Meal Planning

I love to meal plan. I really do! I feel it is an act of love on my part toward my family. I have a lot to consider when I do this task; likes, dislikes, dietary concerns, allergies. I am blessed not to have picky eaters but I think this is due in large part to offering a varied list of foods, insisting they be tried and tried again a few months later if it is disliked the first try. I do have a family member with a strong dislike for rice which happens to be one of my favourite foods. This dislike actually turned out to be a fortunate thing however because I had to get creative and I discovered new foods that I otherwise may not have experimented with. We also have growing bodies and *ahem* aging bodies to consider. Fat, salt and sugar content are carefully monitored. The growing bodies need good fats and the aging ones need less of it. Salt and sugar needs to be moderated for both body types. Allergies in our family are more like sensitivities and usually just require that they be cooked a certain way or limited in the amount we eat.

I usually make my menu plans on Sundays. I plan 5 suppers for the week to allow for leftovers or dinner out and I have a 2 week breakfast plan. For lunches I take requests as my brown baggers make their own. For supper, usually have 1 part protein 2 part vegetable and fruit and one grain or starch for example tonight's dinner is Trout Grenobloise With garden salad, baby carrots and cous cous. My breakfast plan is a post on it own. Watch for it soon!

I try really hard to make a favourite of each family member at least once a week. I do put a lot of thought into my meal planning. It is one of the ways I like to take care of my family.