In the main cavity:
A Roast or two- Ham, Beef, Chicken or a Turkey
A big Salad or two, or Platter of Fruit
A Crock of Beans or maybe Soup
An Aspic
Usually Dessert Cups
A Cake, Pie or Moulded Gelatin- sometimes all three
Dishes of Berries, Cherries or Apricots
Crocks of Leftovers or Potato Salad?
Sometimes a Casserole
Milk, Chocolate Milk, Cream, Juice, Sparkling Water, Condiments, Eggs, Butter, Cheese
Jars of Olives, Pickles or other Ferments, Jars of Peaches, Tomatoes, Green Beans etc.
In the Vegetable Drawer-
Carrots, Celery, Lettuce, Peppers, Tomatoes
In the Fruit Drawer-
Apples, Oranges, Grapes, Lemons, Limes, Grapefruits, Pineapple, or Watermelon
At first, I imagined these ads are trying to show how problematic items for dinner parties will all fit into their refrigerator. But, then I thought, what if housekeepers of the past didn't think in terms of individual meals each day. Perhaps instead, they thought in terms of foods they wanted to prepare to eat each week. It's a mindset shift that is both more practical and more efficient! Then the lightbulb turned on in my head. (Seems like common sense to me now, but I was thinking like a foodie before.)
So I began to formulate a plan of action based on this desire- I wanted to pattern my own refrigerator after these attractive displays on a daily basis. After all, how great would it be for my own family to open the fridge on any given day and find a beautiful assortment to choose from. Not only for this reason, but I wanted a fridge full of food I could quickly piece together meals with (almost like I would piece together an outfit with a capsule wardrobe!) This I believe would be enough to keep us out of the drive-thru, away from the candy bar displays and still eating what sounded good to us in the moment.
Hungry? Take a few slices of roast and handful of salad for a sandwich! Snacky?Grab a couple devilled eggs and an orange or chunk of watermelon! Cravin' a sweet treat? Have a slice of cake or dessert cup! How content would we all feel with this kind of yummy fair ready and waiting? How easy would meals be to prepare in a few minutes. I think I am on to something!
Meal planning can be a tricky business for me at this stage in my life and I think I safe in supposing I am not alone in this struggle. What works one month, the next month proves impossible. My thought is this, if meal planning were more based off of a basic routine, (not just food-types on certain days) it may prove more sustainable.
So this is my new formula, many meals can be prepared from one roast (whether you have 20 people to feed and that "one roast" looks more like five roasts cooked at once, or you are vegan and that roast looks more like a couple squashes or potatoes.) The meal planning then becomes based off of that roast. The routine then is to cook a roast or the base of your meals every so many days that it takes to consume that roast. I have a small family, so for me, that means I can cook a chicken, beef or pork roast about every three days. (This could include a meatloaf big enough to last or a ham or fried chicken or just browned ground beef or sausage.) If I keep in mind the next two days will also include this meat, I can make sure the leftovers will fit into other meals. So I will say to myself, okay self, I am going to cook a roast on Sundays and Wednesdays and have a special stand alone meal on Saturdays like burgers, chilidogs, wings, ribs, a giant sub or pizza.
If on Sunday I make a beef pot roast, then Monday and Tuesday we can eat: Tacos, Barbecue Sandwiches, Enchiladas, Soup, Stroganoff, Pot Pie, Cheesesteak, Pizza or Pasta, or just Pot Roast again. Then on Wednesday if I roast a Chicken, Thursday and Friday we could have Chicken Salad, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken 'n' Dumplings, Chicken Fried Rice or what have you. This way there is almost always fresh Roast in the fridge to also use for snacks and lunches! This may eliminate the need for purchasing lunchmeats additionally. We will save time not cooking meat everyday, all the leftovers potentially get eaten, and the food always tastes fresh! We don't have mold-growing leftovers in the back of the fridge or sloppy squishy fruits and vegetables left at the end of the month.
I do the same thing with Salad and always wash and chop salad greens for ready to go fresh salads or sandwiches. I can do the same with fruit salads. To get my family to eat more fruits and vegetables; I can always have fresh produce on the table at mealtimes, preparing them only twice a week! If the salads don't get finished by the third day they can be made into smoothies, popsicles, stir-fries, & soups. I can get a feel for how much my family need@ to buy each week too. I cook leftover fruit into a sauce to top biscuits, waffles, pancakes or ice cream!
I can do the same with other side dishes and Desserts and just choose a day that I will always prepare a type of dish so meals are fast and easy to put together and there is always something ready to eat in the fridge. We may never have to eat-out again! Mind-explodes...
Whenever I see a video or blogpost about meal planning it always annoys me that no one seems to plan side dishes, maybe they have a reason for that, but I always came to the end of preparing my main dish and realized I still needed to make at least one side. Let's not forget the importance of Breakfast and Lunch, I find myself getting up in the morning not knowing what to fix, but we sure aren't going to eat cold cereal because I don't even buy that chemical mess wrapped in franken-sugar and plastic anymore.
I have discovered making roughly the same things for breakfasts and lunches everyday simplifies the process. Watching old TV shows and listening to an older generation's anecdotes as well as reading vintage home economics books, I found this used to be the general practice among homemakers. It is very practical!
When planning lunches, I like to leave room for eating leftovers if we want them, but eating something fresh for lunch sets a nice tone for the rest of my afternoon. I feel like soup or salad with a sandwich makes a wonderfully satisfying lunch most days.
For breakfast, hot cereal in the morning is always a good start. I can change it up whenever I want and it's good to keep several options all together near the stove (Creamy Wheat, Oatmeal, Multigrain, Polenta or Grits, Rice or Granola for that crazy morning I just had to sleep in a little longerrrr.) From there, I can add some kind of eggs, fruit, meat or bread for each day of the week. But, being flexible, on special mornings I may skip the hot cereal altogether.
All these things considered, here is a meal plan I put together to demonstrate how my method comes together.
Monday
BREAKFAST: Porridge, Smoothie, Warm Muffins and Cheese Omelets
LUNCH: Cabbage Chowder and Ham Sandwiches
DINNER: Sloppy Joes, Slaw and Steak Fries
DESSERT: Fruit Gelatin and Cookies
Tuesday
BREAKFAST: Pancakes, Fruit Salad, Fried Eggs and Bacon
LUNCH: Macaroni & Cheese with Broccoli and Ham Sandwiches
DINNER: Mashed Potatoes, Hamburger Gravy, Salad, Broccoli and Dinner Rolls
DESSERT: Chocolate Cake and Fruit Gelatin
Wednesday
BREAKFAST: Porridge, Egg Burritoes and Fresh Berries
LUNCH: BLT's, Apples & Banana Slices with PB
DINNER: Fried Chicken Alfredo Pasta, Caesar Salad, Sautéed Mushrooms and Asparagus
DESSERT: Chocolate Cake and Berry Compote
Thursday
BREAKFAST: Porridge, Poached Eggs on Dry Toast, Bacon and Stewed Apricots
LUNCH: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
DINNER: Fried Chicken, Frybread, Corn on the Cob, Steamed Summer Squash and Baked Beans
DESSERT: Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream
Friday
BREAKFAST: Cheesy Grits, Bacon, Eggs, Biscuits & Orange Wedges
LUNCH: Navajo Tacos with Salad
DINNER: Orange Chicken, Brown Rice, Green Beans and Cream Cheese Wontons
DESSERT: Mango and Sticky Rice
Saturday
BREAKFAST: Waffles, Fried Eggs, Sausages and Fruit Salad
LUNCH: Kimchi Fried Rice and Miso Soup
DINNER: Pizza and Caesar Salad
DESSERT: Rice Pudding and Berry Compote
Sunday
BREAKFAST: Granola, German Pancakes, Fruit Salad and Sausages
LUNCH: BLTs and Potato Soup
DINNER: Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Salad and Biscuits
DESSERT: Rice Pudding and Cookies
I find this meal planning format also; streamlines grocery shopping and minimizes food waste, while still providing diverse meal options for everyday. I am very excited about this meal planning hack and I hope it proves a game changer.
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