Menu planning has been a part of my weekly “to-do’s” for a long, long time. It makes the grocery shopping easier, fewer trips to the store, and if I have a good reserve of menu items in the pantry and freezer it makes it much easier on my brain to get the meals on the table day in and day out.
However, lately the menu planning structure has not been working all that well in my Domestic Engineering endeavors. Do you get into cooking ruts? Can’t figure out what to make for dinner? Tired of going to the grocery store? How do you pull yourself out of it?
Our dinner time can be quirky at The Spindle Ranch. Sometimes I’m home by myself, many times there are just two of us for dinner. If everyone’s home for dinner I’m cooking for 4. If a friend or family member stops by we can have 5 or 6. Crazy menu planning right? Has your household dinner-time ever run like this?
Not knowing how many people to cook for on any given night can boggle the brain. It makes for a wacky menu plan. Will I cook too much food, or too little food? I have my arsenal of weekly “go to” recipes that can handle a crowd or just a few people. My second dilemma arises when I feel like I can’t think of anything new I’d like to try, or my recipe arsenal feels tired and boring. I really do not like to use going out to eat as part of my menu planning for the week. I would much rather be at home sitting around the dining room table having a great meal and good conversation.
My oldest daughter, Naomi totally amazes me with her menu planning. Every weekend she is trying new recipes, and giving us her pictorial reviews on our family Facebook page. I really have to draw some inspiration from her, and just dive in and try new recipes. If anyone needs me I will be perusing Pinterest, or maybe The Tasty Kitchen to seek out new recipes for my arsenal of goods.
If your menu planning’s been a little wacky lately can you let me know how you pull yourself up out of the rut? How do you find that little spark that entices you to try to cook something new and / or different? I’ll be here waiting to hear from everyone.
