The System

We cook from scratch as much as possible in our house, for reasons of health and thrift. I love knowing what's in our food, but I'll admit, it isn't always easy. I can't just open a box and pop it in the microwave at the last minute (in fact, we don't actually have a microwave. Yes, I am one of those people!) There's nothing worse than having a hungry kid, and no idea what's for dinner. In order to avoid the dreaded pasta every night, I came up with a system for meal planning. It works really well, as long as I actually follow it.

We do
Pasta on Monday
Soup on Tuesday
Eggs on Wednesday
Rice on Thursday
Beans on Friday
Pizza on Saturday (my favorite, since Bob does the cooking!)
Leftovers on Sunday

So following that, and considering what we got in the CSA and what we already have in the house, I've come up with the following meal plan for the week:

• Pasta with broccoli and a salad on Monday
• Zucchini, romaine, chickpea and edamame salad (adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe) with green soup and/or cauliflower bisque on Tuesday
• Potato and summer squash frittata with green beans on Wednesday (I'll likely have some friends over for a pot-luck dinner that night)
  
• Wild rice with kale, almonds and raisins, and salad on Thursday (If I am feeling ambitious, and have the time, I'll make beet risotto instead.)
  
• Cranberry beans and kale and sauteed zucchini with herbs on Friday

Even if I don't follow it exactly, I have a plan to fall back on. It's easier to make a grocery list, and not spend a ton of money on food we don't really need. For a while, we were making near daily trips to Trader Joe's or the co-op or the extremely expensive natural foods store, and spending a small fortune on food. When we stick to the plan, and are strict about weekly shopping trips, we eat better and save money.