have them color or play with a board game or Trios/Lego. I find if I take a minute to anticipate their needs — I'm thirsty, I can't find my blanky — dinner is less likely to burn/boil over/overcook, etc.

What about you? Do you meal plan or wing it? Tell me what works (and what doesn't work) for you.