I've been inspired by Annie over at Sensible Living who has been sharing what she cooks, what tools she uses in her kitchen, etc. I also took a great class called "Hello Pantry, So Long Supermaket" from Lost Arts Kitchen a few weeks ago, and while I'm not ready to buy 50 lbs of flour and other grains just yet, I do want to reduce my grocery bill and trips to the store...so with that in mind I planned a month of meals, did one BIG shop at the less expensive grocery store (WinCo) at the beginning of the month, and plan to do smaller trips for produce/meats/etc. at New Seasons/Trader Joes/Limbo to supplement during the month. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming BIG farmers markets...we'll see how this changes things.
Chris at Lost Arts talked about how she cooked one type of meat each week (here's her blog), and then makes a variation of things each week - roast night, taco night, pasta night, stir fry night, you get the picture (and I couldn't find the exact post where she wrote about this, so I don't claim I remembered it exactly right...). While I would like to do that, I just crave more variety...and one thing I really liked about Chris is she said to do what works for you and your family -- there's not just one answer.
We're still eating a little more meat than I would like...and I'd also like to incorporate more fish...but it's a start. I'm hoping to put all these recipes into Google Documents and link them to the calendar at some point, but only have a few in so far (if I have it, the link to the recipes is below the meal title, you might have to copy and paste it). Or you can scroll down on the blog and get the recipe there...if there's a recipe that looks really intriguing, let me know and I'll get it done first. I had to make the calendar narrow to fit in the blog, but you can click on a recipe and it will show the whole thing.
Oh, and there are some "blank" days to make up for times that we'll just eat leftovers, or have friends over and make special dinners, or...gasp...go out to eat. Gotta have some fun and spontaneity!
4 comments:
That's so great. I can't imagine taking a whole month on in planning meals! I really like the idea of course for times when you aren't able to get to the store more often but especially for buying the staples. I can't wait for our farmer's markets to start again.
We're moving in a few months but once we're settled again, I'd love to be able to have things like 50lb bags of flour on hand. I've never bought such large quantities in bulk before thanks to renting for the last few years. We're at the point right now of using up what we have so we don't have to move it all with us!
I can't wait to see how your month goes. Could be a learning experience for those of us reading too.
I thought it would take longer than it actually did (really just took me only a little longer than one-week-at-a-time planning). I just pulled the recipes I knew we liked, and plugged them in...
Am finding that we have way more leftovers than I expected (Bret takes them for work every day...but still) so may plan an additional leftover night each week...
Yes, we too are renting right now...looking forward to buying so I can do some bulk buying/storage.
I like how you say "we are eating more meat than I would like" umm - aren't you the one going to the store or has Sabine taken over that chore? Seems to me all you have to do is stop buying meat! ;)
Ha ha ha! And get some willpower...I can't help it...I enjoy meat, but want to eat it a little less frequently...willpower was never a strong suit of mine.
Can't wait till Sabine can do the shopping, though! :)
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