Meal Planning

Cooking is considered to be a divine art. But is it really so? Ask that to the meal maker at home who has to whip up delectable fares day in and day out and at the same time cater to every whim of each family member! Add to it the task of balancing the budget and ensuring a wholesome meal that is enough to give you the jitters.

If donning the chef’s cap is making you feel uneasy, here are some tips on meal planning to prevent you from landing in a soup. If you are a working parent or a housewife juggling numerous tasks at hand that take up your entire day, these helpful tips would make meal making a truly enjoyable experience and help you sail smoothly throughout the week.

Opinion of family members

You spent the whole evening baking and grilling a wide platter of food for your folks only to find them turning up their noses and heading to rummage the refrigerator. Though likes and dislikes can be cultivated, every member in the family may not appreciate all types of food.

• First of all, ask members of your household to suggest some dishes, which they would love to eat, as it is their opinion that matters the most.
• Keep in mind their likes and dislikes and allergies to certain types of food.
• If you have already prepared a menu, ask them for some suggestions on the menu and make the relevant changes.
• In case they do not agree with certain dishes on the menu, welcome all suggestions on the possible varieties that could be adopted.
• Well, do keep in mind the likes and dislikes of children, as they are the one’s who are fussy about food!
• Ask the kids what they would love to have for the whole week and always keep a substitute dish so that you are prepared in advance in case they throw a fit about a certain dish.
• If there are certain restrictions to be followed due to religious or health considerations, choose food items that can be easily substituted instead of having to cook separately for each member.

Keep in mind health related issues

The first pre-requisite of a good meal plan is its ability to meet the nutritional needs of the entire family. You may have succeeded in appeasing every taste bud but the health issues too need a thought.

• Since no single food will meet the entire nutrient requirement, decide on the type of meals to be had for the entire week. Make a plan about the inclusion of vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. A vegetarian meal can also be balanced, affordable and at the same time provide good variety.
• In the variety of meals that you have planned see to it that foods from each food group are included in some form.
• If fussy eaters pose a problem, changing the method of preparation, a lovely presentation of the dish with interesting accompaniments can bring them back for second helpings.
• If you are having more than one dish which has a high fat content then try and compensate with a low fat dish. This way you can be sure that your family will have healthy food.
• Poultry or fish which is protein rich can be had thrice a week, meats can be had twice a week as it has a high level of fat and vegetables, especially leafy, can be had throughout the week as they are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Planning the meal

• Plan a perfect and simple menu with alternatives for the week, which is less time consuming.
• Make use of convenience gadgets (labour saving devices) since valuable time can be saved.
• Make the best use of all the ingredients so that you do not land up wasting food. For example, if you need just chicken flesh for a particular recipe, then you can use as much flesh you want and then use the bones to prepare chicken stock which can be used for soups. Some dry chicken dishes can be made with the remaining chicken pieces.
• To add variety to the menu use different methods of cooking such as broiling, grilling, baking. A chicken stew would be lapped up as easily as roasted chicken.
• Keep a note on the ingredients that are made use of. This will help in writing the grocery list as well as budget.
• Try and use ingredients, which can be used on a regular basis and cooked in a different style for e.g. dals go well with rice or chapattis and can be prepared very often but if prepared in a different way, your menu will look appetizing with each passing day.
• Keep in mind that you do not waste even a single item from your grocery list, as it is a budgeted one, for e.g. If you have had bread for breakfast on Monday and there is some remaining the next day, you can use it by either making a bread upma or bread toast topped with butter, which tastes wonderful!
• Make use of leftovers from previous day’s meals and turn them into a dish by itself for the next day. Ingenious presentation can help make even a simple dish look great and be a sure winner at the dining table.

A matter of money

If a trip to the market place sees you buying more than you intended, or the food on display was too good to resist, then a budget planning is what you essentially require. A good meal plan would be incomplete without a thought to cost cutting methods.

• It is good to have a price list made to be able to compare the cost of similar foods. This way you can ensure the best buy within your budget.
• Keep a particular amount fixed every week for your shopping so that you do not cross your budget while you are at the market.
• A grocery list will help you buy the essential food items. This way one would not land up buying excess foodstuff.
• Stay away from places that promise fancy gifts and offers on purchase of large amounts of food items, which you are sure is in excess of your requirements.
• Do not cook in very large quantities to minimize wastage. Also, you would be spared of getting bored eating the same thing frequently.
• Go for seasonal fruits and vegetables since they are cheaper and fresh.