FOOD TIME
MENU PLANNING
How to Get Started Meal Planning
Meal planning may sound intimidating at first, but it's really not that
hard. The first thing you should do is to write down all of your family's
favorite dishes. This will be very handy when you just can't think of
anything for dinner ;)
Next, grab the grocery ads. If you don't get these in the mail or in your
weekly newspaper, just jump online and visit your favorite grocery store's
website. Most grocery stores have their weekly ads listed right on their
websites now, and some are even interactive (allowing you to create a
printable shopping list - very cool!). Once you have your grocery ads
in hand, scan them for sale items that can be used for this week's meals.
Before you get to deep into your menu plan, you might want to look at
your calendar for the week. If you have family or work activities that
will keep you from getting home at a decent hour, you will want to plan
very simple meals or even leftovers for those particular nights.
Next, you should take an inventory of the items in your fridge and pantry.
Do you have any food that needs to be eaten right away? This is one of
the greatest benefits of meal planning. You waste much less food because
you only buy what you plan on using that week.
At this point, you should have an idea of what you want to cook for the
week based on the grocery store ads, what you already have on hand, and
your family's activities for the week. Go ahead and write out the meals
you plan on cooking for the week, and fill in your grocery list for the
items you don't have in hand.
All you have left to do at this point is to do the grocery shopping, post
your menu on the fridge for all to see, and create your meals each day.
The rest of your week should go much more smoothly now that you don't
have to worry about "what's for dinner" at the end of each day.
See how easy meal planning can be?
Books on Meal planning:
- "Good Food" The Family Meal Planner: Thrifty Recipes and 7-day
Meal Plans to Help You Save Time and Money (Good Food Magazine) (Paperback)
by B.B.C. "Good Food Magazine"
- One-Armed Cook: Quick and Easy Recipes, Smart Meal Plans, and Savvy Advice
for New (And Not-So-New) Moms (Spiral-bound)
by Cynthia Stevens Graubart and Catherine Fliegel
- Month of Meals: Meals in Minutes (Spiral-bound)
by American Diabetes Association
- The Weekly Feeder : A Revolutionary Shopping, Cooking
and Meal Planning System (Paperback)
by Cori Kirkpatrick
- Living Gluten-Free: Meal Plans, Recipes, and Consumer
Tips (Spiral-bound)
by Betty, Ph.D. Wedman-St.Louis
FAST COOKED HERBY FISH
1. Preheat the oven to, 220C/425F/gas 7. Lightly oil a metal baking sheet, and
put it in the oven to get good and hot.
2. Take 4 thick fillets of white fish. Mix 3 tbsp olive oil
with any chopped fresh herbs you have to hand: parsley, dill, tarragon are all
excellent, a mixture is fine.
3. Spread the herby mixture over the fillets. Cut 4 chunky slices of lemon.
4. Using a fish slice, slide the fillets on to the baking tray and put the lemon
slices alongside. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the fish is opaque and the lemon
browned.
5. Serve each fillet with a spoonful of cooking juices poured over, and a baked
lemon slice on top.
TIP: Throw in thinly sliced potatoes and vegetables like carrots and zucchini with the fish
and in 25 minutes your "Mittagessen" is complete.
EN GUETE!
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