• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

DO you plan your dinners

Do you plan your dinners or prefer to wing it?


  • Total voters
    24

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
or open the fridge that night and decide what to make on the spot? and why? I prefer to plan my meals, because so many times I've wanted to make something and didn't have the stuff this way I know exactly what I'm making and only make one trip to the store a week.
 

ceecee

Coolatta® Enjoyer
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
15,908
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
8w9
Absolutely. I make the menus for 2 weeks at a time. Since we buy our meat in bulk (half a cow, half a pig and chickens) I don't usually have to shop with any of that in mind. I do use seasonal produce and local items whenever I can. There are a couple websites I like for menu planning and ideas.

http://www.myrecipes.com/ This one has menus and you can make your own for planing. You enter your zip code and it gives you sale items as well.

http://www.foodonthetable.com/ I like this place even better.
 

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
Absolutely. I make the menus for 2 weeks at a time. Since we buy our meat in bulk (half a cow, half a pig and chickens) I don't usually have to shop with any of that in mind. I do use seasonal produce and local items whenever I can. There are a couple websites I like for menu planning and ideas.

http://www.myrecipes.com/ This one has menus and you can make your own for planing. You enter your zip code and it gives you sale items as well.

http://www.foodonthetable.com/ I like this place even better.

yeah we buy our meat in bulk too, and keep it in the freezer it's great. thanks for the websites I'll have to check those out
 

Such Irony

Honor Thy Inferior
Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Messages
5,059
MBTI Type
INtp
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I rarely plan meals beyond just making sure I eat a balanced diet. Mostly I just eat whatever is easy to make and happen to have on hand. I would like to do a little more meal planning than I have been so that I can have the ingredients available to make a wider variety of things. But I'm not planning to be one of those who has every meal planned for the rest of the week. I like some spontaneity.
 

FDG

pathwise dependent
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
5,903
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
7w8
I plan them some hours before...I don't like to plan them more than that. It feels stifling.
 

rav3n

.
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
11,655
Depends. When my son is with me, I try to plan ahead including contingency meals in case he's invited friends for dinner (which happens often). When I'm only cooking for myself, most often, no planning.
 

cascadeco

New member
Joined
Oct 7, 2007
Messages
9,083
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
9w1
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I try to, yes. It's harder to do it and be inspired to do it super often while living alone, but I've always wanted to eat as healthy as possible and have balanced meals, etc. Plus tastes WAY better than prepackaged things. It probably helps that I grew up having homemade meals every day, and we never really went the fast-food/microwave-dinner route.

But yeah, generally I aim to cook at least one nice meal a week (but am wanting to shift that to 2 meals a week), which leaves me with 2-3 nights of leftovers for each meal. For the other nights, I have enough items -- heaps of spices, baking goods, and staples like lentils, rice, pasta -- that for the non-full-fledged-meal nights, I can easily throw something together that is healthy. I also try to ensure I have a fresh veggie or salad fixings available for each meal.

(Grocery shop every 1-2 weeks).
 

funkadelik

good hair
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
1,614
MBTI Type
lmao
I just keep a lot of fresh veggies, bread and soup bases on hand. I make a lot of salads and soups.

Maybe that counts as prior planning.
 

Stigmata

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 16, 2011
Messages
8,779
I'll attempt to chronologue my daily dinner plans.

1:00pm: Check refrigerator; See food, but nothing I'd actually want to eat.

2:45pm: Check refrigerator again, knowing fully well the results of the last check, yet with a thin ray of hope that perhaps I overlooked something or the grocery fairy has stopped by and left something that would sound appetizing; Reality sets in, and I realize nothing in this refrigeration has changed.

4:45: Repeat step 2, except this time I'm much more disillusioned. Proceed to moan and groan.

6:37: Once again repeat step 2. Acceptance kicks in; There's no food that I want to eat, and rather than stew in my own perpetual sadness of ramen noodles and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, I accept my fate and realize some type of cohesive action is needed.

6:39: Decision making time. Do I accept my current state of complacency and eat the same boring stuff in the fridge? or do I venture out into that large realm of uncertainty that is the world and scavage for some form of live nourishment, just as my forefathers before me(usually this translates to just order a pizza). AKA The Eternal Conundrum.

Tune in next week folks to find out the epic conclusion to the food fiasco!
 
N

NPcomplete

Guest
I keep the fridge well-stocked with vegetables, fruits and the occasional pieces of meat. I don't really plan unless marinating meat counts. Otherwise, I decide what I want to eat at the very last moment and I make it. The fact that my cooking repertoire involves mostly food that can be prepared fast probably plays a major role in this too.
 

CrystalViolet

lab rat extraordinaire
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
Messages
2,152
MBTI Type
XNFP
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I try to plan, but whim gets in the way. I'm a lot better when it's not just me.
 

Usehername

On a mission
Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
3,794
I want to be able to plan mine.

I'm such an inferior cook that to plan solid meals means I'm expecting success when my past history hasn't really established that yet. If I do it spontaneously I can decide if I have the emotional energy/time to take a risk with a considerable likelihood of failure, lol. Or I can boil frozen veggies on the stove and put talapia in the oven and know I won't screw up.

I want to plan more this year. I'm slowly learning grown-up skills.
 

Snow Turtle

New member
Joined
May 28, 2007
Messages
1,335
I don't really plan food since cooking is a daunting skill to me, like maths is to others. Usually I just feel lost with it all.
But I do think there's value in planning. If I plan. I'm more likely to eat since it'll be based on food on the fridge.

Better than not eating at times. =/
 
G

Ginkgo

Guest
Depends. When my son is with me, I try to plan ahead including contingency meals in case he's invited friends for dinner (which happens often). When I'm only cooking for myself, most often, no planning.

Yeah my dad is the same way too.

I think people plan so their lives run smoothly alongside with others. Planning doesn't happen unless you bring something into consideration, even if it be a budget.

If you're free and independent, plans aren't necessary near the number of times they are when you are living with others.

Most of my daily "plans" pretty much amount to when the mood strikes me or when I need to reach an ultra-long term goal.
 

Randomnity

insert random title here
Joined
May 8, 2007
Messages
9,485
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
6w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I don't plan, but I would prefer to....it just doesn't happen that way! Or I plan to and something comes up. I've mostly given up these days and just buy things I know I can make into a meal with the staples I always have.
 

FDG

pathwise dependent
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
5,903
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
7w8
Actually I cook around 5 "nice" meals a week even though I don't really plan much (twice a week I generally eat out). Geez. I feel so old fashioned italian now, lol.
 

rav3n

.
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
11,655
Yeah my dad is the same way too.

I think people plan so their lives run smoothly alongside with others. Planning doesn't happen unless you bring something into consideration, even if it be a budget.

If you're free and independent, plans aren't necessary near the number of times they are when you are living with others.
Yup! I'm happy making a sammich or sometimes, don't bother eating beyond grazing all day long.
 
Top