My work schedule is different every week, so meal plans that say 'cook Sunday, eat leftovers Monday and Tuesday' last about four days before reality wins.
I am trying a looser system: keep ingredients for three fast meals, one freezer option, and one meal that can use whatever vegetables are left. Then I decide which one to cook based on the shift rather than assigning meals to dates.
Has anyone with irregular hours found a system that is structured enough to stop takeout but flexible enough not to produce a fridge full of abandoned plans?
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I solved it by giving up on a perfect plan and just keeping a list of meals that take under 20 minutes. The fridge stopped winning.
I solved it by giving up on a perfect plan and just keeping a list of meals that take under 20 minutes. The fridge stopped winning.
Do you keep the list on the fridge or on your phone? I always forget where I put the thing I made to stop forgetting.
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I do better with ingredients than with meal days. If I have one sauce, one grain, and one ready protein, I can pretend I planned it.
I do better with ingredients than with meal days. If I have one sauce, one grain, and one ready protein, I can pretend I planned it.
That sounds close to what I do. I keep one backup frozen meal for the week when everything goes sideways.
I use a rough menu by category, not by date. It is flexible enough that I do not feel like I failed when shifts move around.