menu of awesomeness

i have a confession to make.

i used to read organizey advice blogs, parenting blogs, whatever blogs, and laugh at the idea of making a weekly menu.

pfft. too much hassle - i just throw together whatever i have, i thought, feeling smugly free-spirited.  (is that even possible?  whatever.  it's pretty much how i felt.)

then patrick and i decided to try a different eating plan, and suddenly i was at a loss.  all of my go-to meals were un-go-to-able, and i would stand frustrated in my kitchen every afternoon, trying to imagine what i could possibly make from the random groceries we'd purchased.

after a week of eating the same thing too often, we decided it was time for that oft-scoffed menu. 

so we sat down and made a list of all the things we liked to eat that also fit our new requirements.  then we planned some meals.  then we made a budget and a grocery list and went shopping.

monday rolled around.  the dreaded 3:30 meal-stump-slump hit, and i opened the cupboard door and found my menu, taped up and waiting for me.

i goggled at it for a minute.  wait.  does this mean i don't have to figure anything out?  and i already have all the groceries i need?  i didn't quite understand what was happening, because all of a sudden, all the ingredients for my supper were on the counter, and finding their way onto the stove, without any engagement of the brain at all.

then it happened the next night - and the next - and the next -

it's been a week and a half of menu-y bliss.  i adore not having to decide what's for supper, and i love knowing that my cupboards are ready for it. 

so that's what all those menu-lovers were talking about.  eliminating stress with a little dose of planning.

it tastes delicious.