eats for the week
I cannot believe it's been over an hour and I'm still agonising over planning next week's meals (and procrastinating further by writing this post). I did a big shop today, buying most of The Bun's school stuff, some cool-weather clothes for Bao, and a fair bit of food at the mall's supermarket, since it's bigger than the one near us and has more variety.
And so I have a bunch of meats and veggies in the fridge now and I have to decide what I want to cook for the weekend and beyond, what I will freeze for next time, and what sort of fresh vegetables I'll need to buy. Throw in lunchbox planning for The Bun too - if he gets leftovers for his lunch then I also need to think about what sort of dinner leftovers will work when eaten cold. The other factor to consider is the family's activities for the day and what sort of state I will be in and how much energy and time I'll have for cooking.
On Monday, the first day of school, I think the whole family will be off-routine and tired from the emotions and activities from the day, so dinner will be a couple of easy stir-fries. I do plan to make chocolate cupcakes with The Bun as a treat when he gets back from school (half-day to make it easier for them) so cupcakes for dessert will make up for a boring sort of dinner.
To get inspiration I've been surfing online looking at recipes and simultaneously putting together a separate grocery shopping list for another French Supermarket Sweep next week. All this is so out of character for me, but I can really see the benefits of meal planning, though, especially for a busy family.
Meal-planning is like a sort of juggling act. Don't think I'd want chicken two nights in a row, or make enough for leftovers for the next day's lunch, etc. I try to mix things up a bit so that we're not eating similar styles of cooking all the time. And as much as I plan, if a particular item is on sale at the supermarket, this could change some of the meals because I'd want to take advantage of those deals. I hope my meal-planning will get more efficient in time. I guess it's slow now because I don't know that many tried-and-tested recipes beyond the usual Chinese stir-fries and soups, and expanding my repertoire means taking into account the foods on offer here and adapting them to both new and old recipes.
I'm glad I don't have to cook tomorrow though. We're popping by Ikea and a hypermarket tomorrow and will lunch out, and for dinner we're attending the National Day (retrospective) celebration at the Singapore Mission here. Singaporean food for dinner! I don't care if it's less than authentic, it makes for a nice change anyway.
And so I have a bunch of meats and veggies in the fridge now and I have to decide what I want to cook for the weekend and beyond, what I will freeze for next time, and what sort of fresh vegetables I'll need to buy. Throw in lunchbox planning for The Bun too - if he gets leftovers for his lunch then I also need to think about what sort of dinner leftovers will work when eaten cold. The other factor to consider is the family's activities for the day and what sort of state I will be in and how much energy and time I'll have for cooking.
On Monday, the first day of school, I think the whole family will be off-routine and tired from the emotions and activities from the day, so dinner will be a couple of easy stir-fries. I do plan to make chocolate cupcakes with The Bun as a treat when he gets back from school (half-day to make it easier for them) so cupcakes for dessert will make up for a boring sort of dinner.
To get inspiration I've been surfing online looking at recipes and simultaneously putting together a separate grocery shopping list for another French Supermarket Sweep next week. All this is so out of character for me, but I can really see the benefits of meal planning, though, especially for a busy family.
Meal-planning is like a sort of juggling act. Don't think I'd want chicken two nights in a row, or make enough for leftovers for the next day's lunch, etc. I try to mix things up a bit so that we're not eating similar styles of cooking all the time. And as much as I plan, if a particular item is on sale at the supermarket, this could change some of the meals because I'd want to take advantage of those deals. I hope my meal-planning will get more efficient in time. I guess it's slow now because I don't know that many tried-and-tested recipes beyond the usual Chinese stir-fries and soups, and expanding my repertoire means taking into account the foods on offer here and adapting them to both new and old recipes.
I'm glad I don't have to cook tomorrow though. We're popping by Ikea and a hypermarket tomorrow and will lunch out, and for dinner we're attending the National Day (retrospective) celebration at the Singapore Mission here. Singaporean food for dinner! I don't care if it's less than authentic, it makes for a nice change anyway.