I started menu planning years before I got my Thermomix, basically to ensure I had to make minimal trips to the shops with my children in tow! I recently heard it said that "shopping with kids is like trying to take a maths test while being repeatedly hit over the head", I have to say, I agree!! Hats off to all the mothers out there who can serenely swan around the shops with their well behaved children in tow. My three boys are getting better to shop with, but if I have the choice of doing a weekly grocery shop without any of them I will!
Not only does menu planning save me time, money but also my sanity, as it makes my week run more smoothly when I'm not having to decide in the mayhem of my everyday life what is for dinner that night. I try to sit down on a Sunday night when all my little darlings are tucked up in bed and browse through my recipe books and decide on my weekly menu plan, taking into account how much time I will have for preparation each day and if anyone is planning to be out for dinner. Of course I also try to choose a variety of proteins and vegetables etc and make it as healthy and tasty as possible.
After raving like a loony one night about the starving children in Africa when all my boys declared their dinner was yucky, after I had calmed down I sat the boys down and we made "The List". "The List" was a list of all the dinners they did like to eat. When we wrote it down I was actually surprised at what a good range of meals they actually enjoyed, and that was a good starting point for my menu planning. That was a few years ago and now "The List" has grown a lot longer, as every so often I will tell the boys that I want them to try a new meal to see if it can be put on "The List", and more often than not it is approved by my panel of judges as on it goes! If you have fussy eaters I reckon it is worth starting your own list.
Menu planning is worth the effort and with the help of my thermie I feel that my family are pretty lucky with the variety and quality of the food I serve up to them. The point of my blog is to "share the love" of menu planning and thermomixing!
I am not a nutritionist and my family has no special dietary requirements so my ideas will not suit everybody. I just want to share some inspiration for down to earth weekly menu planning, especially for families with young children.
I am excited to share my first weekly menu plan with you. I will aim to put up a regular menu plan with photos and recipes for 5 weekly meals. I like to be a little more flexible and creative on the weekends when I have time (and can duck to the shops sans kids!)
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