Over the weekend we had friends over and grilled some yakitori, which is basically just skewered, grilled chicken; we also grilled some steak on skewers. Yakitori was something we ate quite a few times while we were in Japan, often as an afternoon snack when we would pop in somewhere for beer and food. Along with the meat, I made a tare dipping sauce, which is actually what gives the yakitori it's flavor - it is basically mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar, along with some garlic and ginger.
I think our friends really enjoyed it - but we had way more food than we needed. So last night Mr. X and I grilled up the last few skewers. I also made a ridiculous amount of sauce, about five times more than we needed, so we were able to enjoy the yakitori all over again last night. Of course, I also packed the extra in my bento box today!
This one is pretty basic: the yakitori and dipping sauce (which I brought in a separate container), along with some broccoli, tomatoes, quick pickled cucumbers and cabbage, and soba noodles with dried seaweed.
I plan to bring soba at least one more time this week, and use more of the tare sauce....since we have so much of it. I am also making a lamb and noodle dish tonight that should transition perfectly to a bento box for a couple of lunches this week.
Since I have all my lunches planned out, and ingredients already prepped, it should be an easy week. In fact, I feel like it is extremely helpful to plan out all the weekly meals ahead of time. I am always surprised when I hear my friends don't do this (especially friends with kids). It is such a time and money saver! Basically every Sunday I sit down with my recipes, and think through what is in the fridge that will need to be used that week (veggies that will spoil, leftover ingredients, etc.) and plan out the meals for the week. Usually I think through what I will bring for breakfast and lunch, as well as what I will make for dinner. I try to pick recipes that compliment one another or that use all of what I will buy. For example, a few weeks ago I made the roasted romaine chicken caesar that Mr. X and I both love, but that meant I had romaine lettuce I needed to use, so I was certain to include side salads in a couple of dinners. Or the week we got back from Japan I made a dish that contained one chili in adobo sauce, which means half the container was stored in the fridge....so the following week I made black bean burgers that incorporated the other half of the pepper so as not to let it go to waste.
The meal plan really helps you buy the right amount of food at the store and not have things spoil and/or go to waste. Additionally, it lets you prep some things ahead of time and save time during the week! As I mentioned, yesterday I prepared a batch of broccoli and quick pickled cucumbers & cabbage for my lunches this week. I also roasted some parsnips and potatoes which I heated in a pan with some greens, and then added eggs for breakfasts. I also know that I will be bringing certain parts of our dinner leftovers with me for lunches each day, and that I will be out late Wednesday and Thursday, so Mr. X will be able to eat the leftovers from Tuesday's dinner. That means I am making more Tuesday night than I might normally.
Since this is all already planned, it is easier to stick to making a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Sometimes we stray from the plan - decide to see a movie, or go out to eat at the last minute. But typically we stick to our weekly meal plan. The weekends are much more flexible. I don't typically have a plan and often will stop at the store on my way home if we decide to stay in and cook (or grill). I always keep breakfast items in the house, so we can whip up a weekend breakfast if we decide to stay in. I think being super flexible on the weekend also helps motivate me to stick to the plan I laid out on the weekends.
If you don't already plan out your meal - I would really recommend you give it a shot for one month and see if it works for you. I think you will find that you waste a lot less food, spend less money at the store (as long as you stick to your shopping list), and it makes the weeks less stressful.
I use a small notebook for my planning - keeping my meal plan on one side and my shopping list on the other. Here are examples, some weeks I list out breakfast/lunch/dinner all separate, some weeks is a little messier and breakfast or lunch items are bunched together at the end:
There are a lot of sites that offer great printables (such as this one or these), or special notebooks you can buy. I would say just use whatever works for you! I find that all I really need is a plain old piece of paper and pen. Whatever you use, if you don't already have some sort of meal planning process in place - just grab pen, paper and give it a try!
No comments:
Post a Comment