A Little Help from My Friends

In an effort to figure out the dinner dilemma in trying to find balance, I solicited a little help from my friends on Facebook. It is clearly something a lot of busy people think about.  I heard from moms, grandmas, men and women.

Several people said they plan on Sundays, taking inventory of what they have on hand, what they plan to prepare during the week, and what items they need to purchase.  One mom said she plans for a week and takes the same schedule into the rest of the month.  For example; Monday - pizza, Tuesday - tacos, Wednesday - "white trash" (not my words), Thursday - left overs, and Friday - Friday night delight.  There are no plans for weekend nights, which is typically my plan too.

I met with one of my friends this week who said she had a similar plan but varied it according to what she had on hand or convenience packages she bought from Trader Joe's.   A number of friends and strangers I quizzed at the grocery store told me they make sure they have frozen bags of vegetables, spices, and dried goods on hand.  They then shop every couple of days for fresh produce and meat.  There was also a friend who manages to get to the farmer's market each week (I'm so jealous).  I'm lucky if I can make it there twice a year.

Casseroles and the crock pot came up a lot too.  For a crock pot, one must wake up earlier to put everything in so that it's ready when dinner rolls around.

Pinterest and Google searching recipes are also popular for finding simple dinners to make. 

I do enjoy cooking.  I guess that's why I can't just eat out every night.  During weeks where I can plan, I usually take the same approach as my former Girl Scout Troop co-leader suggested.  I aim for cooking three days a week, eat left-overs two days a week, and we eat out two days a week.  I'm also fortunate to sometimes get help from my mother who will pop in to cook dinner. 

In my quest for answers on Facebook, I had one long time friend who said this:
"My question for you is....how much time are you spending on prepping/shopping/cooking? Have you compared your value of time to that of a hired hand (part time) my guess is, you would be at same cost or less to have someone do all of that for you. You may be surprised."

I will look into this in the following weeks.

Note: "When Good Enough is Perfect" NEVER comes into play for my professional or school work.