Last night, we went to a fabulous talk at
my favorite bookstore (ie, the first bookstore I knew was carrying
my book
). Aviva Goldfarb, creator of
The Six-O'Clock Scramble meal planning service, talked about her brand new book,
SOS! The Six O'Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families.
Aviva worked with David many years ago, and when we found out that she too was obsessed with food and the environment, he was thrilled to reconnect a bit with her.
For those of you who have read my blog for a while, you know I am a dyed-in-the-wool hippie who tries to live in an ecologically sound fashion--and that I often try to challenge myself to create new behaviors that reflect my commitments. Goldfarb's book introduces her readers to the importance of many of the actions my family has taken over the years, from carrying our own bags and shopping at farmers market to eating meat responsibly and beginning to compost. Her book is a great intro to eco-eating for those who are interested in the issue but haven't gotten deeply involved yet.
Although those of us who have been labeled "deep green" or "already off the deep end" may not learn much new green info, the thing I really like about Goldfarb's book is her emphasis on having a plan for the week's meals.
I love to cook and love to invent recipes on the fly. Although I've made detailed plans for Passover or for family visits where things get a bit more challenging, I rarely do more than sketch out a few possibilities for the coming week. Over the last year of so, I have occasionally signed on to
Meal Outlaw to try to flesh out a bit of a plan and to spy on other people's methods--but often I wind up logging meals in retrospect. In my usual real life, I just buy whatever looks great at the market and go from there.
This fly-by-night method works well for my personality about 75% of the time. It is an utter failure at other times. We wind up going out to eat or I talk my 10yo son into cooking or my husband into putting something together at some late hour. I think I get enough pleasure from the relaxed intuitive cooking during the height of gardening and CSA season that I'm not 100% sure I am ready to totally abandon my method. I suspect that even if I do get hooked on planning, I won't really be sticking to other people's recipes much of the time.
But when I started hearing about Goldfarb's planning method, I was inspired to try something new. I am eager to try out her recipes now that I own her cookbook. But before I bought it, I spent the past week with a bunch of cookbooks from the library, a pad of paper for making a map of the week, and the commitment to try things this different way.
In poking around online for alternative sources for meal planning, I also found two super-cool blog collectives,
Menu Plan Monday and
Mindful Menus. Reading the linked posts gave me lots of ideas and further inspiration.
* * *
So here is this experimental week:
Sunday:
Chicken Penne with Pesto and Artichoke Cream
from Robin Rescues Dinner: 52 Weeks of Quick-Fix Meals, 350 Recipes, and a Realistic Plan to Get Weeknight Dinners on the Table
Roasted Asparagus
Monday:
Caribbean Vegetable Stew (vegan)
from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day
Brown Rice
Papaya Salad with Ginger-Lime Dressing
Tuesday:
Egyptian Pasta en Crema
from Hands-Off Cooking: Low-Supervision, High-Flavor Meals for Busy People
Assorted Salad Greens with Papaya Seed Dressing
Wednesday:
North African Cauliflower Soup (vegan)
from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day
Assorted Salad Greens with Papaya Seed Dressing
Warmed Bread (from the farmer's market)
Thursday:
Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Spinach (vegetarian)
from Hands-Off Cooking: Low-Supervision, High-Flavor Meals for Busy People
Crunchy Salad
Friday:
Baked Potatoes topped with Goat Cheese, Sauteed Rapini, Leeks, and Mushroom (vegetarian)
to be improvised
Saturday:
***FAMILY BIRTHDAY DINNER***
Macaroni and Yeast with Broccoli (a special request and an old favorite) (vegan recipe)
from Vegan Vittles: Recipes Inspired by the Critters of Farm Sanctuary
Assorted Salad Greens
Great-Granny's Lemon Pound Cake
recipe forthcoming
Sunday:
Shrimp Pomodoro over Angel Hair
from Robin Rescues Dinner: 52 Weeks of Quick-Fix Meals, 350 Recipes, and a Realistic Plan to Get Weeknight Dinners on the Table
Steamed Asparagus
* * *
I am hungry already...
Do you meal plan? I'd love to hear more about your experiences!