The angst that comes with menu planning
Oh, I simply cannot imagine having my own restaurant. I know the grueling task of planning a menu for just my husband and son (and maybe a few guests during the week)....I cannot grasp what it might be like to plan menus for an entire group of strangers who are paying me big bucks to bring them delicious meals that they won't forget. I would have an ulcer!
Things I have noticed about menu-planning (very much blown out of proportion, but just for purposes of added laughs):
- No matter how hard I try, there is always a weeknight meal which contains the following three ingredients...you can bet on it: corn chips, black beans, and tomatoes. Ken said he liked Mexican food, and boy, is he getting it....it is one of the easiest things to make "healthy"....and did I mention quick?!
- I try to stick to what's on sale and make my menus accordingly, therefore trying to drop my overall grocery tab. What I forgot to throw in for consideration is the fact that I have cravings, namely comfort food cravings, which will throw the whole budget out of whack sometimes. Grocery bill at start, $45.50. Grocery bill after spontaneous addition of ingredients to my list to make enough s'mores for an entire troop of boy scouts, $97.30.
- I become so proud of myself for a "short" list this time around....and then I realize with horror that I have forgotten to write down the obvious staples such as milk, eggs, bread, and yogurt. Man. Thought it was too good to be true.
- I am a stickler when it comes to varying the palate/plate. If it is a traditional meal, it needs to contain a meat (or some vegetarian meat-like subsitute), a starch, at least one vegetable, a fruit, and a bread. I sometimes feel as if I need to serve my dinners on those little quarantined school trays so I can revel in the visual satifaction of showcasing each of the USDA's recommended food groups.
- I know some nights should be soup and salad/sandwich nights, but what fun is that to plan and write down? It's these days when I make this for lunch and then scramble at dinnertime for an even more elaborate meal to top that. I end up exhausted and we all end up overstuffed! You'd think I'd learn.
- There are some days when Ken and I collapse in the kitchen after a long day and think, just for a second, that we could make an entire dinner out of just bread and cheese or bread and peanut butter (the best things on the planet). Then our son crawls into the room, and we are hit with reality once again. We may want to live off of bread alone, but our growing boy needs his vitamins. :)
- Just when I start to relax after planning one week's menus, Saturday arrives again and I have to do it all over again. Don't get me wrong....I love the fact that our family's meals relies on my creativity and kitchen science of combining and complimenting. It's just that there seems to be not enough days between one menu planning afternoon and the next. My pencil doesn't even have time to cool off!
Things I have noticed about menu-planning (very much blown out of proportion, but just for purposes of added laughs):
- No matter how hard I try, there is always a weeknight meal which contains the following three ingredients...you can bet on it: corn chips, black beans, and tomatoes. Ken said he liked Mexican food, and boy, is he getting it....it is one of the easiest things to make "healthy"....and did I mention quick?!
- I try to stick to what's on sale and make my menus accordingly, therefore trying to drop my overall grocery tab. What I forgot to throw in for consideration is the fact that I have cravings, namely comfort food cravings, which will throw the whole budget out of whack sometimes. Grocery bill at start, $45.50. Grocery bill after spontaneous addition of ingredients to my list to make enough s'mores for an entire troop of boy scouts, $97.30.
- I become so proud of myself for a "short" list this time around....and then I realize with horror that I have forgotten to write down the obvious staples such as milk, eggs, bread, and yogurt. Man. Thought it was too good to be true.
- I am a stickler when it comes to varying the palate/plate. If it is a traditional meal, it needs to contain a meat (or some vegetarian meat-like subsitute), a starch, at least one vegetable, a fruit, and a bread. I sometimes feel as if I need to serve my dinners on those little quarantined school trays so I can revel in the visual satifaction of showcasing each of the USDA's recommended food groups.
- I know some nights should be soup and salad/sandwich nights, but what fun is that to plan and write down? It's these days when I make this for lunch and then scramble at dinnertime for an even more elaborate meal to top that. I end up exhausted and we all end up overstuffed! You'd think I'd learn.
- There are some days when Ken and I collapse in the kitchen after a long day and think, just for a second, that we could make an entire dinner out of just bread and cheese or bread and peanut butter (the best things on the planet). Then our son crawls into the room, and we are hit with reality once again. We may want to live off of bread alone, but our growing boy needs his vitamins. :)
- Just when I start to relax after planning one week's menus, Saturday arrives again and I have to do it all over again. Don't get me wrong....I love the fact that our family's meals relies on my creativity and kitchen science of combining and complimenting. It's just that there seems to be not enough days between one menu planning afternoon and the next. My pencil doesn't even have time to cool off!
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