Friday Question #96 [31]Comments on:

By: Bethany

Bethany — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:42:41 +0000

I try to plan lunches and dinners for a week at a time because I’m gone a lot of nights. If I can make a meal and use it for dinner one night and lunch/dinner the next, I try to. However, I find myself stopping for fast food on the way from one job to the other if I don’t plan so I just try to minimize that!

By: Kate

Kate — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:05:32 +0000

I’m a planner! I love to cook, which helps, plus planning meals is better for my wallet and my waistline. I shop on Thursdays, buying enough for three main meals during the week (that make enough for plenty of leftovers for work lunches, etc.), and cook the bulk of the food over the weekend. I do it that way because I am often tired during the week, which makes me not want to cook, which makes me prone to eating like crap. We usually eat out once or twice a week which also leaves leftovers. So far this method has worked for me — I tend to prefer food I cook to other options and my weight has stayed steady for several years.

By: diane

diane — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:50:57 +0000

Ha ha ha. Yeah…
Usually my dinners are “grab Subway sub on the fly”…does that count as planning ahead?

By: Mica

Mica — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:59:29 +0000

Harrison eats the same PB&J sandwiches + banana every day, so that’s easy planning. I usually plan out some basic thing (hummus wraps with fruit, lentils and brown rice, chickpea masala with rice, etc.), but I always plan out my dinners. I have a word document with all the days of the week, and I fill in the main dish and then any sides that will accompany it. Harrison cooks two nights, I cook two or three nights, we go out for one, and we eat leftovers for two. As I fill in the meals, I use a binder of collected recipes or cookbooks and check the pantry. Anything I’m missing, I put in the “grocery list” part of the document (which is organized by section of the store, so I’m not running around back and forth like a crazy lady).

It sounds really neurotic when I type this all out, but…I guess I am neurotic.

By: kapgar

kapgar — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:13:25 +0000

We plan occasional meals, but not a whole week’s worth. A majority of them are on the fly.

By: Paige (Running Around Normal)

Paige (Running Around Normal) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 04:19:13 +0000

Meal planning is SUCH a good idea…in theory. It’s really hard to apply it and stick with it though. When I meal plan, and shop accordingly, the meals are usually mostly new recipes and a couple faves. But in all honesty, although I try to meal plan, it usually only happens once a month.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 02:32:40 +0000

I don’t plan out my weekly meals, it’s really hard while at college. But I think once I am responsible for preparing my own foods and grocery shopping I will. I think it would work well for me because it’s pretty rare when I’m in the mood for a particular thing, I’m pretty flexible with what night I eat what.

By: Simply Life

Simply Life — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:52:41 +0000

I plan out the meals ahead of time and try to find recipes that use similar ingredients to keep grocery costs down…

By: Ameena

Ameena — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:01:56 +0000

I used to be much better about it than I am now. There just doesn’t seem to be enough time to get a grocery list and meal plan together these days. Not sure why I’ve slacked on it though because I really stressed so much less when I had a plan!

By: Ali

Ali — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:18:03 +0000

I’m a planner. I usually plan, shop, prepare and cook on Sundays. I know what I am having for breakfast and lunch each day and rarely deviate from that. Dinners I kinda plan or have the ingredients of what I think I’ll make, but by week I will be craving something or not wanting what I planned.

If I don’t plan, bad things happen. I start to know the pizza guy by name.