New Strategy of Survival: Weekly Meals Plan Ahead

I love to plan ahead. This is why I am almost embarrassed to admit: I never planned ahead our family meals. Every week I'd to go to the market and pretty much think about future meals while looking at the products. Problem was that once I got back home exhausted from the shopping, standing on line at the cashier’s register and arranging it, I completely forgot the wonderful meals that I invented.  Come Monday, and I am scratching my head what to make for my picky family.

Not anymore! After a few friends told me that they are planning ahead, I decided to give it a try.
I drew a tablet and started to put in lunch and dinner meals. One meal being lighter than the other.
The reason I plan these two meals is that you cannot imagine how many times I had only one meal prepared, and found myself getting them a take out for the other.
It took some thinking but after about 15 minutes I was done and went shopping accordingly.
I have to tell you that two days passed and my children and husband don’t know exactly what happened but they are extremely happy. More than that, I am happy.  I don’t mind cooking; I justmind coming up every day with a new somethin’.
Here are some advantages to planning ahead:
You can utilize leftovers smartly. If your kids are like mine, they don’t want to eat what they had yesterday. But I outsmart them by cutting the chicken leftovers, mixing with rice, adding a vegetable or a spice and voila! A new meal.  With this kind of planning, I can find a creative way ahead of time and not depend on my creativity de- jour.
You can balance the family’s meals. I can check if my kids are getting all the fruit, vegetables, proteins and grains that they need.
You can diet easier. By thinking about you meals ahead at of time when you are not hungry, you can make better choices also for yourself. Make meals that make you happy too, and ask yourself if you have a leafy green a day, if there is a variety of vegetables, if you are using lean protein, having fish at least once a week and all these question you will never ask when you are tired or hungry and want immediate satisfaction. Buy accordingly and the whole family will benefit.
You can raise your children’s awareness to balanced meals. Go over the weekly plan with them. Ask for suggestions; explain why you chose those foods. If they are going to school chances are they had health classes and they know the basics of balanced meals. It will be nice for them to see how you use these considerations in everyday life. Maybe when college days will come, they will order a salad instead of these fatty salami sandwiches and avoid those dreaded freshmen 15 extra pounds.

If you are curious to know what is on my first ever weekly menu. here is a sample:

Last Wednesday:  vegetable dumplings for lunch/ Israeli salad with schnitzel.
Yesterday: Roasted broccoli with some parmesan shavings+ pasta/ dinner: Stir fry chicken and all of my leftover vegetables- carrots, the broccoli from lunch, mushrooms, cabbage etc’.
Today: They will get veal shanks because it’s part of a dinner I am cooking, roasted vegetables, and a Panini with salad for dinner.
Tomorrow: Mini meatballs w spinach and Sapgetti/ shakshuka (eggs in tomato sauce), salad, yogurt

As you see, I am playing with frozen items (such as the excellent dumplings), leftovers, and easy solutions such as Panini to make life easier and quicker without giving up flavor and health.