Menu Planning for Single Ladies

another day, another instagrammed picture of food

In case this isn't abundantly clear, I pretty much live to make plans. I love goals, I love knowing what's ahead, I love thinking that if I have a plan I can control everything. So really I don't so much live to plan as I do live to learn that I cannot in fact control everything. However, this is not about my issues with trusting God... This is about menu planning for single ladies, a task that I feel worthy to undertake yet know I have failed to master.

First of all, I am in love with my new cookbook/memoir - Dinner a Love Story. In the very beginning she graciously shares that each recipe is meant to serve about four people because well that's how many she regularly feeds. Rosenstrach and her family tested all the recipes so you can take comfort, knowing real people (including two very real children) ate them and loved them... and you probably will too. With great excitement I finished reading through DALS this Friday and eagerly looked at my calendar to see how many recipes I could test out over the next two weeks. I figured I had seven days where I would be home to eat dinner and then found four recipes I wanted to try first. And then of course, I added four other meal ideas to those recipes.

Saturday was a perfect Grand Rapids day. I hit up the Fulton Street Farmer's Market and Meijer. People were kind and helpful. I bought local and organic when I could. And then I came home and made that delicious shrimp dish pictured above (served over white basmati rice). It was so good I ate way more than I should have. And yet, when I put it away, there was clearly enough left for two or three more servings.

And herein lies the single lady problem --> there is always way more food left than I originally planned on and this throws my "menu plan" out the window. If I can now seemingly eat shrimp for my next three meals this means I don't need lunch and dinner on Sunday or lunch on Monday... but I have ingredients for dinner on Sunday... now I need to rearrange things... use what needs to be used first so nothing spoils. But Sunday's dinner sounded so good and how many times in a row can I eat shrimp? Let's be real, all I actually want is a pizza. But that's not on the plan.

Side Note: If at any point someone invited me to eat a meal with them (and let's just hope it's pizza), I'd gladly join them. Can you imagine what that does to the "menu plan" and food budget?

What I need to come to terms with is that when that Friday Pay Day rolls around, it's best to pick like four meals I can make in the days ahead. See how far they stretch and reevaluate as needed. This house is never without it's staples... I'm never at risk of starving. So dear self, be patient. There's lots you want to buy, cook and taste, I know. But there is time, just wait and see.

Any tips for single ladies who love to cook but really only need to feed one person? I'm open to advice.

Weekend To Do List

Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple Bourbon Strawberries

- Laundry (and i even put it away)
- Find something to do with all that mint I've grown (see below)
- Pick an ice cream to try (thinking backyard mint to coordinate with #2)
- Tend to the garden (weed, cage the tomatoes, admit one plant may have died)
- Plant the shamrock I acquired on Monday
- Finish reading Dinner a Love Story and decide what recipe to make first (finished it friday and had greek-style shrimp with feta for dinner on saturday.)
- Mission Trip Meeting
- Make up a dream day itinerary
- Put away what needs putting away
- Return what needs returning (there was at least one hiccup but it was a wonderful little "local" moment, so we'll call it good)
- Write thank you notes (now let's see if i can get them in the mail)

You will not regret adding "Make buttermilk pancakes with maple bourbon strawberries" to your own weekend to-do list. Trust me.

taking "them" a meal

so you were feeling kind and a bit adventurous and you signed up to take a meal to a friend/co-worker/total stranger. they are in need, you're feeling like you can help... but then you get that email reminding you that the far-off day has come. it's time to make that meal.

here's what i suggest: find your go-to meal. the never fails, always well-liked dinner that you can easily whip up and share with those who aren't in the meal making place right now. i've found mine. and because i'm a little bit selfish, i think you should probably find your own. but just in case this is a meal-making emergency i'll share a few more secrets.

chicken taquitos are delicious. you know what else is great? cilantro lime rice and bush's grillin' beans black beans fiesta (okay i don't actually know that for a fact, but they look good). the one thing missing from my go-to meal was a super easy, super delicious dessert. and by golly folks, i think i've found it. Smitten Kitchen does not disappoint, so I'm expecting great things from her everyday chocolate cake. It whipped up just as quickly as you'd expect a chocolate cake you could make every day would. And it sure tasted like chocolate cake batter should. I doubt I'll be hearing any complaints.

the next time you find yourself browsing the dates on takethemameal.com, I hope you'll know just what to do. may your go-to recipes be accessible and fool-proof. bon appetit!