Menu and meal planning confession

[sarahfae]

Current favorite eats: The Beet Burger

Now, let me start this off with a frustrating fact/confession:
I am THE WORST at meal planning.
I can try and try and try and try - but I still haven't seemed to get it down to a science....in spite of how much I love and crave structure in my life.

Here's another fun fact about me: I don't like to do things the way other people do them.
I've read about, researched, and talked to many people concerning meal planning and the "proper technique" for effectiveness. None of it makes sense to meee! I'm stubborn. I like to pick things apart and translate them into my own language...but I'm lazy too. Hehheh.

Maybe it's because I spend so much time reading my old cook books and thinking about new food ideas. Either way I'm just about at my wit's end.
I WANT TO MEAL PLAN, goshdarnit!
And I'm gonna do it if it kills me!

So what does this mean?
I don't have any clue --- yet.
But I DO know that I've got two kitchen journals brimming with my own food recipes, decent stuff that's easy to make, and yummy too. AND I've got a plethora of really fun vintage cookbooks that remain my biggest inspiration for the food I make. 
For starters I've GOT to GET BACK to my weekly food prep habit (Sundays and Wednesdays). I guess that's the best place to start.

I'm going to make this work. I really want to, for myself and for you all. I'm tired of having SO much amazing produce at my disposal but never doing anything structured with it! I don't mind monotony throughout the week where my meals are concerned --- and then having something wonderful and exciting on two (or even three) of those seven nights.

Previews of what's to come:
At the moment I've been playing around with a LOT of soup ideas. One the sis even labeled "Raw-men" soup. I've been focusing mainly on "quick and easy" recipes, which at the most will require the use of a food processor or high speed blender. My palate for the most part always seems to revolve around comfort foods (recreating those familiar dishes with a raw twist), acidic foods, and savory foods. At the moment I've been playing with lots of dark greens (massaged kale/spinach/chard, and broccoli) and thinking about warmed sauces to go
with them.


Another current favorite eats: Creamy Broccoli Soup

Comments

[crys79.livejournal.com]

all of your food stuff inspires me! i have never thought about "Food prep" days, but love the idea. i think it would be the only way i could ever actually be raw. in fact, it is probably something that i should do just to be healthier overall. although, my food prep days would probably coincide with days that i don't work out as much. anyway, you're awesome!

[lilhappyfamily.livejournal.com]

I have got to chime in with my Other People's Way of Meal Planning. =) The only way I have been successful is to do it four days at a time. Planning four days usually gives us a week worth of food. I figure, we have four planned dinners and the remaining three days SOMETHING will come up. We'll go out to eat/ be at a friends/decide to snack...something. Most of my meals have leftovers, so those are our lunches and snack nights when I don't feel like cooking. I make a big shopping list and a list of breakfasts and dinners and head to the co-op. I try and come home that night and do all the prep work. I cut the veggies, make a huge salad for lunches, make soup base, bake potatoes for breakfast, etc. It works really well for us and there is always SOMETHING in the fridge that is ready to go. And we have no waste. I love that.

How is the wireless going? We'll be up until 3-4 am if you need to call. Nate has some stuff he has to do but he can't start until 1am. Don't hesitate to call if it still being difficult!

I made your pumpkin seed/yeast cheese tonight and we ate it with a spoon. =)

[mhaithaca.livejournal.com]

This post (http://community.livejournal.com/picturing_food/5283274.html) made me think of you!

[sarahfae.livejournal.com]

dearsweetbabyjesus! that is AWESOME! Thanks for sharing this - I just joined! :))

[mhaithaca.livejournal.com]

Hrm. If you weren't already in picturing_food, where'd we run into each other? :-)

[sarahfae.livejournal.com]

me thinks food_porn? either way it was DESTINY!