Planning ahead...

[joyfulyogi]

This may have been addressed before...if it has, will you please past a link to the previous thread? Thanks!

...but, if it hasn't: What has been your most successful way to plan for your meals? I know that I need to stay a step ahead of this game, so if I find a recipe that I like and want to make right away, I might fail and run out of prepared food.

The only think that I can think of is (literally) a daily planner...separate from the one for all of the other things I have to do for the family...for soaking/sprouting/dehydrating, etc. There must be an easier way!

Thoughts?

[DawnD]

Joyful, I have a routine...fruit in the morning, green smoothie (FRUIT AND GREENS) at about 11:30, Kitchen Sink smoothie at about 11:30, snack-fudge balls or lara bar at 4:00ish (something heavier) and dinner is meals such as lasagne, tacos, wraps, salad with avo and grapefruit, guac and salsa with corn tortillas (Alissas of course!).

The first part of the day is a NO-BRAINER. Its basically the same-just different flavor smoothie or plain fruit. For dinner I write out a plan for each week and buy the ingredients I need. I am a list maker and planner so its easy for me to prepare ahead. I keep my staples stocked at all times. I can pull off something with just what I have in the house. This is how I have run my kitchen for over 25 years and I had a good teacher. Honestly I cant imagine not being prepared for every day. Hope this helps.

[changeisgood]

Each week, I choose recipies from an assortment I collected from different sites, atleast one is a sweet dessert.
I read how long the prep is and how long it needs to dehydrate, if I want something more then salad and smoothies.

I purchase all the ingredients on my major shopping day and do what needs to be done. My husband and I have free for all nights, meaning a no think night, just a what do I feel like having craving sort of dinner.

My breakfasts and lunches are very simple, and a few dinners very simple - I love fruit, a couple of apples with tahini is delicious, a few tangerines on another night, strawberries, etc. Also, if something looks really good at the market or Natural Grocer, I think of a way to fir it in.

[earthyeater]

Newbie here. What's working for me is to plan the night before. I just look in the fridge and start uncooking whatever looks good. Then the next morning, I pack my and my husband's raw food for the day.

Also, I've fallen into a routine with a green smoothie for breakfast, first snack = fruit, second snack -- nuts/trail mix. So the only meals I'm really preparing are lunch and dinner.

DawnD, what's a "Kitchen Sink smoothie?"

[laura-jane]

Also, I've fallen into a routine with a green smoothie for breakfast, first snack = fruit, second snack -- nuts/trail mix. So the only meals I'm really preparing are lunch and dinner.

Me too, even the fruit first and nuts second thing :)

Except I add to that the fact that I usually have a salad for lunch, so that makes it that much easier and predictable. But the nice thing is that we can vary our green smoothies (and also the salads) so it never gets boring (for the most part, anyway!).

[speltrong]

My hubby and I are also falling into a routine. We do a green smoothie for breakfast with whatever fruit & leafy greens we have in the fridge. For lunch, we try to have leftovers of whatever I made for dinner the previous evening. And to plan dinners, I usually pick out 3 or 4 recipes that I want to make on Saturday morning before we go to the farmer's market.. then I buy all my ingredients and use them throughout the week. And then we have a couple of nights where we just do whatever... finishing leftovers, or eating fruit & nuts, just simple stuff.

[joyfulyogi]

Thanks for the suggestions! :)

Do you all soak/sprout? I think that's my challenge. I need to plan for the soaking and sprouting and recipe planning. It's like having another child! :weird

[speltrong]

I do not soak or sprout.. i keep meaning to, but it never quite gets to the top of my list. I'm so bad about it that I can't even reliably soak easy things like sun-dried tomatoes or nuts.. i always end up just throwing them in the food processor as is with a little bit of water, ha! Seems to work fine though. :-)

[joyfulyogi]

I do not soak or sprout.. i keep meaning to, but it never quite gets to the top of my list.

Oh, I understand! I'm starting the day-planner-method tomorrow. I'll let you all know how it goes!