Quick & Simple Menu Planning
By Lisa Doucet, RD

Women still bear most of the responsibility for their family's nutrition and well being. Typically, women are the ones making the decisions about what and how their family eats. They also do most of the grocery shopping and meal preparation.

We have all faced that 5 PM dilemma. One hungry family and no idea what to cook. The dietician's solution is simple - plan ahead and prepare meals in advance. Try it for one month. Once it becomes routine to plan your menus and your grocery list, you will wonder how you ever managed before.

Three meals a day. Seven suppers a week. From the grocery store to the pantry, the refrigerator to the table, the sink to the cupboard, the kitchen routine is familiar to all of us. Menu planning is certainly your first line of defence in the fight for good health and nutritional well being. Where to start?

Take a look at the sale flyers from your local newspaper or the flyers dropped weekly at your doorstep. Use the ads to get a feel for the bargains. Use that feeling to guide your choices.

Make a draft of your menu. Start with your family's favourites or plan meals that use up the food in your freezer and pantry. In the process don't forget the four food groups of Canada 's Food Guide to Healthy Eating. It will ensure that your family's nutritional needs are covered.

Put together a grocery list with the ingredients you need to make the meals on your menu. Make the list according to the order you shop in the store. Stock up before your busy week begins.

Organise your menu to match with the family's activity calendar. A day at home with more free time can be a good time for a fancy meal or the cook's night off with soup and sandwiches.

Look for meal ideas that can be frozen either fully or partially. Use a crock-pot for convenience. Never again make only one meal at a time. Always, at least double your recipe.

Cook, cut up and freeze large amounts of meat. Look for recipes that utilise the prepared meat. Cook and freeze meatballs. Use them with sauces, gravies and in spaghetti or serve over rice, pasta or with potatoes.

Stir-fries are perfect for last minute meals as they can use foods on hand in your fridge and freezer.

Post your menu on the fridge, so whoever gets home first can start the supper. Refer to your menu during the coming week as you prepare your meals. Pull out the meal you want in the morning, thaw it and pop it in the oven at suppertime.

Be flexible in your meal plans so that when schedules change, meal plans can change too. After you have made menu plans for a few weeks, reuse them. Save completed menus in a file folder for future references.

Menu plans are not written in stone. You can always add or remove items at your convenience and adapt them to the time of the year. Make sure you include a variety of different meals to ensure a greater variety of nutrients.

The benefits of advanced menu planning and cooking will make the supper hour more peaceful. You will save money by buying in bulk and stop eating out because there is nothing convenient to eat at home. You will also save time by shopping and cooking all at once.

That's it! These are the bare bones of menu planning. A small investment of time can lead to great rewards. Furthermore, it is an activity that will add to your quality of life.

Lisa Doucet, RD is a MANGO Dietician - Miramchi Regional Health Authority